A tubular linear machine with dual Halbach array

Purpose – Force output is extremely important for electromagnetic linear machines. The purpose of this study is to explore new permanent magnet (PM) array and winding patterns to increase the magnetic flux density and thus to improve the force output of electromagnetic tubular linear machines. Design/methodology/approach – Based on investigations on various PM patterns, a novel dual Halbach PM array is proposed in this paper to increase the radial component of flux density in three-dimensional machine space, which in turn can increase the force output of tubular linear machine significantly. The force outputs and force ripples for different winding patterns are formulated and analyzed, to select optimized structure parameters. Findings – The proposed dual Halbach array can increase the radial component of flux density and force output of tubular linear machines effectively. It also helps to decrease the axial component of flux density and thus to reduce the deformation and vibration of machines. By using analytical force models, the influence of winding patterns and structure parameters on the machine force output and force ripples can be analyzed. As a result, one set of optimized structure parameters are selected for the design of electromagnetic tubular linear machines. Originality/value – The proposed dual Halbach array and winding patterns are effective ways to improve the linear machine performance. It can also be implemented into rotary machines. The analyzing and design methods could be extended into the development of other electromagnetic machines.