Physics

Investigatory
Test

FORCE DUE TO
EDDY CURRENT
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Master and Master of grade XII have

completed the chemistry project in partial fulfilment of the
curriculum of ALL INDIA SENIOR SECONDARY EXAMINATION
(AISSCE). The project was completed at School during the year
2018-2019

External examiner Internal Examiner

School Stamp Principal’s Signature

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We wish to express our deep gratitude and sincere thanks to the

Principal for her encouragement and facilities that she provided for this
project.
We extend our hearty thanksto , Physics teacher who guided us to the
successful completion of this project. We take this opportunity to
express our deep sense of gratitude for his invaluable guidance, constant
encouragement, constructive comment and immense motivation which
has sustained our efforts at all stages of the project
Last but not the least; We extend our thanks to our families and friends
for their constant support throughout the project
 Index
● Certificate
● Acknowledgement
● Aim of the Project
● Introduction
● Working Principle
● Constructional Details
● Experiment
● Observation
● Advantages and Disadvantages
● Conclusion
● Bibliography
 Aim
The aim of the project is to investigate the phenomenon of
Eddy Current Braking and to decode and explain the science
behind how eddy currents work. Additionally, the aim of the
project is also to explore the real life applications of eddy
current.
 Introduction

Electromagnetic Induction:-
In order to understand the science behind Eddy Currents we
first have to understand the principle behind electromagnetic
induction.
The induced electromotive force in any closed circuit is equal to
the negative of the time rate of change of the magnetic flux
through the circuit.
ε =−(dφ/dt)
Electromagnetic or magnetic induction is the production of an
electromotive force (i.e., voltage) across an electrical conductor
by a changing magnetic field.

Lenz’s Law:-
Lenz's law states that the direction of the current induced in a
conductor by a changing magnetic field is such that the
magnetic field created by the induced current opposes the
initial changing magnetic field.
 Eddy Current
The term eddy current comes from analogous currents seen in
water in fluid dynamics, causing localised areas of turbulence
known as eddies giving rise to persistent vortices. Somewhat
analogously, eddy currents can take time to build up and can
persist for very short times in conductors due to their
inductance.

Eddy currents (also called Foucault currents) are loops of

electrical current induced within conductors by a changing
magnetic field in the conductor due to Faraday's law of
induction. Eddy currents flow in closed loops within conductors,
in planes perpendicular to the magnetic field.

They can be induced within nearby stationary conductors by a

time-varying magnetic field created by an AC electromagnet or
transformer, for example, or by relative motion between a
magnet and a nearby conductor.
 Eddy Current Brakes
An eddy current brake, also known as an induction brake,
electric brake or electric retarder, is a device used to slow or
stop a moving object by dissipating its kinetic energy as heat.

However, unlike friction brakes, in which the drag force that

stops the moving object is provided by friction between two
surfaces pressed together, the drag force in an eddy current
brake is an electromagnetic force between a magnet and a
nearby conductive object in relative motion, due to eddy
currents induced in the conductor through electromagnetic
induction.
 Working Principle
An eddy current brake consists of a conductive piece of metal,
either a straight bar or a disk, which moves through the
magnetic field of a magnet, either a permanent magnet or an
electromagnet. When it moves past the stationary magnet, the
magnet exerts a drag force on the metal which opposes its
motion, due to circular electric currents called eddy currents
induced in the metal by the magnetic field.

Note that the conductive sheet is not made of ferromagnetic

metal such as iron or steel; usually copper or aluminum are
used, which are not attracted to a magnet. The brake does not
work by the simple attraction of a ferromagnetic metal to the
magnet.

See the diagram at right. It

shows a metal sheet (C)
moving to the right under a
magnet.
The magnetic field (B, green
arrows) of the magnet's north
pole N passes down through the sheet. Since the metal is
moving, the magnetic flux through sheet is changing.
At the part of the sheet under the leading edge of the magnet
(left side) the magnetic field through the sheet is increasing as it
gets nearer the magnet. From Faraday's law of induction, this
field induces a counterclockwise flow of electric current (I, red),
in the sheet.
This is the eddy current. In contrast, at the trailing edge of the
magnet (right side) the magnetic field through the sheet is
decreasing, inducing a clockwise eddy current in the sheet.

Due to Ampere's circuital law,

each of these circular currents creates a counter magnetic field
(blue arrows), which due to Lenz's law opposes the change in
magnetic field, causing a drag force on the sheet which is the
braking force exerted by the brake. At the leading edge of the
magnet (left side) by the right hand rule the counterclockwise
current creates a magnetic field pointed up, opposing the
magnet's field, causing a repulsive force between the sheet and
the leading edge of the magnet. In contrast, at the trailing edge
(right side), the clockwise current causes a magnetic field
pointed down, in the same direction as the magnet's field,
creating an attractive force between the sheet and the trailing
edge of the magnet.

Both of these forces oppose the motion of the sheet. The

kinetic energy which is consumed overcoming this drag force is
dissipated as heat by the currents flowing through the
resistance of the metal, so the metal gets warm under the
magnet.
The braking force of an eddy current brake is exactly
proportional to the velocity V, so it acts similar to viscous
friction in a liquid.

The braking force decreases as the velocity decreases. When

the conductive sheet is stationary, the magnetic field through
each part of it is constant, not changing with time, so no eddy
currents are induced, and there is no force between the
magnet and the conductor. Thus an eddy current brake has no
holding force.
 Constructional Details
The construction of a rudimentary Eddy current brake is
illustrated in the following diagrams :-

Electromagnets produce magnetic field from supplied current.

Change of magnetic flux (with time) induces eddy currents in
conductor.
Eddy Currents produce another magnetic field opposing first
field.
Opposing magnetic fields create force that reduces velocity.
 Experiment
Tools and Materials:-
● One two- or three-foot (60-centimeter or one-meter)
length of aluminum,
copper, or brass tubing (do
not use iron!) with an inner
diameter larger than the
magnet and with walls as
thick as possible.
● A disk magnet at least 1/2
inch (1.25 cm) in diameter
and longer than its
diameter (you can stack
several magnets together
to get the right length).
● A nonmagnetic object, such as a plastic-barreled pen or a
wooden pencil
● One 3-foot (1 m) length of PVC or other nonmetallic
tubing.
 Procedure:-
Hold the metal tube vertically above a table and drop the
magnet through the tube.

Then drop a nonmagnetic object, such as a pen or pencil,

through the tube.

Notice that the magnet takes noticeably more time to fall.

Now try dropping both magnetic and nonmagnetic objects

through the PVC tube.
 Observation

A magnet falls more slowly through a metallic tube than a non

metallic tube than it does through a non-metallic tube.

When a magnet is dropped down a metallic tube, the changing

magnetic field created by the falling magnet pushes electrons
around in circular, eddy-like currents. These eddy currents have
their own magnetic field that opposes the fall of the magnet.
The magnet falls dramatically slower than it does in ordinary
free fall inside a nonmetallic tube.
 Types of Eddy Current Brakes

Linear Eddy Current Brakes-

Linear eddy current brakes are used on some vehicles that ride
on rails, such as trains. They are used on roller coasters, to stop
the cars smoothly at the end of the ride.

The linear eddy current brake consists of a magnetic yoke with

electrical coils positioned along the rail, which are being
magnetized alternating as south and north magnetic poles.

This magnet does not touch the rail, but is held at a constant
small distance from the rail of approximately 7 mm
It works the same as a disk eddy current brake, by inducing
closed loops of eddy current in the conductive rail, which
generate counter magnetic fields which oppose the motion of
the train.

Circular Eddy Current Brakes-

Disk electromagnetic brakes are used
on vehicles such as trains, and power
tools such as circular saws, to stop the
blade quickly when the power is
turned off.

A disk eddy current brake consists of a

conductive non-ferromagnetic metal
disc (rotor) attached to the axle of the
vehicle's wheel, with an electromagnet located with its poles on
each side of the disk, so the magnetic field passes through the
disk.
When the driver steps on the
brake pedal, current is passed
through the electromagnet
windings, creating a magnetic
field. The larger the current in the
winding, the larger the eddy
currents and the stronger the
braking force.

Power tool brakes use permanent magnets, which are moved

adjacent to the disk by a linkage when the power is turned off.
The kinetic energy of the vehicle's motion is dissipated in Joule
heating by the eddy currents passing through the disk's
resistance, so like conventional friction disk brakes, the disk
becomes hot.

Unlike in the linear brake above, the metal of the disk passes
repeatedly through the magnetic field, so disk eddy current
brakes get hotter than linear eddy current brakes.
 Advantages

● One of the chief advantages of Eddy Current Braking

systems is that it is independent of
wheel and rail adhesion.
● There is no wear and tear in the
material as no friction is used in the
braking process.
● The brake force is adjustable as the
intensity can be controlled using the
electricity passed through the
electromagnets.
● As the brake force is directly proportional to velocity,
there is high brake force offered at high speeds.
● It can also be used as a service brake.
● It uses electromagnetic force and no friction. It is non
mechanical which gives it great durability and makes it
suitable for long term use.
 Disadvantages

 The braking force diminishes as the as the speed

diminishes because the braking force is directly
proportional to the velocity of the moving body.

 This in turn means that an eddy current

brake has no holding force which in
normal breaks is provided by static
friction.

 Another problem this poses is that it

cannot be used for low speed vehicles.

 There is also a major heat loss cycling eddy currents

because of loss on energy due to friction in the magnetic
circuit.
 Conclusion

➔ The ordinary brakes which are being used nowadays stop

the vehicle by the means of mechanical blocking. This
caused wear and tear of the vehicle. If the speed of the
vehicle is very high, it cannot provide a very good braking
force.
➔ These drawbacks of the ordinary brakes can be overcome
by a simple and effective mechanism of braking system-
The Eddy Current Brake
➔ It is an abrasion-free method for braking of vehicles
including trains. It makes use of the opposing tendency of
eddy currents.
 Bibliography

● https://www.princeton.edu/ssp/joseph-henry-
project/eddy-currents/eddy_wiki.pdf
● https://www.princeton.edu/ssp/joseph-henry-
project/eddy-currents/eddy_wiki.pdf
● https://www.explainthatstuff.com/eddy-current-
brakes.html