ELECTRIC MOTOR ROTOR

Abstract

A rotor of an aircraft electric motor includes a shaft made of a first material, and a conductive assembly made of a second material different from the first material. The shaft includes a shoulder portion, the shoulder portion includes longitudinal notches. The notches include two contiguous notches radially superimposed in the shoulder portion, a first opening on a radially outer face of the shoulder portion, and a second opening connecting the two contiguous notches. The conductive assembly is a one-piece structure including a conductive bar that is positioned in one notch of the notches, and a skin that is fixed on the shoulder portion.

Claims

1. A rotor of an aircraft electric motor, the rotor comprising: a shaft made of a first material; and a conductive assembly made of a second material different from the first material, wherein the shaft comprises a shoulder portion, the shoulder portion comprising a plurality of longitudinal notches, wherein the plurality of notches comprise: two contiguous notches radially superimposed in the shoulder portion; a first opening on a radially outer face of the shoulder portion; and a second opening connecting the two contiguous notches, and wherein the conductive assembly is a one-piece structure comprising: at least one conductive bar configured to be positioned in one notch of the plurality of notches; and a skin configured to be fixed on the shoulder portion.

2. The rotor according to claim 1, further comprising an interpenetration layer of the first material and of the second material, the interpenetration layer being between the shaft and the conductive assembly, and the interpenetration layer comprising an alloy of the first material and an alloy of the second material.

3. The rotor according to claim 1, wherein the conductive assembly comprises: a first ring being fixed to the rotor at a first end region of the shoulder portion; and a second ring being fixed to the rotor at a second end region of the shoulder portion.

4. The rotor according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of notches tangentially distributed in the shoulder portion.

5. (canceled)

6. A method for manufacturing a rotor, the method comprising at least one of: inserting a shaft and an element intended to form a conductive assembly in a tubular protective casing; heating and pressurizing the conductive assembly containing the protective casing, the element intended to form the conductive assembly and the shaft, up to a temperature of formation of the conductive assembly and of diffusion welding of the conductive assembly and of the shaft to obtain an assembly comprising the protective casing and the rotor; heat treating the assembly by cooling the assembly; tempering the assembly; and separating the protective casing and the rotor.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein inserting the element intended to form the conductive assembly in the tubular protective casing comprises inserting by positioning around the shaft, a powder intended to form the conductive assembly in the tubular protective casing.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein heating and pressurizing the assembly is carried out in a dedicated enclosure and in a neutral atmosphere.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein heat treating comprises quenching, and the quenching comprises at least one of: a natural convection gas quenching; a forced convection gas quenching; a water quenching; or an oil quenching.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein heat treating is carried out until at least one component of iron and carbon of a material of the shaft becomes martensitic.

11. The method according to claim 6, further comprising a preliminary step of machining the shaft.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein machining the shaft comprises machining at least one notch in the shaft.

13. A method for manufacturing a rotor, the method comprising: inserting a shaft and an element intended to form a conductive assembly in a tubular protective casing; heating and pressurizing the conductive assembly containing the protective casing, the element intended to form the conductive assembly and the shaft, up to a temperature of formation of the conductive assembly and of diffusion welding of the conductive assembly and of the shaft to obtain an assembly comprising the protective casing and the rotor; heat treating the assembly by cooling the assembly; tempering the assembly; and separating the protective casing and the rotor.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0040] Other characteristics, aims and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description, which is purely illustrative and not limiting, and which should be read in relation to the appended drawings in which:

[0041] FIG. 1 is a graph representing the maximum power of different electric machines as a function of the rotational speed.

[0042] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective representation of a rotor according to the invention.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective representation in partial section of a rotor according to the invention.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective representation of a shaft according to the invention.

[0045] FIG. 5 is a schematic front representation of a shaft according to the invention.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of two radially superimposed contiguous notches.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of the positioning of a shaft in a casing according to the invention.

[0048] FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the representation of FIG. 7.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a representation of a casing containing a shaft and a powder making it possible to form a conductive assembly.

[0050] FIG. 10 is a representation of a shaft and of a conductive assembly extracted from the casing.

[0051] FIG. 11 is a representation of a rotor obtained by a method according to the invention.

[0052] FIG. 12 is a representation of a diagram of the microstructure change of a steel, in a time interval, as a function of the temperature.

[0053] FIG. 13 is a comparative representation of the magnetic hysteresis of two samples of a material having received two different quenches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Rotor

[0054] According to a first aspect, the invention proposes a rotor 1 of an aircraft electric motor, comprising a shaft 2 made of a first material and a conductive assembly 4 made of a second material different from the first material.

[0055] It is specified that in the present document, by conductive it is meant an electrically conductive element, that is to say able to allow a circulation of electricity within it.

Shaft

[0056] The shaft 2 is a one-piece revolution part.

[0057] In the present document, an orthogonal reference frame linked to the shaft 2 is defined. In this orthogonal reference frame, the longitudinal direction corresponds to the axis of revolution of the shaft 2. The radial direction is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, extending from the longitudinal direction towards an external cylindrical surface of the shaft 2. The tangential direction is a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and to the radial direction. The tangential direction is tangent to an external cylindrical surface of the shaft 2.

[0058] The shaft 2 has in particular a shoulder portion 6. It is specified that by shoulder portion it is meant a portion comprised between two circular crowns normal to the axis of revolution of the shaft 2 and resulting from a sudden variation in diameter.

[0059] The shoulder portion 6 has two end regions 8 (i.e. each being a circular crown). Each end region 8 of the shoulder portion 6 has a groove intended to accommodate a ring 12.

[0060] In addition, as represented in particular in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shoulder portion 6 comprises a plurality of longitudinal notches 25. Each notch 25 is in the form of a slot (or a channel) in the shoulder 6. In other words, the notches 25 are intaglio sculptures in the surface of the shoulder 6. Each notch 25 has a through-opening on the surface of the shoulder 6.

[0061] According to one particular arrangement, schematized in FIG. 6, several notches 25 can be radially superimposed in the shoulder 6. By radially superimposed it is meant thatfor exampletwo notches 25 can succeed one another along the same radial direction. According to this arrangement which can be called double notch, two radially superimposed contiguous notches 25 have an opening 30 connecting said two contiguous notches. In other words, two radially superimposed and contiguous notches 25 communicate via an opening 30 connecting them.

[0062] When the notches 25 are filled by conductive bars of the conductive assembly 4, the architecture called double-notch architecture 25 (i.e. two radially superimposed notches 25) makes it possible to optimize the profile of the torque that can be delivered by an electric motor comprising a rotor 1.

[0063] As represented in FIGS. 4 to 8, the notches 25 can be tangentially distributed in the shoulder 6. Even more preferably, the notches 25 are equally distributed.

[0064] In addition, according to an arrangement not represented in the figures, the shaft 2 can have a longitudinal bore. The bore can comprise a splined portion.

[0065] Typically, the shaft 2 is made of a magnetic material comprising an alloy of iron and carbon.

[0066] Preferably, the alloy of the shaft 2 is a steel comprising mainly iron and carbon. In a particularly preferable manner, the alloy is a martensitic steel comprising more than 1% carbon. This steel structure allows the shaft 2 to channel the magnetic field lines coming from the windings to the stator (when the rotor is operating in an electric motor) so that the conductive element 4 receives as much magnetic field as possible.

[0067] For example, the alloy of the shaft can be chosen from 17-4PH, AISI 416 (EN-1-4005), AISI 431 (EN-1-4057), AISI 1020 (XC18), AISI 1045 (XC48).

[0068] It is specified that this alloy can comprise other components in addition to iron and carbon, for example in order to make the steel stainless (example: Chrome Cr, Nickel Ni . . . ).

[0069] The geometry of the shaft 2 can for example be obtained by turning and the martensitic structure is obtained by heat treatment.

Conductive Assembly

[0070] The conductive assembly 4 is a one-piece structure-preferably made of copper-positioned on the shoulder region 6.

[0071] As represented in the figures, the conductive assembly 4 comprises a plurality of conductive bars 28 and a skin 29.

[0072] The skin 29 covers the shoulder 6. Each conductive bar 28 is positioned in a notch 25. It is remarkable that the conductive bars 28 have a geometry complementary to the notches 25. In other words, each conductive bar 28 fills the totality (or almost the totality) of a notch 25.

[0073] Preferably, all the notches 25 are filled by a conductive bar 28 and the entire shoulder 6 and conductive bars 28 are entirely covered by the skin 29.

[0074] The skin 29 can advantageously have a thickness of the order of 1 to 5 millimeters.

[0075] Furthermore, the conductive assembly 4 can comprise two rings 12 which are each intended to be positioned in a groove of an end region 8.

[0076] Preferably, each ring 12 is in one piece with the conductive assembly 4. In other words, preferably, each ring 12 is made integrally with the conductive assembly 4. Thus, the rings 12 are comparable to thicker skin portions 29. The rings 12 have a short-circuit function and serve to loop the induced currents to the rotor.

[0077] As indicated previously, preferably, the conductive assembly 4 is made of copper. The copper is chosen for its excellent conductivity. According to another embodiment, the conductive assembly 4 could for example be made of silver or aluminum.

[0078] It is specified that the material, such as copper or silver, constituting the conductive assembly 4 is not necessarily a pure material and can be a copper-based, an aluminum-based or a silver-based alloy. For example, the copper alloy can comprise alloying elements such as chromium and zirconium or cobalt or even Beryllium.

Diffusion Welding and Interpenetration Layer

[0079] According to one particularly advantageous arrangement of the invention, the conductive assembly 4 is welded to the shoulder portion 6 and to the end regions 8 of the shaft 2. More specifically, each conductive bar 28 is welded in a notch 25 and the skin 29 is welded on the shoulder portion 6, the rings 12 are for their part welded to the end regions 8.

[0080] This welding is carried out so that the rotor 1 has an interpenetration layer due to the existence of a diffusion of material between the conductive assembly 4 and the shaft 2, at the level of the shoulder portion 6 and of the notches 25.

[0081] In other words, at the level of the shoulder portion 6 and of the notches 25, the rotor has a layer of interpenetration of the material of the shaft 2 and of the material of the conductive assembly 4.

[0082] By interpenetration it is meant an alloy layer for alloying the material of the shaft 2 (first material) and the material of the conductive assembly 4 (second material).

[0083] It is specified that in a particularly advantageous manner, this interpenetration is carried out without the addition of a third material. In other words, the welding of the conductive assembly 4 and of the shaft 2 only comprises the conductive assembly 4 and the shaft 2 and does not involve any additional material.

[0084] Advantageously, and as will be described below, the interpenetration layer is the result of a diffusion welding of the conductive assembly 4 and of the shaft 2. This arrangement very advantageously makes it possible to have an excellent mechanical resistance over the entire surface of the shoulder portion 6, of the end regions 8 and of the notches 25, which allows the rotor 1 to withstand rotational speeds greater than 50,000 rpm in the present configuration.

Manufacturing Method

[0085] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for manufacturing a rotor 1 as described above.

[0086] With reference to FIG. 8, the method comprises the steps of: [0087] inserting the shaft 2 and an element intended to form the conductive assembly 4 in a tubular protective casing 30; [0088] heating and pressurizing the assembly 32 containing the casing 30, the element intended to form the conductive assembly 4 and the shaft 2, up to a temperature of formation of the diffusion welding of the conductive assembly 4 and of the shaft 2 to obtain an assembly 32 comprising the casing 30 and the rotor 1; [0089] heat treatment for cooling the assembly 32; [0090] tempering the assembly 32; and [0091] separating the casing 30 and the rotor 1.

[0092] It is specified that the diffusion welding is a technique allowing the assembly of elements in solid phase that is to say without fusion, thanks to the simultaneous application of a temperature and of a high pressure.

[0093] More preferably, the step of inserting the shaft 2 and an element intended to form the conductive assembly 4 in a tubular protective casing 30 comprises a phase of positioning, around the shaft, a powder intended to form the conductive assembly 4. This metal powder has a particle size equivalent to the one required for a sintering method, for example from around ten to a few tens of um in average diameter, and an equally controlled distribution.

[0094] According to this embodiment, the powder agglomerates and merges, comparable to the sintering method, in the casing 30 to form the conductive assembly 4.

[0095] According to one particular arrangement, the method can comprise a preliminary step of machining the shaft 2. More specifically, this preliminary step can comprise at least one phase of machining the notches 25.

[0096] Advantageously, the diffusion welding phase can be performed in an enclosure according to a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) method.

[0097] It is specified that the diffusion welding is a technique allowing the assembly of elements in solid phase that is to say without fusion thanks to the simultaneous application of a high temperature and pressure.

[0098] Typically, a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) method can comprise a step of degreasing and stripping the surfaces of the elements to be assembled, a step of directly contacting the degreased and stripped surfaces of the elements to be assembled, and a step of assembling by diffusion welding the surfaces of the elements in contact.

[0099] The step of degreasing and stripping the surfaces of the elements to be assembled can consist of conventional treatments for degreasing and stripping metal surfaces.

[0100] The aim of this step is to obtain clean, degreased and oxidation-free surfaces. The degreasing of these surfaces can for example be performed by means of a solvent or of a detergent conventional for degreasing metals. The stripping can be chemical or mechanical stripping, it can for example be carried out by means of an acidic or basic solution, or by rectification or polishing. In a known manner, the stripping technique can be chemical stripping followed by rinsing with water during which the surface of the materials is rubbed using an abrasive pad based, for example, on alumina fibers. This treatment can be repeated several times, the last rinse being carried out with demineralized water.

[0101] This list is not exhaustive, the choice of any technique making it possible to eliminate traces of pollution and oxidation on the surfaces of the elements to be assembled is possible.

[0102] For the surface of the martensitic stainless steel element to be assembled, the degreasing solvent can be an organic solvent, for example of the ketone, ether, alcohol, alkane type, or chlorinated alkene such as trichloroethylene, or a mixture thereof, etc.

[0103] A preferred solvent is a mixture in equal proportions of ethyl alcohol, ether and acetone. Another preferred solvent is trichloroethylene. Chemical stripping can be carried out with an acid solution, for example a 10% hydrofluoric acid bath or a mixture comprising 1 to 5% hydrofluoric acid with 30 to 40% nitric acid. The stripping time can be for example from 10 seconds to 5 minutes, for example from 20 to 30 seconds, at a temperature of 15 C., for example 20 C. The stripped surfaces can then be rinsed in one or several successive baths, for example of demineralized water.

[0104] In a known manner, the following step is a step of directly contacting the degreased and stripped surfaces of the elements. This contacting corresponds to placing or positioning the elements to be assembled surface-to-surface, according to a desired stacking. Preferably, this contacting is made within a period of less than one hour following the step of degreasing and stripping the surfaces to be assembled, so as to limit the risks of oxidation, except in the case where special precautions have been taken to store the degreased and stripped elements, these precautions can consist for example in maintaining the elements in a clean and non-oxidizing atmosphere such as nitrogen by means of bagging in sealed bags. This contacting is called direct contacting, because it is done according to the present invention without disposing on the surfaces to be assembled an intermediate layer of an alloy as the one described in the prior art. According to the invention, the step that follows the contacting of the surfaces of the elements to be assembled is a step of assembling by diffusion welding the surfaces brought into direct contact. The diffusion welding can be performed for example by isostatic pressing or by uniaxial hot pressing, for example by conventional techniques known to those skilled in the art.

[0105] When the diffusion welding is performed by hot isostatic pressing, the materials brought into contact can be introduced into a casing which makes it possible to isolate the elements to be assembled from the atmosphere and to discharge the air from the casing for the assembly of the elements by diffusion welding therein.

[0106] It is specified that the casing 30 can be made up of any sealed material sufficiently resistant to withstand at least a partial vacuum therein and to withstand the high temperatures and pressures necessary to assemble the elements. For example, the casing can be a metal casing, for example made of stainless steel, mild steel or titanium and its alloys. It can for example be formed from a sheet metal having a thickness for example of approximately 1 to 20 mm, for example of approximately 1 to 10 mm. Preferably, the casing can match the external shape of the elements to be assembled.

[0107] In a known manner, the martensitic stainless steel element (the shaft 2) can close the casing 30 by playing the role of a cover of the casing 30, the shaft 2 can then be welded to the casing 30. In a known manner, this casing 30 can be made by cutting, possibly by bending and welding of a sheet metal or by any method known to those skilled in the art.

[0108] The casing 30 is then degassed so as to create a vacuum therein. The degassing can be carried out by means of a vacuum pump and of a heating of the assembly elements to be assembled/casing.

[0109] An example of degassing can consist in discharging the air from the casing 30 at ambient temperature until a residual vacuum less than or equal to 10 Pa is obtained, then in heating the assembly to a moderate temperature, for example of less than 300 C for a few hours, for example 5 hours, while continuing the discharge.

[0110] It may be useful to check that the casing is sealed, before carrying out the diffusion welding operation, for example by means of a helium test.

[0111] Once the degassing step is performed, the casing 30 is made completely sealed by the obturation of the opening used for its discharge, the obturation being carried out for example using TIG welding.

[0112] The elements brought into contact in the degassed casing can then be assembled by diffusion welding. The assembly can be carried out in a hot isostatic pressing enclosure.

Heating

[0113] More specifically, the heating step comprises a phase of pressurizing the assembly 32. Typically, the pressure inside a heating enclosure (i.e. a furnace) can be brought to a value comprised between 1,000 and 2,000 bars (preferably the pressure can be around 1,500 bars).

[0114] In addition, preferably, the heating is carried out in an atmosphere called neutral atmosphere. To do so, the heating enclosure of the furnace used is saturated with a neutral gas (i.e. a rare gas according to the periodic classification of the elements). Preferably, the neutral gas used may be argon. According to another arrangement, the atmosphere of the heating enclosure can be saturated with nitrogen.

[0115] One of the objectives of the saturation of the heating enclosure with argon or nitrogen is to remove the oxygen in order to avoid a potential oxidation reaction.

[0116] Furthermore, preferably, the heating step is carried out by bringing the assembly 32 to a temperature allowing the diffusion welding but lower than a liquefaction temperature of the copper (and therefore of the steel).

[0117] It is specified that by bringing the assembly to a temperature allowing diffusion welding, it is meant that the temperature of the assembly 32 is increased gradually (linearly) up to a maximum temperature, then the maximum temperature is maintained for a determined period of time.

[0118] In a particularly preferred manner, the maximum heating temperature can be comprised between 900 C. and 1,040 C. to dissolve steel.

[0119] Preferably, the heating step is carried out gradually over several hours. In a particularly preferred manner, the heating stage lasts around ten hours.

Heat Treatment

[0120] Preferably, the heat treatment step can comprise a quenching chosen among open air quenching, water quenching or oil quenching.

[0121] It is specified that the quenching can be homogeneous for the entire assembly 32 or can be monitored via in-situ measurements.

[0122] Preferably, the quenching heat treatment step is determined so that the steel of the shaft 2 becomes martensitic. More specifically, the heat treatment step makes it possible to remove any possible presence of residual austenite in the steel of the shaft 2.

[0123] Preferably, the quenching must correspond to a cooling speed greater than the critical speed to create the martensitic phase, i.e. several tens of degrees/second (/s).

[0124] With reference to the diagram presented in FIG. 12, the objective of the quenching is to reach at least the area indicated V2 in FIG. 12 and at best the area indicated V1.

[0125] The quenching step is very advantageous in improving the electromagnetic properties as shown in FIG. 13 which shows that the cooling speed has a direct impact on the electromagnetic properties of the material. Indeed, the magnetic hysteresis H1 corresponds to a water-quenched material, the magnetic hysteresis H2 corresponds to quenching under water. Thus, it can be observed in FIG. 13 that a specimen cooled under water has better electromagnetic properties than a specimen cooled under water.

[0126] After the quenching, it is possible to continue this heat treatment phase by immersing the assembly 32 in a cryogenic bath in order to reduce the presence of residual austenite. Typically the cryogenic bath can be at a temperature below 20 C. In a preferred manner, the assembly 32 is immersed in the cryogenic bath for a period that can be comprised between 10 minutes and 60 minutes.

Tempering

[0127] Following the quenching heat treatment, the tempering step makes it possible to cover the desired characteristics for the copper constituting the conductive assembly 4 (mechanical resistance, electrical conductivity, etc.), and makes it possible to soften the martensitic steel to increase its ductility while preserving its electromagnetic properties, which makes it possible to optimize the overall performance of the rotor 1.

[0128] The tempering step is a known step in the field of metallurgy. Usually, the tempering can also be called aging.

[0129] Preferably, the tempering is carried out by bringing the assembly 32 to a bearing temperature comprised between 450 C. and 650 C., over a duration comprised between 1 hour and 4 hours. This optimized treatment ensures that the copper alloy has a conductivity equal to or greater than 90% of the conductivity of the pure Copper (% IACS) and ensures that the desired mechanical properties are maintained.

Separation and Finishing

[0130] The separation of the casing 30 and of the rotor 1 is carried out by machining the casing 30 to retain only the rotor 1. In other words, the casing 30 is extracted by machining, typically by turning.

[0131] The rotor 1 obtained then has blank dimensions, as represented in FIG. 10.

[0132] Then, the rotor 1 and more particularly its conductive assembly 4 are machined to have the final dimensions and geometries.

[0133] At the end of this last finishing machining step, the rotor 1 obtained has the geometric characteristics necessary for its use, and also has structural and electromagnetic characteristics guaranteeing its resistance during use at rotational speeds greater than 50,000 rpm.

[0134] The interdiffusion interlinked area on the part obtained according to the method typically has a thickness of a few tens of um.

[0135] The rotor 1 having a monolithic type structure can be easily balanced statically and dynamically (by localized material removal), which makes it possible to guarantee the lowest vibration level possible and compatible with a high rotational speed of the rotor 1.