Analysis of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Coupled to a Flexible Rotor for Electric VTOL

Existing analyses of conceptual electric VTOL aircraft decouple the electric motor from the rotor for performance, loads and vibration analyses. Such analyses ignore transient dynamics effects that can potentially have significant effects on the rotor and power system design. In this paper, two methodologies are examined for the analysis of motor-rotor coupling in eVTOL aircraft. A simple equivalent DC model and a detailed 3-phase AC model to examine the effects of rotor inertia and motor control logic on motor response. The models are also coupled with a prescribed lag to examine the coupling between the motor and a rotor for variable torque.