Gearboxes allow for speed and torque conversion between the input and driven sides in a drivetrain. For several applications, such as marine and energy generation, the system is designed for a lifetime of twenty years or more, but the gearboxes tend to fail on an average in 7 – 8 years. This necessitates a critical look at the design of this important component of the drivetrain. Recent advances in permanent magnet technology have enabled innovative design alternatives for gearboxes. One such design involves having magnetic pole pieces on outer housing and inner rotor. The outer rotor lies between the housing and the inner rotor is made of ferromagnetic pieces. When carefully designed, a speed and torque conversion can occur between the two rotors. These magnetic gearbox have several potential advantages such as minimal friction, longer lifetime, contactless power transmission, etc. However, a detailed dynamic response and failure analysis required for commercial acceptance of such devices. This research project is to design, develop and validate performance of such gearboxes. The project will also test the failure modes of such gearboxes and develop innovative fault detection algorithms for this application.
Undergraduate
1. Literature review in area of magnetic machines
2. FEA analysis of a concentric magnetic gearbox design
3. Detailed gearbox design and fabrication
4. Experimental validation
None
Smart Manufacturing Systems Lab (201.439, Lab)