Exemplary embodiments pertain to the art of electric machines and, more particularly, to an electric machine including a housing having materially integrally formed coolant channels and an outer sleeve.
Electric machines generally include a housing that encloses a rotor and a stator. The rotor typically includes a rotor hub. The rotor hub is joined to a shaft that is supported by one or more bearings. The rotor hub supports a plurality of rotor windings that, when acted upon by a magnetic field generated by the stator, cause the rotor to rotate. In some cases, the rotor will include laminations that support permanent magnets. The permanent magnets also interact with the magnetic field supplied by the stator causing the rotor to rotate. Many electric machines guide a coolant through the housing to absorb heat from the rotor and/or the stator. The coolant may take the form of a fluid flow including both gases and liquid. Coolant may be supplied directly to internal portions of the housing, passed directly through the stator or, in some cases, through passages formed in the housing.