Subscale rotor spin testing for compulsator component development

The maturation of pulsed rotating machines has evolved to the stage where a greater degree of basic research is required to further increase the energy and power density of advanced compulsators. The University of Texas at Austin Center for Electromechanics is studying the combined mechanical and electrical aspects of very high speed compulsator rotor designs for the next generation of compact pulsed rotating machines. This paper describes the design, construction and testing of three scaled composite rotors. Performance specifications included hoop stresses of 1.7 GPa (250 ksi) in the outer banding and strain excursions of 0.4% in the field coil region. Results from the three studies are reviewed in detail. Techniques developed at the Center for Electromechanics for determining composite rotor performance are also discussed.