A Review of Lightweight Rotor Design and Energy-Efficiency Collaborative Optimization of High-Speed PMSMs for New Energy Vehicles under Multiphysics Coupling_Vol. 4 No. 3 (JES 2026)_Journal of Engineering System (ISSN: 2959-0604)

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A Review of Lightweight Rotor Design and Energy-Efficiency Collaborative Optimization of High-Speed PMSMs for New Energy Vehicles under Multiphysics Coupling

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jes.202602305

Author(s)

Jingdong Lan

Affiliation(s)

School of Mechanical Engineering, Northeast Electric Power University, Jilin, Jilin , China

Abstract

Against the macro-level backdrop of the “dual-carbon” strategy and the ongoing transformation of the energy landscape, new energy vehicle drive systems are rapidly evolving toward higher rotational speeds, greater power density, and deeper system integration. As the pivotal component responsible for both energy conversion and mechanical load bearing, the rotor of the high-speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is confronted with a set of tightly coupled multiphysical challenges, including sharply increased electromagnetic losses, the approach to centrifugal stress limits, and severe thermal management constraints. This paper presents a literature review of rotor lightweight design and coordinated energy-conversion-efficiency optimization for high-speed PMSMs under multiphysics coupling constraints. The review first elucidates the dynamic mechanisms underlying electromagnetic–thermal–mechanical coupling in high-speed operating conditions, with particular emphasis on the nonlinear effects of windage loss, which scales with the cube of rotational speed, and rotor thermal deformation on air-gap magnetic fields and operational safety. It then synthesizes the principal pathways for rotor lightweight design, including topology optimization, shape optimization, and material substitution, while further examining the synergistic interplay among sleeve materials, soft magnetic materials, and heat-transfer paths. Finally, from the perspectives of control and system-level regulation, the review summarizes representative strategies for enhancing the efficiency of high-speed PMSMs, encompassing intelligent control, harmonic-suppression modulation, and operating-point optimization.

Keywords

High-speed Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor; Rotor Sleeve; Multiphysics Coupling; Windage Loss; Rotor Eddy-current Loss;Topology Optimization

References

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