Flare tooth stator for an AC generator

A method of making a stator assembly comprising the steps of:

• producing a generally cylindrical stator core that extends along a longitudinal axis and that has a yoke portion, and a plurality of radially-inwardly projecting teeth separated by intervening slots wherein at least one slot has a slot opening having a first width, said producing step includes the substep of forming on the radially innermost end of at least one tooth a pair of legs separated by a recess disposed therebetween wherein said recess opens toward a centerpoint of the stator assembly;
• after producing said stator core, inserting a stator winding in the slots;
• and
• after inserting said stator winding, deforming the radially-innermost portion of the teeth to produce a slot opening having a second width that is less that the first width, said deforming step including the substep of cold-working the at least one tooth by seating a deforming tool between the legs of the stator tooth and moving the deforming tool, beginning at the first axial end, in a first axial direction for a predetermined portion of an axial length of the stator core;
• and moving the tool, beginning at the second axial end, in a second axial direction opposite the first axial direction for a remainder of the axial length so as to deform the legs laterally toward adjacent slots so as to deform the material at the radially innermost portion of the tooth to define a final tooth tip.