Design of an Equivalent 2-D Finite Element Analysis Model for Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Motors Considering Radial End Effects and Inductance-Based Evaluation

This paper proposes a two-dimensional finite element analysis (2-D FEA) model for axial flux permanent magnet motors (AFPMMs) that addresses the computational burden of three-dimensional finite element analysis (3-D FEA) while keeping electromagnetic accuracy. The proposed model converts the 3-D geometry into a 2-segment linear proposed 2-D structure, applying relative permeability correction in the air region to account for radial leakage flux and end effects. Incremental Method-based inductance estimation enables accurate parameter extraction, and iron loss is calculated via magneto-static analysis. Using the computed parameters, characteristic performance evaluation under load conditions is performed. Furthermore, experimental validation is conducted by comparing the no-load back electromotive force of the prototype motor with simulation results from both 3-D FEA and proposed 2-D FEA models. The proposed 2-D FEA approach achieves high agreement with experimental data and significantly reduces computation time, establishing the proposed approach as a strong methodology for the rapid analysis and design of AFPMMs.