Electric machine with non-magnetic lamination bridges

A rotary electric machine comprising:

• a stator;
• and
• a rotor disposed radially within the stator and having:
• a coaxial stack of annular rotor laminations, each respective one of the rotor laminations being constructed from a ferrous core material having a first relative magnetic permeability and an outer diameter surface, such that the rotor lamination defines a plurality of through-openings proximate the outer diameter surface, wherein an peripheral bridge of the ferrous core material extends between each of the through-openings and the outer diameter surface;
• wherein at least some of the peripheral bridges are austenitic bridges constructed at least partially from an alloy material having a second relative magnetic permeability diffused into the ferrous core material, and wherein the first relative magnetic permeability is at least 10 times greater than the second relative magnetic permeability.

A vehicle comprising:

• road wheels;
• a battery pack;
• and
• a rotary electric machine connected to the battery pack and to at least some of the road wheels, including:
• a stator having annular stator laminations;
• and
• a rotor disposed radially within the stator and having a coaxial stack of annular rotor laminations, each respective one of the annular rotor laminations and the annular stator laminations defining a plurality of through-openings proximate an outer diameter surface of the rotor laminations or an inner diameter surface of the stator laminations, respectively, wherein a peripheral bridge formed of the electrical steel extends between the through-openings and the outer diameter surface of the rotor laminations, and an annular inner rim is defined around an inner diameter surface of the stator;
• wherein the annular inner rim of the stator and/or at least some of the peripheral bridges are constructed from an electrical steel having a relative permeability of at least 1000 and an alloy material having a relative magnetic permeability of less than 100.