Three-phase induction motor and secondary conductor thereof
11108290 · 2021-08-31
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H02K2213/03
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
A three-phase induction motor includes: a stator having a stator slot having an open slot structure for inserting a formed coil; and a rotor having a rotor slot into which a conductor bar is inserted, the rotor being placed on an inner side of the stator with a clearance between the rotor and the stator. The conductor bar has a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles, and both end portions of an outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar are rounded.
Claims
1. A three-phase induction motor, comprising: a stator having a stator slot having an open slot structure for inserting a formed coil; and a rotor having a rotor slot into which a secondary conductor is inserted, the rotor being placed on an inner side of the stator with a clearance between the rotor and the stator, the rotor slot having a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles, wherein the secondary conductor has a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles that is different from the cross-sectional shape of the rotor slot, and both end portions of an outer-circumference-side edge surface of the secondary conductor are rounded, a portion of the outer-circumference-side edge surface other than the both end portions makes no contact with the rotor, the both end portions make surface contact with a tapered portion formed on an outer circumference side of the rotor slot, and when the secondary conductor is inserted in the rotor slot, a slot opening portion is placed on an outer circumferential surface side of the rotor slot and a gap is formed between the slot opening portion and the outer-circumference-side edge surface.
2. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 1, wherein, a radial length of the slot opening portion is longer than a radial length of the gap.
3. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 2, wherein a material of the secondary conductor is pure copper.
4. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 3, wherein the three-phase induction motor is used as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle.
5. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 4, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
6. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 3, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
7. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 2, wherein the three-phase induction motor is used as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle.
8. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 7, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
9. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 2, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
10. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 1, wherein a material of the secondary conductor is pure copper.
11. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 10, wherein the three-phase induction motor is used as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle.
12. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 11, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
13. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 10, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
14. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 1, wherein the three-phase induction motor is used as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle.
15. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 14, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
16. The three-phase induction motor according to claim 1, wherein the three-phase induction motor is a fully-closed electric motor.
17. A secondary conductor for use in a three-phase induction motor, the motor comprising: a stator having a stator slot having an open slot structure for inserting a formed coil; and a rotor having a rotor slot and placed on an inner side of the stator with a clearance between the rotor and the stator, the rotor slot having a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles, the secondary conductor being inserted in the rotor slot so as to configure a part of the three-phase induction motor, wherein the secondary conductor has a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles that is different from the cross-sectional shape of the rotor slot, and both end portions of an outer-circumference-side edge surface of the secondary conductor are rounded, a portion of the outer-circumference-side edge surface other than the both end portions makes no contact with the rotor, the both end portions make surface contact with a tapered portion formed on an outer circumference side of the rotor slot, and when the secondary conductor is inserted in the rotor slot, a slot opening portion is placed on an outer circumferential surface side of the rotor slot and a gap is formed between the slot opening portion and the outer-circumference-side edge surface.
18. The secondary conductor for use in a three-phase induction motor according to claim 17, wherein a material of the secondary conductor is pure copper.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
(11) A three-phase induction motor and its secondary conductor according to embodiments of the present invention are described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.
First Embodiment
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(13) The electric motor 1 according to the first embodiment is a motor known as a fully-closed electric motor that is covered by a material that isolates the electric motor 1 from outside air, and the electric motor 1 is suitable as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle. When the electric motor 1 is used in a railroad vehicle, a driving side portion 8a of the shaft 8 is coupled to an axle (not illustrated) of the railroad vehicle via a joint (not illustrated) and a reducing gear (not illustrated) such that the electric motor 1 drives wheels attached to the axle (not illustrated) and thereby causes the vehicle to travel.
(14) A plurality of slot holes (hereinafter referred to as “rotor slots”) 7 are formed so as to pass through the rotor core 6 in the axial direction of the shaft 8. A conductor bar 9, which is a conductor having a bar structure, is inserted into each of the rotor slots 7, and end portions of the inserted conductor bars 9 in their longitudinal directions are coupled together by end rings 10. The conductor bars 9 are conductors that configure a secondary-side circuit of the electric motor 1 and are referred to as secondary conductors.
(15) A stator core 3, which has a tubular structure, is placed on the inner side of a frame 12 so as to face the rotor core 6 with a clearance 18 between the stator core 3 and the rotor core 6, and a stator winding 4 is placed on the stator core 3. The stator core 3 and the stator winding 4 configure a stator 2.
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(17) In the rotor core 6, 38 rotor slots 7 are formed so as to face the slots 3a or the teeth 3b of the stator core 3. As described above, the conductor bar 9, which forms the secondary conductor, is inserted into each of the rotor slots 7.
(18) While a case in which the number of stator slots is 48 and the number of rotor slots is 38, that is, a case in which (the number of stator slots)>(the number of rotor slots) is illustrated in
(19) The cross-sectional shape of each of the rotor slots of the electric motor according to the first embodiment is described next.
(20) As illustrated in
(21) The cross-sectional shape of the conductor bar of the electric motor according to the first embodiment is described next.
(22) The conductor bar according to the first embodiment has mainly four characteristics described below.
(23) (1) The cross-sectional shape of the conductor bar 9 is different from the cross-sectional shape of the rotor slot 7.
(24) (2) Both end portions of an outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 are rounded (see portions A and B in
(25) (3) When the conductor bar 9 has been inserted, a gap 32 is formed between the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 and the slot opening portion 54.
(26) (4) A radial length “a” of the slot opening portion 54 and a radial length “b” of the gap 32 (that is, the length from the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 to an inner circumferential portion side of the slot opening portion 54) satisfy a relationship a>b.
(27) Rounding both of the end portions of the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 causes each of the end portions to make surface contact with the rotor core 6; therefore, stress concentration on a contact portion of the rotor core 6 with the conductor bar 9 can be avoided. Since both of the end portions of the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 can make surface contact with the rotor core 6, concentration of eddy current due to point contact can be avoided.
(28) By providing the gap 32 between the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar 9 and the slot opening portion 54, an amount of fringing magnetic flux that crosses the slot opening portion 54 and the conductor bar 9 can be reduced. Increasing the radial length of the gap 32 reduces the sectional area of the conductor bar 9, thereby increasing secondary resistance. Thus, as described above, the radial length of the gap 32 is preferably reduced so as to be shorter than the radial length of the slot opening portion 54.
(29) Harmonic losses caused when the three-phase induction motor is driven using an inverter and the structure of a rotor that is affected by the harmonic losses are described next.
(30) Harmonic losses caused in an electric motor driven using an inverter include a harmonic loss that is caused by a harmonic component included in a voltage waveform applied to the electric motor, that is, a harmonic voltage (generally referred to as “inverter harmonic loss”) and a harmonic loss that is caused by a space harmonic caused inside the electric motor (generally referred to as “space harmonic loss”).
(31) A space harmonic loss is generally categorized into a stator slot harmonic that is generated by permeance pulsation at slot portions and teeth portions of a stator and a stator magnetomotive force harmonic that is generated due to the magnetomotive force changing in steps because of the stator windings accommodated in the slots.
(32) The stator magnetomotive force harmonic is generally considered small if the number of slots for each pole and each phase is two or greater. The stator slot harmonic is the dominant space harmonic of the space harmonic loss. The electric motor according to the first embodiment has a similar structure. An open slot structure is employed for opening portions of stator slots from the viewpoint of improving the case of inserting coils especially when the coils are formed coils; in such cases, the stator slot harmonic is notably increased.
(33) Additionally, the stator slot harmonic affects the rotor slots. This is because when opening portions of stator slots have open slot structures, a large part of the pulsation component of magnetic flux due to the stator slot harmonic is received between conductors in the adjacent rotor slots, and thereby the harmonic loss increases.
(34) A known technique skews a secondary conductor in the axial direction for the purpose of reducing the harmonic loss as described above; however, skewing in the axial direction is difficult if the material of the secondary conductor is metal. In an electric motor having a structure in which secondary conductors are not skewed in the axial direction, a large amount of harmonic current is thus induced in the secondary conductors, which are conductor bars inserted into rotor slots.
(35) The shape of the rotor slot illustrated in
(36) An effect that the conductor bar according to the first embodiment uniquely produces is described next with reference to
(37) When a swaging operation is performed on the conductor bar according to the first embodiment, a state in
(38) In contrast, when a swaging operation is performed on a conductor bar according to a conventional technique, that is, a conductor bar that has the same shape as the rotor slot 7, a state in
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(40) In the case of the conductor bar 9 according to the first embodiment, the first end portion 30 (30a and 30b) of the conductor bar 9 and a portion of the conductor bar 9 around the first end portion 30 are in surface-contact with and secured to the first tapered portion 57 (57a and 57b) of the rotor slot 7, as indicated by portions C and D in
(41) In the case of the conductor bar 109 according to the conventional technique, the corner portion 110 (110a and 110b) of the conductor bar 109 is in point-contact with and secured to the rotor slot 7 as indicated by portions E and F in
(42) When the conductor bar 109 that is secured using a high swaging pressure is heated and undergoes thermal expansion due to the rotation of the electric motor, a force acts to cause the conductor bar 109 to expand together with the rotor core as illustrated in
(43) In contrast, the conductor bar 9 according to the first embodiment can keep the swaging pressure low; therefore, unlike the case described above, the magnetic steel sheets of the rotor core can be inhibited from breaking and deforming.
(44) While an example is provided in
(45) As described above, the conductor bar, which is the secondary conductor included in the three-phase induction motor according to the first embodiment, has a polygonal cross-sectional shape having six or more angles, and both of the end portions of the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the secondary conductor are rounded; thus, the three-phase induction motor can firmly hold the secondary conductors without increasing the swaging pressure and can lower the possibility of a rotor core or the secondary conductor breaking.
Second Embodiment
(46) A material of the conductor bars of the three-phase induction motor according to a second embodiment is described below. As described in the first embodiment, the conductor bars are required to have enough strength to withstand a centrifugal force generated when the rotor rotates. A conventional conductor bar is thus generally made of a copper alloy. When a copper alloy is used to make a conductor bar, a manufacturing method referred to as a cold drawing process is used to make the conductor bar. In the cold drawing process, a material is pushed into a die and then drawn out. In the cold drawing process, high strength can be obtained by using an appropriate processing ratio, which is a ratio of the amount of material to be pushed into a die, and by performing an aging treatment, which is a heat treatment performed after drawing out the material, at an appropriate temperature for an appropriate time. The cold drawing process, however, is problematic in that, although its accuracy is high when the shape of a conductor bar is simple, distortion occurs during the drawing process when the shape of a conductor bar is complex. This distortion results from a difference in rolling reduction due to asymmetry of the cross-sectional shape. Since the conventional mainstream cross-sectional shape is rectangular, a distortion of even a high strength copper alloy is corrected relatively easily; however, a polygonal shape makes the operation to correct a distortion difficult and also has a disadvantage in that machinability is poor.
(47) The conductor bar according to the second embodiment is made of pure copper because it facilitates the operation to correct a distortion and requires no aging treatment. Although pure copper, which is not an alloy, does not offer an increased strength through an aging treatment, use of the shape of the conductor bar according to the first embodiment can obtain strength in the conductor bar when it is inserted in and secured to the rotor slot.
(48) Pure copper, which is a material having a low loss, is preferable for improvement in efficiency. Additionally, rounding the outer-circumference-side edge surface of the conductor bar enables reduction in harmonic secondary copper loss of the rotor, that is, a harmonic loss due to permeance pulsation at the slot portions and the teeth portions; therefore, pure copper is a preferable material for improvement in efficiency.
(49) While a case has been described in which the three-phase induction motor according to the present embodiment is used as a main electric motor for use in a railroad vehicle, the three-phase induction motor may be used for other uses.
(50) The configurations in the embodiments described above represent some examples of the present invention, and they can be combined with another publicly known technique and partially omitted or modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
(51) 1 electric motor (three-phase induction motor); 2 stator; 3 stator core; 3a slot; 3b teeth; 4 stator winding; 5 rotor; 6 rotor core; 7 rotor slot; 8 shaft; 8a driving side portion; 9 conductor bar; 10 end ring; 12 frame; 18 clearance; 20 coil; 30 (30a, 30b) first end portion; 32 gap; 54 slot opening portion; 57 (57a, 57b) first tapered portion; 58 (58a, 58b) parallel portion; 59 (59a, 59b) second tapered portion; 60 (60a, 60b) first corner portion; 61 (61a, 61b) second corner portion; 62 (62a, 62b) third corner portion; 63 (63a, 63b) fourth corner portion; 70 chisel-like tool; 80 rotation direction; 82 twisting force; 109 conductor bar; 110 (110a, 110b) corner portion; 116 rotor core retainer; 118 magnetic steel sheet.