Computer-Aided Design of Electric Machinery (Monographs in Modern Electrical Technology)

No single aspect of electric-machinery analysis and design has received so much attention in the literature as that of how computers can be used in the process. Nevertheless, most of this material is concerned with specific problems and applications, and until now a general view of the whole area, as seen from the perspective of historical experience, has not been available. Cyril Veinott is superbly qualified to fill this need. He was one of the very first engineers to realize the potential of digital computers in aiding the working designer and from the mid-fifties has been actively involved in utilizing the computer's services for this purpose. For 17 years, he was associated with the Reliance Electrical Company, where he was engaged in the development of a computer system that was assigned tasks in the design of electric circuits and mechanical configurations of both dc and ac motors. He organized the company's Engineering Computer Center, which on his retirement was processing over 200 design problems daily.

The book opens with a look at the nature of a programmable engineering problem and discusses the selection and the mechanics of digital computer equipment. This chapter surveys the kinds of systems and subsystems presently available and outlines their rival advantages for various ranges of applications. Both equipment and procedures are judged in terms of economic considerations as well as from a strictly engineering point of view.

The author then describes the experiences of Reliance Electric's Engineering Computer Center and puts forth some general conceptual approaches regarding the nature of the design problem and outlines the analysis and synthesis approaches to design. Notes on programming explain such techniques as branching, decision and structure tables, flow charting, and iterative (or cut-and-try) procedures.

Some specific electromechanical applications are taken up next. These include the design of single-phase and polyphase induction motors, the calculation and design of laminations for both stators and rotors, the design of direct-current machines, and the problems of mechanical design (weight and inertia calculations, rotor design, rating and efficiency calculations, and the design of worm gears).

The later chapters introduce the working up of test data and the elements of curve fitting, QUIKSPEK (a computerized sales-order-specification system), and a final "Potpourri" of topics, including transient phenomena, synchronous machine design, distributed parameter problems, and electronic power supplies.

The volume is included in the series Monographs in Modern Electrical Technology, edited by Alexander Kusko.