This paper presents a strategy to mitigate electromagnetic noise in induction motors for electric vehicles by optimizing the rotor slot count and skewing distance. Initially, the magnetomotive forces (MMF) of the stator and rotor windings, air-gap permeance, and the predominant radial electromagnetic force waves in the air-gap magnetic field were analytically determined and compiled. A finite element model of the original 36/42 straight-slot configuration was established for simulation validation. Subsequently, a preliminary optimization scheme for rotor slot number was proposed. A systematic analysis was conducted of the circumferential distribution of radial force waves and their harmonic components in both temporal and spatial orders by comparing electromagnetic vibration characteristics across different rotor slot configurations (42 versus 53 slots) using two-dimensional Fourier decomposition. Furthermore, building upon the mechanism of tooth harmonic suppression via rotor skewing, an advanced optimization strategy for skewing distance was developed. Comparative analysis of harmonic content in air-gap flux density under three configurations (straight slot, 1.0× skewing, and 1.2× skewing) revealed the optimal solution. Experimental vibration tests demonstrated significant improvements: the optimized 53-slot rotor with 1.2× skewing reduced vibration amplitudes by 5 dB·Hz at the 2nd-order natural frequency, 5 dB·Hz at the 3rd-order natural frequency, and 18 dB·Hz at the 3rd-order resonance peak compared to the original 42-slot straight-slot design. These results confirm that coordinated optimization of rotor slot number and skewing distance effectively mitigates electromagnetic vibration and noise in traction motors.
Yang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.