DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE ROTOR OF A FULLY SUPERCONDUCTING MACHINE

Because of their very high specific torque, fully superconducting rotating machines are considered as enabling technology for future turbo-electric propulsion for transportation aircraft. NASA is funding the development of a high fidelity fully superconducting machine sizing tool able to generate optimized designs based on power requirements and design constraints. In this thesis, a mechanical model of a rotor of fully superconducting motor with 4MW Power and 5000 RPM speed is designed. The model developed includes a realistic 3D geometry representation and is based on parametric design methods. COMSOL MultiPhysics has been used to validate the mechanical calculations including the thermal stress, strain, displacement and torque induced stress and deformation. This parametric model allows us to get the relationship between stress/strain and a series of parameters. This will help define the most proper materials and topology considering different required working conditions. The simulations allowed for a full characterization of the superconducting motor composite shaft and successfully validated the analytical estimation of the stress and deformation of the shaft and stator during cool down and under the effect of the applied torque.