A rotor for an electrical machine includes a rotor core having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart rotor poles. Windings are seated in gaps between circumferentially adjacent pairs of the rotor poles. A wedge secures the windings in each gap. The wedge includes a first member made of a first material and at least one second member made of a second material. The second material has a higher electrical conductivity than the first material. The wedge is configured to supply Q-axis damping. A pair of end plates is connected electrically to the at least one second member at opposing longitudinal ends thereof thereby completing a Q-axis winding circuit for each wedge.