ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Torque ripple

Imagine you have a toy car that runs on batteries. When you turn it on and it starts moving, you might notice that sometimes it moves smoothly and sometimes it feels a little jerky. That jerky feeling is like torque ripple.

Now, inside the toy car, there is a special motor that makes it move. This motor has a part called an armature, which is like the engine of the car. When this armature spins, it creates a force called torque that makes the wheels of the car turn.

But sometimes, while the armature is spinning, it doesn't always provide the same amount of force consistently. It might give a little more force at one moment and a little less force at another moment, just like the toy car feeling jerky.

This change in force is called torque ripple. It happens because of different things going on inside the motor. One reason is that the magnets in the motor might not be perfectly aligned, causing the forces they create to change as the armature spins. Another reason is that the electricity flowing through the motor isn't always constant, so it affects the force produced by the armature.

When torque ripple happens in a real car, it can make the ride less smooth and comfortable. Just like how the toy car moves jerkily, a real car might feel jumpy and not as enjoyable to drive.

So, engineers and scientists work hard to reduce torque ripple in real cars and other machines. They do this by using precise measurements and calculations to design the motors better. They try to make sure the magnets are perfectly aligned and the electricity flowing through the motor is very stable.

By reducing torque ripple, they can make our cars and machines run more smoothly and give us a better experience as we ride and use them.