Abstract: A hybrid synchronous machine includes a cylindrical element having slots; excitation windings situated in at least some of the slots; and permanent magnets situated in at least some of the slots. For a hybrid salient pole machine 16 a cylindrical element has salient poles with excitation windings situated around the salient poles and permanent magnets supported by the salient poles.

Abstract: A core contact (meaning core fault or keybar contact) detection method comprises: positioning at least two electrically conductive plates near at least two respective laminations of a laminated core; supplying an excitation signal to the at least two electrically conductive plates; and using a resulting signal to detect variations in capacitance between the at least two electrically conductive plates representative of a core contact.

Abstract: Permanent magnets, devices including permanent magnets and methods for manufacture are described with the permanent magnet comprising, for example: iron-boron-rare earth alloy particulate having an intrinsic coercive force of at least about 1591 kiloamperes/meter (about 20 kiloOersteds) and a residual magnetization of at least bout 0.8 tesla (about 8 kiloGauss), wherein the rare earth content comprises praseodymium, a light rare earth element selected from the group consisting of cerium, lanthanum, yttrium and mixtures thereof, and balance neodymium; and a binder bonding the particulate.

Abstract: An induction motor rotor comprises a rotor shaft, a rotor core, which may be solid or may include a plurality of rotor laminations, having rotor bar slots, a plurality of rotor bars extending through the rotor bar slots, and two rotor end rings brazed to the rotor bars and extending to the rotor shaft, the rotor bars and rotor end rings pre-stressing the rotor core.

Abstract: A hybrid synchronous machine includes a cylindrical element having slots; excitation windings situated in at least some of the slots; and permanent magnets situated in at least some of the slots, the permanent magnets comprising radially magnetized permanent magnets.

Abstract: A gear transmission monitoring method includes: forming a good operating condition baseline matrix by, for each of a plurality of different gear mesh frequencies, obtaining a good operating condition signal indicative of gear transmission conditions over a segment of time and transforming the obtained good operating condition signal into a good operating condition time-frequency spectrum; and then obtaining a gear mesh frequency and a test signal over a segment of time, transforming the obtained test signal into a test time-frequency spectrum, and using the gear mesh frequency and the good operating condition baseline matrix to examine the test time-frequency spectrum to monitor gear transmission conditions.

Abstract: A direct current machine monitoring system includes a current sensor for monitoring load current of the machine; and a computer for obtaining a power spectrum in a range including a machine trait-passing frequency, determining a magnitude of a maximum peak in the power spectrum in a range including the trait-passing frequency plus or minus an uncertainty frequency, and evaluating the magnitude of the maximum peak to assess a condition of the machine. The computer may additionally or alternatively be used for obtaining a low frequency power spectrum of the load current, obtaining at least one magnitude of a component of the power spectrum at a respective predicted frequency, and evaluating the at least one magnitude of the component to assess the condition of the machine.

Abstract: A machine monitoring method includes obtaining signals indicative of machine conditions, machine rotational speed, direction, and load conditions over a segment of time, transforming the obtained signal indicative of machine conditions into a frequency spectrum, identifying low level features of the frequency spectrum, and processing the low level features to obtain an indicator value representative of the machine conditions.

Abstract: An assembly for transferring current comprises at least one electrically conductive slip ring; at least one electrically conductive brush for supplying current to the at least one slip ring; and an electric or pressure actuator driven vibration source for changing the position of the brush with respect to the slip ring. If desired, brush current can shared by using inductance variations or by selective coupling of rotor windings to the slip rings.

Abstract: A method for detecting core faults comprises: (a) positioning a magnetic yoke near at least one tooth of the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces; (b) supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth of the core; (c) using the at least one flux sensor to measure a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and (d) using the measured signal to detect variations in flux on the at least one core-facing surface representative of core faults.

Abstract: A method for detecting core faults includes: positioning a magnetic yoke near at least one tooth of the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces; supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth; using the at least one flux sensor to measure a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and using the measured signal to detect variations in flux on the at least one core-facing surface representative of core faults. A system includes: at least one magnetic yoke for being positioned near at least one tooth of the core and being wound by a winding and comprising two core-facing surfaces; and at least one flux sensor situated on at least one of the two core-facing surfaces.

Abstract: A method of making a permanent magnet body is provided. The method includes providing a first precursor body comprising a plurality of blocks and magnetizing the first precursor body to form a first permanent magnet body. A recoil magnetization pulse may be applied to the permanent magnet body after the magnetization. The precursor body may be heated during magnetization. A power supply containing a battery may be used to energize a pulsed magnet used to magnetize the precursor body.

Abstract: An apparatus for estimating the time to failure acceleration factor of a large industrial includes a sensor, a clock for controlling sensor sampling times, and a memory address calculator for mapping output signals of the sensor to a memory address. A unit is provided for incrementing the content of a specified memory address by unity.

Abstract: An induction motor rotor comprises a rotor shaft, a rotor core, which may be solid or may include a plurality of rotor laminations, having rotor bar slots, a plurality of rotor bars extending through the rotor bar slots, and two rotor end rings brazed to the rotor bars and extending to the rotor shaft, the rotor bars and rotor end rings pre-stressing the rotor core.

Abstract: A method for detecting core faults includes (a) positioning a magnetic yoke near at least one tooth of the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by a winding; (b) supplying current to the winding to inject magnetic flux into the at least one tooth of the core; (c) measuring a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and (d) using the measured signal to detect core faults.

Abstract: A power generator that operates at a reduced keybar voltages and currents, flange currents, and keybar voltage differentials includes a keybar shield that reduces the amount of magnetic flux coupling into a keybar of multiple keybars during operation of the generator. By reducing the amount of coupled flux, the keybar shield reduces a keybar voltage and a keybar current in a keybar, reduces keybar current flowing into a flange, and reduces a voltage differential between voltages induced by the flux in the multiple keybars.

Abstract: A diagnostic technique for monitoring shaft cracking or incipient pinion slip involves monitoring a shift in a characteristic natural frequency of an operating system such as a geared system of a locomotive. The technique involves monitoring a shift in the characteristic natural frequency or resonance of a shaft for detecting shaft cracking. The technique also involves monitoring a shift in the characteristic natural frequency of one or more assemblies of the operating system which include a pinion and detecting a shift in the one or more characteristic natural frequencies of the assemblies. A vibration sensor or measurement of current changes of a motor of the operating system can be used to detect vibrations to monitor the characteristic natural frequencies. Torsional oscillations or measurement of current and voltage changes of a motor of the operating system, can also be used to monitor the characteristic natural frequencies.

Abstract: A diagnostic method for determining a characteristic of electrode contacts and/or contacted surfaces comprising the steps of: sensing, during a movement that causes an electrode to have a break contact event with a first contacted surface and to have a make contact event with a second contacted surface, an RF signal from at least one electrical discharge event during that movement; and using a parameter of the RF signal to diagnose the characteristic of the electrode contacts and/or contacted surfaces. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a step may be included of sensing, simultaneously with the RF signal sensing step, a vibration signal generated by at least one of the break contact event and the make contact event; and using a parameter of the vibration signal to assist in diagnosing the characteristic of the electrode contacts.

Abstract: An axial flux machine includes a rotatable shaft; at least one rotor disk coupled to the rotatable shaft; at least one permanent magnet supported by the at least one rotor disk; at least one stator extension positioned in parallel with the at least one rotor disk; at least two molded iron pole elements attached to the at least one stator extension and facing the at least one permanent magnet; and at least two electrical coils, each wrapped around a respective one of the at least two molded iron pole elements.

Abstract: A leakage sensor determines a signal representative of a neutral-to-ground leakage current or voltage from the neutral point of an electric machine of an associated electrical system. A processor uses the sensed signal to determine incipient faults in at least one component of the electrical system.