Measurement Techniques, VoL 37, No.

6, 1994

D E T E R M I N A T I O N OF T H E D I P O L E M A G N E T I C M O M E N T OF
A PRODUCT

B. M. Smirnov UDC 621.317.421

Described is the determination of the dipole magnetic moment of a product by measuring the magnetic
induction vectors between two selected points in space laying on a single line that passes through the product,
e.g., through its geometrical center. The systematic error of the determined parameter, due to the effect of
higher-order magnetic moments, is estimated and recommendations are given on the distance between magnetic
transducers used to measure the magnetic dipole moment.

Determination of the dipole magnetic moment of a magnetic field source is useful in quality control of ferromagnetic
products, in measurements of rock samples, in testing magnetic compatibility of ferromagnetic and electrical objects, etc., [1,
2].
In [2, 3] the magnetic field of a sample or product at the transducer location is approximated by the magnetic field of
a dipole. To find the magnetization of rock samples they are given a special shape such as, for example, of an elongated
ellipsoid [3]. The sample is placed at a distance of at least three times its maximum linear size from the magnetic transducer,
and the magnetic induction is measured with a systematic error of less than 5 % assuming that the dipole source is located at
the magnetic center of the sample [3]. However, the product may have a shape different from an ellipsoid. As a result, at a
distance between the product and magnetic transducer equal to three times the maximum linear size of the product, the magnetic
field may have a multipole character so that the error of the dipole magnetic moment can be as high as several tens of one
percent. On the other hand, the instrumental error increases with the distance to the transducer especially if product
magnetization is weak.
Here we propose a method that, in comparison with other solutions [2, 3], reduces both the instrumental error due to
the small distance between the product and transducer, and the systematic error due to weakening of the magnetic field effect
due to magnetic moments of higher orders.
As in [4], the proposed method is based on assuming that, since the location of the magnetic field source is not known,
the multipole is located at the geometrical center of the product. The components of the magnetic induction vector are measured
on a straight line passing the geometrical center, the number spatial points on the line depending on the order of magnetic
moments used to characterize the field source. Unlike in [4], the described method of finding the dipole magnetic moment
requires preliminary measurement of the external magnetic field components without the product. The external magnetic field
in every magnetic transducers is compensated [5]. Next, the product is inserted and the magnetic induction vector components
are measured. The projection of the magnetic induction vector at the i-th point in space can be written as [4]

02 0~ a~ ) 1 (1)
~o
B x i - - ~r. ~ Mx m ~ +My m OxOv ..~.Mz m ~ -r-m ;
rt~I

~ (2)
~t~ ~ Mxm 02 0~ ) 1
Bui-- ~ nZ~ | OxOy

Bzi= T~P~ m=lZ M~m Oxdz q-Mvrn, dtjOz -~- Mzm ~ ,

where/z 0 = 47r- 10-7 H/m; Mxm , Mym, and Mzm are projections of the m-th dipole magnetic moment on the axes of the system
of coordinates Oxyz with an origin at point O coinciding, for example, with the geometrical center of the product,

Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 6, pp. 39-41, June, 1994.

0543-1972/94/3706-0667512.50 9 Plenum Publishing Corporation 667

 _~ .(2
/%
i r~~~/
,7 / o

Y
A

Fig. 1. Spatial distribution of magnetic

transducers at measuring point 1 and 2,
and of three points A, O, C where dipole
sources with magnetic moments M4,M o,
.r

M c are located.

1 1 ~ 1 ( 0 e 0 y~ 1
r,--~- ~ -7- + ~< 77 ,~~ ~ . 4 Zo,, o-7-/ -7- ;

r = ~/x2 + y2 + z 2 is the modulus of the radius vector equal to the distance from the multipole reference point to the chosen
point of observation; x, y, z are projections of the radius vector r on the system of coordinates Oxyz; Xom, Yore, and Zorn are
projections of the segment between the point of location of the m-th dipole and the multipole reference point, and n = 1, 2,
3 . . . . and i = 1, 2, 3 . . . . are observation points at which the magnetic induction vector components are measured.
By measuring the magnetic induction vector components at i points of space laying on one straight line on the same
side from the product and solving a system of 3i equations (1)-(3), it is possible to find the magnetic moment can with a
systematic error depending on the effect of magnetic moments of the (i+ 1)-th order and higher This system of equations
provides an explicit solution for the dipole magnetic moment. In practical work it is frequently sufficient to approximate the
magnetic field source by the dipole and quadrupole magnetic moments.
Let us assume that the magnetic field source is described by magnetic moments of the first and second order. The
projections of the dipole magnetic moment vector can then be obtained from (1)-(3) by measuring the components of magnetic
induction at two points in space for two positions of the product.
Let the origin of coordinates O coincide with the geometrical center of the product. Three-component magnetic
transducers are located along the Ox axis at points 1 (x G 0; 0) and 2 (x2; 0; 0) so that the magnetic axes of these transducers
are collinear with axes of the system of coordinates Oxyz. To approximate the magnetic field source of the product by the
magnetic moments of the first and second order in (1)-(3) for 1/rrn, we limit ourselves to n = 1, 2. The dipole magnetic vector
components are then given by

4 ~. 1 ~ 4 (4)
M~:= 2 bto b (rl Bzl--r2B~) ;

4= 1 4 4
M~,~- ~.t---~- 7 (qByl--rzByQ; (5)
43 1
M~= ~to b (r~e~--r~B~z), (6)

whereb = r 2 - rl, r 1 = Ixl I , a n d r 2 = Ix2 } 9

Let us assume, as in [4], that the product has the form of a 2-m long string AC (Fig. 1). The string lies along the Oy
axis and its geometrical center coincides with point O which is the origin of the Cartesian system of coordinates Oxyz. At points
A and O with the coordinates A(0, - 1 m, 0) and O(0, 0, 0) are two dipole field sources with magnetic moments MA{0, 5
A'm 2, 0} and .~0{0, 5 A'm 2, 0}. Three-component magnetic transducers are placed at points 1(1.5 m, 0, 0) and 2(2 m, 0, 0)
on the Ox axis. Solving the direct problem and applying the well-known equation for the magnetic induction vector of a dipole
field source [3]:

(7)

668
 A.m2/mT

/.

I
I
I
r I
O'lr~ c 0,37 0,5 " ),0
, b/r t
Fig. 2. Dependence of the function 0 = gm/aB on b/r I for distance
r 1 = 1 m between transducer 1 and the multipole reference point.

we get Bxl = 118.16 nT, By 1 = - 1 5 4 . 7 nT, Bzl = O, Bx2 = 53.66 nT, By2 = -80.388 nT, and Bz2 = O.
With a systematic error due to the effect of magnetic moments of the third order and higher, the vector of the dipole
magnetic moment of the product is found from (4)-(6) as

~rp{2,6 A.m2; 10.06 A.m 2, 0}.

The nominal value is I ~rp [ = 10.39 A-m 2. The actual value of the modulus of the dipole magnetic moment vector
M = 10 A.m 2. Accordingly, the relative error calculated from 6M = ( M p - M ) / M is 3.9%. The relative error of the dipole
magnetic moment vector found by measuring only "B1 and r I or B 2 and r 2 would be 44 or 32% respectively.
If two dipole sources with magnetic moments M~{0, 5 A-m 2, 0} and Mc{0, 5 A.m 2, 0} are located at points A(0,
- 1 m, 0) and C(0, 1 m, 0) symmetrically with respect to the point O, solving the direct problem and (7), we get the magnetic
induction vectors BI{0, - 1 3 . 1 3 nT, 0} and B2{0, - 3 5 . 7 8 nT, 0}. With an error due to the effect of magnetic moments of
the third order and higher, the magnetic moment dipole vector is given by (4)-(6) as Md{0, 10.12 A.m2, 0} and I ~rd [ =
10.12 A.m 2. The relative error of the dipole magnetic moment modulus is ~iM = 1.2%. The modulus calculated by measuring
only BI and r 1 or B2 and r 2 would be 95.6 or 71.4% respectively.
To reduce the systematic error of determination of the dipole magnetic moment of a product, the points at which the
magnetic induction vector components are measured should be slected at a greater distance from the product surface or more
measurement points should be used.
Equations (4) and (5) give the dependence of the standard deviation of the results of dipole magnetic moment
measurements on the standard deviation of the results of measurement of the magnetic induction vector components at spatial
points 1 and 2 (see Fig. 1) that can be written as

aM = 0aB, (8)

where aM is the standard deviation of the results of dipole magnetic moment measurement,

0= 23 tto
4g r~ b ) s'l/~
r-~-- J

rl = I xl I , c~B is the standard deviation of the results of measurement of the magnetic induction vector components at space
points 1 and 2 (see Fig. 1). In the examples discussed above, 68 = 0.5a~ A.mZ/nT. Expression (8) shows that aM depends on
b/r 1. Thus aM = 0.8a B A.m2/nT for r 1 = 1.5 m, b = 0.115 and for r 1 = 1.5 m, b = 1.5 m.
Analysis of (8) for extremum shows that 0 has a peak at b = 0.37r 1. Figure 2 shows 0 as a function of b/r I for r 1 =
lm.
Thus, the proposed method makes it possible to find the dipole magnetic moment of a product by measuring the
components of the magnetic induction vector at two spatial points whose distance from the product surface is commensurable

669
with its maximum linear size. The systematic error of the measured parameter depends on the effect of magnetic moments of
the (i + 1)-th order and higher.

REFERENCES

1. S. A. Skorodumov and Yu. P. Oboishev, Interference-Free Magnetic Measurement Instruments [in Russian],
l~nergoizdat, Leningrad (1981).
2. B. M. Smirnov, Abstracts of the Conference-Seminar on Magnetic Purity and Electromagnetic Compatibility in the
"Mars-94" Project [in Russian], NPO VNIIM D. I. Mendeleeva, Leningrad (1991).
3. A. A. Logachev and V. G. Zakharov, Magnetic Prospecting [in Russian], Nedra, Leningrad (1979).
4o B. M. Smirnov, Izmer. Tekh., No. 5, 55 (1992).
5. Yu. V. Afanas'ev, N. V. Studentsov, and A. P. Shchelkin, Magnetometric Transducers and Instruments [in Russian],
t~nergiya, Leningrad (1972), p. 172.

67O