Effect of airgap-profile variations on the performance of reluctance-augmented shaded-pole motors

The paper presents a computer study of the effect of various airgap profiles on the performance of reluctance-augmented shaded-pole motors. The airgap profiles examined are shown to be special cases of a generalised profile, which can be optimised to determine the most suitable airgap shape for any given criterion. The optimisation process is used to maximise starting torque, and the measured performance of the optimum machine is compared with theoretical prediction.