Cartridge armatures for electro-dynamic machines

A cartridge armature device for use in a rotating electric machine having a rotor that rotates about an axis and a stator having a ferromagnetic portion permanently affixed to said rotating electric machine, said cartridge armature comprising:

• a plurality of air-gap win dings rigidly configured in a circular fashion, each of said air-gap windings having a pair of active members at a given diameter from said axis and first and second end turn sections attached to said active section, said first end turn sections forming at least a portion of an outer rim of said cartridge armature device and having an inner diameter substantially equal to said given diameter and an outer diameter that is larger than said given diameter, said second end turn sections forming at least a portion of an inner rim of said cartridge armature device and having an outer diameter substantially equal to said given diameter and an inner diameter that is smaller than said given diameter, said active members being embedded within an active section of said cartridge armature device;
• a plurality of phase-bus connectors coupled to said plurality of air-gap windings, said plurality of air-gap windings and said plurality of phase-bus connectors being embedded in a fiber reinforced epoxy resin matrix, said matrix producing said rigid configuration of air-gap windings for transferring torque from said air-gap windings to the stator of a rotating electric machine;
• and
• a plurality of output terminals coupled to said plurality of phase-bus connectors, said cartridge armature device being removably attachable to said rotating electric machine such that said plurality of windings may be removed as an independent unit.