04/08/2025
By Danielle Fretwell

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, invites you to attend a Doctoral Dissertation defense by Ramin Safarpour on: "Performance Enhancement of Magnetic Gears: Focus on Trans-Rotary Magnetic Gear"

Candidate Name: Ramin Safarpour
Degree: Doctoral
Defense Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time: 1-3 p.m.
Location: Ball Hall, Room 302

Committee:
Advisor: Jay A. Weitzen, Department Chair, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Committee Members*
1. Siavash Pakdelian, Assistant Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
2. Mufeed Mah'd, Associate Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
3. Christopher Hansen, Department Chair, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
4. Christopher Niezrecki, Professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Brief Abstract:
Unlike traditional mechanical gears, which rely on physical contact between gear teeth, magnetic gears employ magnetic fields for motion conversion. A coaxial magnetic gear converts a low-speed, high-torque rotational motion into a high-speed, low-torque rotation and vice versa. On the other hand, a trans-rotary magnetic gear (TROMAG) converts linear motion to rotation and vice versa. This work aims to enhance the performance of coaxial magnetic gears and TROMAGs. All magnetic gears utilize permanent magnets (PMs) to generate magnetic fields. Given that rare earth PMs are costly and have an unstable supply chain, it is crucial to optimize the utilization of PM material. Here, two approaches were adopted for performance enhancement: (1) Blind Approach (topology optimization) and (2) Intuitive Approach. Using these approaches, novel topologies and novel types of TROMAG were discovered. The results of this work include but are not limited to: (1) enhancing the force density of reluctance radially magnetized TROMAG by 40%, (2) enhancing the PM utilization of radially magnetized PM TROMAG by 47%, (3) introducing a new type of induction TROMAG, and (4) enhancing the torque per mass of the radially magnetized coaxial gear by 40%. Additionally, an 11-foot-long testbed was fabricated to demonstrate the potential application of TROMAG for ocean wave energy harvesting. The testbed consists of three electric machines, a TROMAG, and more than ten sensors.