Magnetic Circuits

Magnetic field
• Many common devices rely on magnetism, eg computer disk drives,,
transformers, motors, generators, medical equipment, loud
speakers, etc.
• A permanent magnet is a piece of ferromagnetic material (such as
iron, nickel or cobalt) which has properties of attracting other pieces
of these materials.
• The magnetic force produced by a magnet can be detected in the
area around a magnet and is called the magnetic field
• A magnetic field cannot be seen, felt, smelt or heard
• The magnetic field is represented by imaginary lines called lines of
magnetic flux
Properties of Magnetic flux lines
• The direction of the magnetic field is tangent to the field line at
any point in space. A small compass will point in the direction of
the field line.
• The strength of the field is proportional to the closeness of the
lines.
• Magnetic field lines can never cross, meaning that the field is
unique at any point in space.
• Magnetic field lines are continuous, forming closed loops
without beginning or end.
• They go from the north pole to the south pole.
Magnetic flux lines
• Unlike poles attract and
distribution is as shown in (a)
• Like poles repel as in (b)
• Flux lines pass with greater
ease through magnetic
materials such as iron than
through air or non-magnetic
materials such as glass as (c)
shown in (c)
Magnetic flux
• Magnetic flux is the amount of magnetic field (or the number of
lines of force) produced by a magnetic source.
• The symbol for magnetic flux is Φ (Greek letter ‘phi’).
• The unit of magnetic flux is the weber, Wb
Magnetic flux Density
• Magnetic flux density, B is the amount of flux passing through a
defined area that is perpendicular to the direction of the flux:

• where A is the area in m2.

• The unit of magnetic flux density is the tesla, T, where 1 T = 1
Wb/m2 Hence
Example
A magnetic pole face has a rectangular section having
dimensions 200 mm by 100 mm. If the total flux emerging
from the pole is 150 μWb, calculate the flux density.
Example
The maximum working flux density of a lifting electromagnet is 1.8 T
and the effective area of a pole face is circular in cross-section. If the
total magnetic flux produced is 353 mWb, determine the radius of
the pole face.
Magneto-motive force
• Magnetomotive force (mmf) is the cause of the existence of a
magnetic flux in a magnetic circuit.
• This is similar to the existence of current due to an electromotive
force
MMF, Fm=NI amperes or ampere-turns
where
N is the number of conductors (or turns) and
I is the current in amperes.
Magnetic field strength

• The magnetomotive force per metre length of the magnetic circuit

is termed the magnetic field strength (or magnetizing force), H.

ampere per metre

where l is the mean length of the flux path in metres.

• Since ‘turns’ have no dimensions, the SI unit of mmf is the ampere.
• But mmf=NI
Example
A magnetizing force of 8000A/m is applied to a circular magnetic
circuit of mean diameter 30 cm by passing a current through a coil
wound on the circuit. If the coil is uniformly wound around the
circuit and has 750 turns, find the current in the coil.
Permeability
• The ratio of magnetic flux density to magnetic field strength for
air, or any non-magnetic medium, is a constant, i.e.
B/H=μ0.

• This constant μ0, is called the permeability of free space (or the
magnetic space constant) and is equal to 4π ×10−7 H/m.
Relative Permeability
• For all media other than free space, B/H = μ0μr where ur is the
relative permeability, and is defined as

• μr varies with the type of magnetic material and, since it is a ratio

of flux densities, it has no unit.
• From this definition μr for a vacuum (air) is 1.
• μ0μr = μ, and is called the absolute permeability
Example
A coil of 300 turns is wound uniformly on a ring of non-magnetic
material. The ring has a mean circumference of 40 cm and a uniform
cross sectional area of 4 cm2. If the current in the coil is 5 A,
calculate (a) the magnetic field strength, (b) the flux density and (c)
the total magnetic flux in the ring.
Magnetization curve
• By plotting measured values of
flux density B against magnetic
field strength H, a B–H curve
or magnetization curve is
produced.
• Typical curves for selected
materials are shown in the
Figure.
• For non-magnetic materials it
is a straight line.
Magnetization curve
• The relative permeability of a ferromagnetic material is
proportional to the slope of the B–H curve and thus varies with the
magnetic field strength.
• The approximate range of values of relative permeability for some
common magnetic materials are:
Reluctance
• Reluctance S (or RM) is the ‘magnetic resistance’ of a magnetic
circuit to the presence of magnetic flux.

• The unit of reluctance is 1/H (or H−1) or A/Wb

• Ferromagnetic materials have a low reluctance and can be used
as magnetic screens to prevent magnetic fields affecting
materials within the screen.
• The flux lines pass with greater ease
through magnetic materials than through
air.
Example
A flux density of 1.2 T is produced in a piece of cast steel by a
magnetizing force of 1250 A/m. Find the relative permeability of
the steel under these conditions.
Example
Determine the reluctance of a piece of mumetal of length 150
mm and cross-sectional area 1800 mm2 when the relative
permeability is 4000. Find also the absolute permeability of the
mumetal.
Comparison between electric and magnetic
circuits
Homework
1. Problem 11 (Bird). A closed magnetic circuit of cast steel contains a 6 cm
long path of cross-sectional area 1 cm and a 2 cm path of cross-sectional
2

area 0.5 cm . A coil of 200 turns is wound around the 6 cm length of the
2

circuit and a current of 0.4 A flows. Determine the flux density in the 2 cm
path, if the relative permeability of the cast steel is 750.
2. Problem 12 (Bird). A silicon iron ring of cross-sectional area 5 cm has a
2

radial air gap of 2 mm cut into it. If the mean length of the silicon iron
path is 40 cm, calculate the magnetomotive force to produce a flux of 0.7
mWb. The magnetization curve for silicon is shown on page 78.
3. Practice other problems in Bird and Hughes