Research project title
Pulsed field magnetization of permanent magnets of complex shapes for electric motors
Education level
Master or doctorate
Director/co-director
Director: Frédéric Sirois
Co-director(s): David Ménard
End of display
December 31, 2024
Areas of expertise
Materials science and technology
Electrical and electronic engineering
Energy conversion and distribution
Modelling, simulation and finite element methods
Aerospace, aeronautical and automotive engineering
Unit(s) and department(s)
Department of Electrical Engineering
Laboratory of Superconductivity and Magnetism (LSM)
Conditions
Background: Undergraduate and/or Master’s degree in a field comprising a strong component in physics, engineering physics, electrical engineering or a discipline judged equivalent.
Skills and interests: Interest in magnetism applied to engineering, in digital simulation of the complex magnetization dynamics of permanent magnets, in laboratory experimentation and measurement, and more generally, in applications for transport electrification and associated technologies (here permanent magnet electric motors). Ability to communicate with industrial partners.
Personal qualities: Autonomy, critical thinking and creativity. Recommendations from referees (to be sent with the application form) should provide specific comments on each of these aspects.
Working language: The candidate should possess at least a good level of English, both written and oral. A knowledge of French would be an asset, since Polytechnique Montréal is a French-speaking institution. For master’s projects, the knowledge of French is mandatory.
Detailed description
This project is part of a larger project carried out in partnership between Polytechnique Montréal, the National Science Council of Canada (NRC) in Boucherville, the aeronautics manufacturer Safran, the firm Altair Engineering and the Quebec SME Polycontrols.
The goal of the entire project is to push the limits of the cold spray additive manufacturing process to manufacture electric motor parts with high power density and high operating temperature (~300 degrees Celcius) for the field of aeronautics, which involves using new materials in the cold spray process. More specifically, composites permanent magnet based on samarium-cobalt + aluminum (SmCo/Al) are targeted here since they can operate without loss of performance or accelerated degradation at the high temperatures envisioned. However, as these are very recent materials, their physical properties are not yet well known or optimized.
The specific research targeted in this research project concerns the study of the magnetization of permanent magnets of large size and complex shape manufactured by cold spraying, with a view to using them as rotors in electric motors. More precisely, the student will have to design coils whose shapes will be adapted to the parts to be magnetized. The magnetic field will be produced by a pulsed magnetic field source capable of producing more than 6 T. The magnetization patterns of the magnetic poles created will have to be characterized and correlated to numerical simulations carried out by finite elements. All samples will be manufactured at NRC and characterized by Polytechnique.
Ultimately, this project aims to pave the way for new economically competitive solutions to reduce GHG emissions in air transportation by switching to electric or hybrid propulsion, which requires electric motors with high power density. All students participating in the overall project will work closely with industrial partners and will be expected to spend time at the partners’ place as needed (NRC and Polycontrols: Bourcherville, QC; Safran: Paris region, France; Altair: Grenoble region, France).
Please contact Professor Frédéric Sirois (https://www.polymtl.ca/expertises/en/sirois-frederic) for more information about the above projects. PLEASE PROVIDE a CV, your MARK TRANSCRIPTS, and a LETTER OF MOTIVATION which also briefly explains your background, otherwise your application will not be considered.
Financing possibility
A financial support is available for the successful candidates. The amount of financial assistance is 19,000 $ (Canadian dollars) per year for the Master’s (maximum 2 years), and 25,000 $ per year for the Ph.D. (maximum 4 years), in order to allow the candidate to work full time on his research.
A student who obtains his own scholarship (NSERC, FRQNT or other) will be granted a bonus (typically 25% of the amount of the scholarship, to discuss case by case).
Frédéric Sirois
Full Professor
