Comparison of 2-D and 3-D Coupled Electromagnetic and Structure-Dynamic Simulation of Electrical Machines

For the coupled electromagnetic and structure-dynamic simulation of electrical machines, various 2D and 3D techniques are available. This paper reviews and compares them. The strength as well as the weaknesses of these methods are pointed out. Numerical results for the analysis of a switched reluctance machine (SRM) as an example evaluate accuracy and computational effort. It shows that the 2D simulation gives quite accurate results, as long as the axial effects and 3D mode shapes are not relevant.