Triaxial Active Control Magnetic Bearing With Asymmetric Structure

A standard magnetic levitation system has several magnetic bearings (MBs) to levitate its rotor. However, the combined structure of MBs increases the system's axial length and size. To solve these problems, we propose a triaxial active control magnetic bearing (AMB) with an asymmetric structure. This study demonstrates the development of the proposed AMB using a prototype. Radial and thrust suspension force characteristics are shown and compared with analysis and measured results. Furthermore, a magnetic levitation test is conducted, and it shows that the rotor can levitate. In addition, stability against disturbances is evaluated using a sensitivity function, and loss characteristics when the rotor is rotated are measured and discussed.