ANSYS Based BLDC Broken Magnet Failure Analysis for a Light Electric Vehicle

Light Electric Vehicles (LEV) are preferred commonly in busy cities due to their lower cost and reduced dimensions. For the propulsion of LEVs, Brushless Direct Current Motors (BLDCs) are usually used. Because of this increasing need, their fault evaluation gets higher attention. In this study, the broken magnet fault of a 24-pole outer rotor BLDC motor, with surface magnet type, is examined at various levels of severity using Finite Element Analysis (FEM). Additionally, the motor's current data has been analyzed in the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). As the result, increment in the current's harmonic content and torque ripples is observed with augmented fault severity. Additionally, decrease in average torque values and imbalance in magnetic flux are also noticed. In the context of LEV propulsion system failure studies, the study constitutes novelty with its fault severity level assessment.