Application of Brushless DC Motor in military

Usually, DC motors are highly efficient and their characteristics make them suitable for use as servomotors. Servomotor is a motor which forms part of a servomechanism and paired with encoder to provide position/speed feedback which used to provide precise control of the mechanical degree of freedom driven by the motor. However, they require maintenance which need a commutator and brushes which are subject to wear. When the functions of commutator and brushes were implemented by solid-state switches, maintenance-free motors were released. These motors are now known as brushless dc motors. Today, brushless DC motor is highly used in industry, military and aerospace. There are several military applications that used brushless DC motor because of the advantages which are: 1) Military aircraft and missiles In the Peoples Republic of China, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang, and Nanchang a major researched and manufactured had developed in the aerospace industry. China had ability to design, test and produce military aircraft and missiles. China is expert in developing a brushless DC motor in application and system. Despite the cancellation in 1983 of the experimental Shanghai Y-10, China is developing its civil aerospace industry. The used of brushless DC motor in military aircraft and missiles is because the motor are designed to provide smooth and efficient operation at various speed ranges. In military Brushless DC motors usually used as fan and spindle drives inside the aircraft for adjustable or variable the speed. They can develop high torque with good speed response. In addition, they can be easily automated for remote control. In Canada, the country had formerly manufactured its own designs to build jet warplane which is CF-100 fighter. But it only working for some decades, it has relied on imports from the United States to fill these needs. However, Canada still manufactures some military planes although they are generally not combat or fighter planes.

2) Hybrid combat vehicle The U.S. Army had development combat vehicles will feature a hybrid electric power system that containing diesel or turbine generator that supply electric power to operate the vehicle subsystems, including electric drive and weapons systems. The hybrid electric power system will enhance the war fighting capability of Army vehicles in many ways, including improved acceleration, stealth capabilities for silent mobility/silent watch, energy weapons for increased lethality, and enhanced armor protection for increased survivability. In electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles high power Brushless DC motors are found. In 1997, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated the Combat Hybrid Power System (CHPS) program, whose goal is to develop and test a full-scale hybrid electric power system for advanced combat vehicles.

3) Positioning and actuation systems Brushless DC motors are used in industrial positioning and actuation application. In military, this motor is used in military robots and servo motors to position a part or a tool during the installment process, such as welding or painting. Brushless DC motors can also be used to drive linear actuators. The first military robot is used in the World War II and the Cold War. Today, US have produced a working automated sentry gun and are currently developing it further for commercial and military use. For example the MIDARS, a four-wheeled robot outfitted with several cameras, radar, and a firearm. The robot is automatically performs random and preprogrammed to patrols around a military base or other government installation. It used to alerts a human overseer when it detects movement in unauthorized areas, or other programmed conditions. The operator can then instruct the robot to ignore the event, or take over remote control to deal with an intruder, or to get better camera views of an emergency.

4) Aerospace Aerospace is a high technology industry that produces "aircraft, guided missiles, space vehicles, aircraft engines, propulsion units, and related parts. In the United States, the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are the two largest consumers of aerospace technology and

products. The brushless DC motor had seen in the used in aircraft in France and Sweden. In France, their military had continued to make its own warplanes for its air force and navy, and Sweden continues to make its own warplanes for the Swedish Air Force, especially in support of its position as a neutral country. Other European countries had used brushless DC motor in making fighters such as the Panavia Tornado and the Euro fighter Typhoon. In aerospace & defense industry, a lot of consolidation has appeared over the last couple of decades. On 1988 and 2010, more than 5,452 mergers & acquisitions with a total known value of 579 bil.

Advantage and disadvantage

Does Brushless DC motors is benefic in military? Based on our finding there is 8 advantages and 2 disadvantages of Brushless DC motor. The advantages of Brushless DC motor are longer live time and increased reliability, better heat removal, low maintenance, less noise, less losses, higher speeds, linear speed-torque characteristic, and lower rotor inertia. For disadvantage are starting cost and troublesome care. Advantages of Brushless DC motor 1) Longer live time and increased reliability Differ to Brush DC motor, Brushless DC motor is considered gave a longer lifespan. It is because there is no mechanical contact between rotor and stator. The Brushless DC Motor can last over 20,000 operating hours based on bearing life. The phenomenon of contact between a rotor and its stator is known as rub. It has been recognized as a serious cause of failure in rotating machinery. The analysis of rub is particularly complex, due to non-linear and often chaotic behaviour. Numerical simulation is referred to method of analysis and improvements in digital computing in recent years. The numerical simulation has become possible to analyze ever-more complex numerical models. The analysis of rotor and stator contact has seen a corresponding increase. Running a Brushless DC Motor outside of its specifications shortens this lifespan. 2) Better heat removal Brushless DC motor is easy being handled in any condition. It is because Brushless DC motor has a better thermal characteristic since the wound element is stationary and easily connected to a heat. The heat generating element is the stator which is on the outside of the motor as opposed to being in the inside as in the case of a brush DC motor.

3) Lower rotor inertia For brushless DC motor, there is no present of brush. Because of it, there is no mechanical loss between the brush and rotor so gave a higher efficiency. As the

efficiency higher, it gives a better performance to the system of equipment. In Brushless DC motor weight and size is an important factor. It is because Brushless DC motor produces more power relative to its weight and size so more complex and efficient machine can be produced. No present of brush also give a Lower RFI (radio frequency interference).

4) Less noise The generation of Brushless DC motor produces less noise and less sparking due to the lack of cummutator and no mechanical contact between rotor and stator.

5) Less losses In Modern permanent magnets since there are no losses especially core losses in the rotor had enable Brushless DC motor to be smaller compared to other motor such as both brush DC motors and induction AC motors. In addition, since the rotor losses are small, heat transfer to machine tools and work pieces when these motors are utilized in machine tools is minimal, thereby reducing the effects of heat on the machining operation.

6) Higher speeds The design of Brushless DC motor had no limit of speed and speed losses. There is because, in Brushless design there is no present of brushes. Brushless DC motors have been designed for speeds as high as 100,000 RPM. The problem of retention of magnets, in a rotor spinning at high speeds, has long been solved. The commutation electronics can be used for speed control without added cost. 7) Linear speed-torque characteristic Permanent magnet had design with internal shaft position feedback which gives Brushless DC motors a linear speed-torque characteristic. Internal shaft position feedback had gives a Brushless DC motors higher starting and low speed torque when compared to open loop AC induction motors. The internal shaft position also gave better controllability when compare to induction motor.

9) Low maintenance What is mean by the low maintenance in Brushless Dc motor? In Brushless DC motor there is lack of brushes or a commutator. So there nothing that need to replace within a Brushless DC Motor and making it extremely low maintenance.

Disadvantages of Brushless DC motor 1) Starting cost The largest disadvantage of a direct current is start-up cost. Although the Brushless DC Motor is lower-maintenance than the Brush DC Motor, initial cost is more expensive, due to its advantageous construction. Brushless DC motor is a complexity circuit. It requires additional system wiring in electronic commutation circuitry. In order to operate a Brushless DC motor, it also required controller and usually convoluted than most controller.

2) Troublesome care Although Brushless DC motor has low maintenance, the motor need to be run within proper specification in a clean environment to ensure that the motor is not facing with a overheat and system failure. Precaution must be taken by the user with respect to the environment of the Brushless DC Motor system during operation, repair, and service. The environment, in which a Brushless DC Motor is used, must be conducive to good general practices of electrical equipment. When doing a cleaning, user must consider to not running a Brushless DC Motor system near flammable gases, dust, oil, vapor or moisture. The Brushless DC Motor must be protected by a cover when it operated in outdoors and user must ensure the motor receives adequate air flow and cooling. Any presence of moisture may result in system failure and electric shock. Therefore adequate care should be taken to avoid any interaction between the Brushless DC Motor and any kind of moisture or vapors. Not only that, the Brushless DC Motor should be installed in an environment free from vibration, shock, condensation, dust and electrical noise.

Discussion
Brushless D.C. motors are widely used in disk or tape drives for computer peripherals as well as in CD/DVD players, cooling fans, laser printers and photocopiers. They are also often used as spindle drives in machine tools because they can be driven at very high speeds with fast acceleration, deceleration and reversing responses. With the larger horsepower sizes in Brushless DC motor, it has found application in electric vehicles. Since they do not have brushes, there are not susceptible to arcing. Brushless D.C motors are safe for environments with flammable gases, such as in the petrochemical industry. In military, Brushless DC had being applied in Aerospace, Positioning and actuation systems, Hybrid combat vehicle and Military aircraft and missiles. The involved country that used this motor are China, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang, Nanchang, Canada, United States, France, Sweden and other European countries. The uses of Brushless DC motor in military are based on the following reasons: Hybrid combat vehicle in military is one of the types of adjustable speed Brushless DC motors. They have the commutation electronics any way and with very little additional circuitry. The Brushless DC motor can be used for precise adjustable speed control. They can offer a less expensive solution when compared to an induction motor with inverter electronics solution and they can be less expensive and maintenance free relative to a brush DC solution with adjustable speed electronics.

In military, the uses of Brushless DC motor are to high power density designs with high torque to inertia ratios, and high operating efficiencies in the military machines. The motor are ideal for extra smooth position control when detent torque needs to be minimized. In addition, they are suitable for operation under environmental extremes of temperature, shock and vibration. For example when launches a missiles, the Brushless DC motor is used as it capable with shock and vibration. The motor can prevent the missile from not working after launched. They are also used as servo position control motors onboard aircraft.

Military need quite environment to perform their duty. Since BLDC motors do not have brushes, they are devoid of brush noise. When the Brushless motor is applied on the vehicles or military machines, the noise from the internal system can be reduced as the vehicle or machines already produce their own noise. If all the equipment inside the vehicles or machines produces a noise, it will provide a loud noise.

An expanded line of high-performance Brushless DC motors for applications is it require low audible noise, long life, and high torque .The motors was design with a high-speed version in the 34 frame size (BN34) and a high-energy version in the 23 frame size (BN23) which offers speeds as fast as 20,000 rpm for centrifuge applications and high-speed fans and pumps. The motor's inside rotor construction allows for quick acceleration and high speeds. In military, higher speed in aircraft is most important. Now a day, many countries had tried to improvise their military equipment. They are racing to design and module the higher speed machines. For example, US military that had a research to launch fastest-ever plane. The speed in military aircraft can save time that uses especially during war.

The uses of Brushless DC motor had low maintenance that other type of motor. For Brushless DC motor, user needs a good care when handle the motor in order to maintain it in good condition. In 2010, United States had spending $663.84 million on military. The portion of the budget goes to any defense related expenditure such as pays the salaries, training, and health care of uniformed and civilian personnel, maintains arms, equipment and facilities, funds operations, and develops and buys new equipment. The budget funds all branches of the U.S. military are for Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Due to this, Brushless DC motor is used in military as it had low maintenance although the starting cost is higher. But in the long period this motor gives a benefic as it do not provide higher expended in maintenance.

Conclusion
The Brushless DC motor is one of the electrical motor. It had been discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831. During 1821, Electric motors with increasing efficiency were constructed through the end of the 19th century. But commercial exploitation of electric motors on a large scale required efficient electrical generators and electrical distribution networks. Around 1873, the first commercially motors were made. Now a day, Brushless DC motor have go through the development period around the world such as China, Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang, Nanchang, Canada, United States, France, Sweden and other European countries. In United State, produced a working automated sentry gun are currently developing it further for commercial and military use. For example the MIDARS, a four-wheeled robot outfitted with several cameras, radar, and a firearm. The Brushless DC motor is used in military because of it advantage that are longer live time and increased reliability, better heat removal, low maintenance, less noise, less losses, higher speeds, linear speed-torque characteristic, and lower rotor inertia. But for military, the most importance is the cost. All countries around the world had spent million in military. In order to reduce the cost, there are several countries that had started using Brushless Dc motor in their militarys equipment. For example, The U.S. Army had development combat vehicles will feature a hybrid electric power system that containing diesel or turbine generator that supply electric power to operate the vehicle subsystems, including electric drive and weapons systems. Although the starting cost is higher to manufacturing a brushless DC motor, but it give a benefit in long period. This is because the motor had cheaper or low maintenance. The quiet system is needed as in military. It is to make sure the army can do their work in peace environment. In war, quiet system is need in order to prevent the army from be detected by the enemies when doing the secret investigation. In Malaysia, the Brushless DC motor had only being used in commercial industry. Although Malaysia is able to manufacturing this motor but the uses of this motor still not develop. This is maybe, because of lack knowledge about the function of Brushless DC motor. In our opinion, the Brushless DC motor is suitable to use in military as it had many benefit to

country and military. The Brushless DC motor can increase the development of our military in the world stage.

Reference
http://www.wdtl.com/pdf/WT4706AdvantagesandDisadvantages.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brushless_DC_electric_motor http://www.docstoc.com/docs/39930750/Brushless-Drive-System---Patent-4763049 http://www.insightautomation.cc/resources/literature/Motorized%20Roller%20Primer.pd f http://www.anaheimautomation.com/manuals/forms/brushless-dc-motor-guide.php http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19750007247_1975007247.pdf http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/155482.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/10/us-military-fastest-plane-falcon