Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/3025
Date of Award
6-2025
Degree Name
MS in Engineering
Department/Program
Electrical Engineering
College
College of Engineering
Advisor
Majid Poshtan
Advisor Department
Electrical Engineering
Advisor College
College of Engineering
Abstract
Electric motors are increasingly used across a wide range of applications, from household appliances to large-scale industrial systems. For specific use cases, manufacturers have begun incorporating linear motors due to their ability to produce direct linear motion. This eliminates the need for mechnical conversion mechanisms such as gears, thereby enhancing overall efficiency and system responsiveness. Given that linear motors are a relatively emerging area within the realm of electric machine design, this served as the primary motivation to further investigation.
This thesis utilizes finite element method (FEM) software, Ansys Maxwell, to examine various characteristics of double-sided linear induction motors (DSLIMs). A materials analysis was conducted comparing different combinations of ferromagnetic and paramagnetic materials, revealing that a full ferromagnetic configuration offered superior performance. Additionally, multiple winding topologies were tested, with concentrated windings demonstrating the most favorable results among the tests performed. Finally, the study identified that mutual inductance between the two primaries of the DSLIM occurs under certain operating conditions.