Permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motors are widely used for several industrial applications such as traction motors for electric automobiles or compressor motors for air conditioners, for their high efficiency. For traction motors of railway vehicles, direct current motors have been used for a long time. In these years, however, they have been replaced with inverter fed induction motors that requires less maintenance work. PM synchronous motors, a type of AC motor, also require less maintenance, and have higher efficiency than induction motors. This makes them smaller and more lightweight. To utilize their high efficiency, we use them as direct drive traction motors and totally-enclosed type traction motors. In this paper, we review our findings, from the viewpoint of application to railway vehicles.

Copyright (c) 2002 Railway Technical Research Institute