Amorphous Metal Stator Insulation for High-Temperature Windings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric machines using silicon, plastic, and polymer insulators face issues with insulation resistance degradation at high temperatures and varying resistivity due to filler presence, necessitating improved electrical machines and laminations.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing amorphous metal, such as bulk metallic glass (BMG) as an insulative material, combined with additive manufacturing techniques like directed energy deposition (DED) and deep rolling to create stator cores with controlled grain structure and conductive materials, enabling high-temperature operation and efficient thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional plastic and polymer insulators are used, then manufacturing cost and ease of manufacture are improved, but insulation resistance degrades at high temperatures above 250°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional plastic/polymer to amorphous metal, fundamentally altering the thermal stability characteristics. Amorphous metal maintains its insulating properties at temperatures above 250°C where plastic insulators fail, directly resolving the temperature-dependent reliability issue while preserving manufacturing feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structure by combining amorphous metal with traditional plastic/polymer components. The amorphous metal provides high-temperature insulation where plastic fails, while the plastic components maintain their advantages in ease of manufacture and assembly, creating a hybrid solution that resolves both requirements
2Device complexity
If silicon insulators are used, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but volume resistivity varies due to presence of fillers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition from filler-containing silicon or plastic to pure amorphous metal, eliminating the variability introduced by fillers. This parameter change ensures consistent volume resistivity while maintaining manufacturing simplicity, as amorphous metal can be produced with uniform properties through controlled cooling processes
3Loss of energy
If conventional insulation materials are used, then cost efficiency is improved, but thermal management capability is insufficient for high-temperature operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thermal conductivity parameter of the insulation material by using amorphous metal, which provides superior thermal management capability compared to conventional plastics. This enables effective heat dissipation at high operating temperatures while the additive manufacturing process maintains ease of manufacture by allowing direct fabrication of complex cooling channel geometries
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced insulation resistance up to 500°C, reduced conductivity by three orders of magnitude, and efficient thermal management through cooling channels, resulting in improved durability and operational efficiency of electrical machines.
Implementation Method 1
an insulative material surrounding the plurality of windings and configured to electrically insulate each winding from each other adjacent winding, and/or to insulate one or more of the windings from the stator core. The insulative material can be an amorphous metal... reduced conductivity by three orders of magnitude
Implementation Method 2
efficient thermal management through cooling channels
Implementation Method 3
efficient thermal management through cooling channels
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A
AI summary
An electrical machine stator can include a stator core (101) having a stator core shape and made of a core material (103), a plurality of windings (105) disposed in the stator core and made of a conductive material (107), and an insulative material (109) surrounding the plurality of windings and configured to electrically insulate each winding from each other adjacent winding, and/or to insulate one or more of the windings from the stator core. The insulative material can be an amorphous metal.