Abstract: An aspect of the invention is directed to a variable sensor head for use in multiple electric machines with varying slot openings comprising a ferromagnetic core; a first adjustable portion and a second adjustable portion positioned in communication with the ferromagnetic core wherein the first adjustable portion and the second adjustable portion are adjusted to fit between a plurality of slot openings of varying widths between a pair of lamination teeth of an electric machine. According to another embodiment, the first and second adjustable portions are sliding portions where the sliding portions may be spring biased to provide a close fit between the pair of lamination teeth. According to another embodiment, the first and second adjustable portions are adjustable screws.

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: A machine stator is fabricated by positioning pre-wound stator windings with respect to a laminated stator yoke and directly molding composite tooth tips into contact with respective teeth of the laminated stator yoke, or by positioning pre-wound stator windings around respective stator teeth and then coupling the stator teeth and a stator yoke, wherein the stator yoke radially surrounds the stator teeth.

Abstract: High-permeability, low-core-loss soft magnetic composite materials, compositions containing the same, and methods for making the same are described. These magnetic materials are made by forming fiber or flake shaped particles from a ferromagnetic material, annealing the particles, and then coating an insulating material on the particles. These particles can then be compacted to form an article that has high permeability, high saturation, low core loss, and is a suitable replacement for laminations in various applications, such as motors.

Abstract: A direct current machine monitoring system includes a sensor configured to monitor a load current of the machine and provide a signal indicative of an alternating current component of the load current; and a computer configured for: transforming the signal to provide a time domain transformation of the alternating current component of the load current, identifying features in the time domain transformation corresponding to sparking, and assessing a condition of the direct current machine using the features. The transform may be performed using a wavelet transform. The features may be used to determine a sparking intensity and a sparking frequency in the direct current machine, which may be used to determine a sparking index for assessing the condition of the direct current machine. The sparking index may be compared to a limit value, and statistical analysis may be performed on the sparking index.

Abstract: A probe for use in detecting abnormalities in an electrical device having a wedge depression of no more than 100 mils. The probe includes a solid core surrounded by a sense coil. The ends of the core are arranged in a contact-free, spaced relationship between and at least partially above opposed surfaces of adjacent lamination teeth of a stator. Air gaps are maintained between the ends of the probe core and the opposed surfaces. The total of the two air gaps is constant. The probe is supported on a carriage arrangement and moved along the teeth. Variations in leakage flux produced with the stator energized with an energization winding to produce a flux which is a few percent of a normal energization level, are monitored.

Abstract: A differential probe is scanned along a stator core tooth portion to detect lamination faults. The probe utilizes two magnetic flux injection yokes arranged side-by-side in relatively close proximity, each yoke having two arm portions and two core-tooth flux-injection surfaces, each yoke being wound with an excitation coil winding and at least one yoke-arm of each yoke having a magnetic flux sensor. Current is supplied to the excitation coil windings on each yoke to inject magnetic flux into the stator core laminations while the probe is moved in a scanning process along the core teeth across the laminations. The magnetic flux differential detected at adjacent regions in the core by flux sensors on each of the two yokes is used to incrementally evaluate the core for laminations faults. The output produced by the differential probe may be converted to a digital signal and provided to a computer system for storage and future analysis.

Abstract: An X-ray tube comprises a cathode, an anode target assembly and an axial flux motor having a rotor and a stator. The stator is positioned along a transverse axis parallel to the rotor axis. The rotor and the stator are configured to be coupled to the anode target assembly. A cathode generates an electron beam for impingement upon the anode target assembly and a vacuum housing surrounds the anode target assembly, the cathode and the rotor to enable the electron beam impingement.

Abstract: A probe includes at least one core and at least one sense coil associated with the core. The ends of the core are arranged in a contact-free, spaced relationship between opposed surfaces of adjacent lamination teeth of a stator. Air gaps are maintained between the ends of the probe core and the opposed surfaces. The total of the two air gaps is constant. The probe is supported on a carriage arrangement and moved along the teeth. Variations in leakage flux produced with the stator energized with an energization winding to produce a flux which is a few percent of is normal energization level, are monitored.

Abstract: An X-ray tube comprises a cathode, an anode target assembly and an axial flux motor having a rotor and a stator. The stator is positioned along a transverse axis parallel to the rotor axis. The rotor and the stator are configured to be coupled to the anode target assembly. A cathode generates an electron beam for impingement upon the anode target assembly and a vacuum housing surrounds the anode target assembly, the cathode and the rotor to enable the electron beam impingement.

Abstract: A coated ferromagnetic particle comprises a ferromagnetic core and a coating. The coating comprises a residue resulting from a thermal treatment of a coating material comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyorganosiloxanes, polyorganosilanes, and mixtures thereof. A composite magnetic article comprises a compacted and annealed article of a desired shape. The composite magnetic article comprises a plurality of coated ferromagnetic articles. Each coated ferromagnetic particle comprises a ferromagnetic core and a coating. The coating comprises a residue resulting from a thermal treatment of a coating material comprising a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyorganosiloxanes, polyorganosilanes, and mixtures thereof.

Abstract: An electrical machine stator core and method for reducing electromagnetic losses and the consequent heating of the core. The stator core makes use of laminations made from an iron-aluminum alloy at the core-ends of the core, while laminations between the core-ends are formed of a ferromagnetic alloy different from the iron-aluminum alloy. Use of iron-aluminum alloy laminations at the core-ends makes possible a relatively simple technique for generator uprate, by removing laminations located at the core-ends of the stator core, and then installing replacement laminations formed of the iron-aluminum alloy at the core-end, again with the result that the laminations located at the core-ends are formed of an Fe—Al alloy that is different from the alloy of the laminations between the core ends.

Abstract: A method for evaluating core stack pressure includes: positioning a magnetic yoke near the core, the magnetic yoke being wound by an excitation winding; supplying current to the excitation winding to inject magnetic flux into the core; measuring a signal resulting from the injected magnetic flux; and using the measured signal to evaluate the core stack pressure. A system for implementing the method includes the magnetic yoke; a current supply for supplying the current; a sensor for measuring the signal; and a computer for using the measured signal to evaluate core stack pressure.

Abstract: A machine stator is fabricated by positioning pre-wound stator windings with respect to a laminated stator yoke and directly molding composite tooth tips into contact with respective teeth of the laminated stator yoke, or by positioning pre-wound stator windings around respective stator teeth and then coupling the stator teeth and a stator yoke, wherein the stator yoke radially surrounds the stator teeth.

Abstract: High-permeability, low-core-loss soft magnetic composite materials, compositions containing the same, and methods for making the same are described. These magnetic materials are made by forming fiber or flake shaped particles from a ferromagnetic material, annealing the particles, and then coating an insulating material on the particles. These particles can then be compacted to form an article that has high permeability, high saturation, low core loss, and is a suitable replacement for laminations in various applications, such as motors.

Abstract: A rotor assembly is provided in which the rotor assembly includes a first core portion, wherein the first core portion has at least one first core protrusion, and a second core portion, wherein the second core portion has at least one second core protrusion. The first core portion and the second core portion are configured to be matingly coupled to each other so as to form an assembled rotor assembly. In addition, the rotor assembly includes a number of magnetizable members wherein respective ones of the magnetizable members are coupled to each of the first core protrusions and coupled to each of the second core protrusions. The magnetizable members are adapted to be coupled to a magnetizing fixture prior to mating the first and second core portions so as to magnetize the magnetizable members.

Abstract: A method comprises: sampling a current waveform of an induction machine to obtain sampled points; characterizing the sampled current over a selected first time window to obtain characterized points; subtracting the characterized points from respective sampled points to obtain a residual signal comprising residual points; obtaining a frequency spectrum representative of the residual signal over a selected second time window; and identifying a rotor bar pass frequency from the frequency spectrum. The method is typically carried out by a system comprising a computer, a computer-readable medium, or combinations thereof.

Abstract: An actuated seal assembly for controlling flow in a fluid path in turbomachinery comprising a seal and a seal carrier coupled to the seal is provided. A displacement apparatus is coupled to the seal carrier for positioning the seal so as to control the flow in the fluid path. In addition, a drive system is provided for powering the displacement apparatus.

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: Divided magnet rotors R having a stepped skew rather than a helical skew are described. The stepped skew enables the use of straight magnet sections (44) that can be inserted into the rotor core notches (38) thereby eliminating the need to produce a helix from the rotor cage. The stepped skew is effective in decoupling stator slot order harmonics. In addition, the stepped skew rotor R includes, in some embodiments, open slots (22) so that the rotor is not subject to rotor bridge saturation.