Finite Element Simulations and Optimization of Berdut Linear Motor for a Novel Elevator System

The present project has the objective to model and simulate a special linear motor known as a Berdut linear motor. The motor’s governing equations are derived from Maxwell's equation and Newton's law of motion. These equations are coupled through the Lorenz force. Appropriate boundary conditions and initial conditions are also determined. This system does not have an exact solution. The set of equations are solved by a numerical technique. The finite element method was chosen because it is extensively used, and there are commercial software packages that solve coupled multiphysics. Maxwell® is used for the work described in the thesis. Numerical results are compared with experimental results obtained from measurements taken from a small linear motor prototype based on the Berdut Technology. Once the model is calibrated, the work proceeds to evaluate and estimate the theoretical efficiency of the motor under other conditions and other geometrical configurations. With this information, it is possible to optimize the different parameters of the motor for different applications. A novel elevator design configuration was selected as the case study in the thesis. The linear motor will be optimized for thus relatively low speed application. The objective function is formulated in terms of design variables subject to different constraints such as comfort, packaging, speed and travel distance. The tradeoff of using a linear motor over the traditional elevator is also explored.