05-10-2015

Electrical machines make use of magnets (permanent or

electromagnet) to produce motion.

Having a coordinate system, we have Space

They utilize the forces provided by the magnetic field

What is a
magnetic field??

Objects in space are described by their coordinates P1 = (x1, y1, z1)

The term field (1)

Objects may see forces depending on their position in space:
Force depends on space coordinates too
F = F (x,y,z)
Force depends both on object and the property of the space
F = Objectproperty x Spaceproperty(x,y,z)
Example: Gravitational force

( , , )=

obj

Mass (the property of the object)

The term field (2)

The term field is then used to describe this
property of space, i.e. just to quantify the
force which will be generated if a sensitive
object is put at certain position.
Forces have a strength and a direction, hence
more precisely, we are talking about a
vectorfield.

The property of space

=> field

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Example: Gravitational Field

Example: Gravitational Field

(Reduced to two dimensions for visualization)

(Reduced to two dimensions for visualization)

Summary

Other Fields: Wind Field

direction and strenght -> vector field
Force

Fields describe the forces a body senses at any location in

space
Fields are generated by objects in space

Object sensitive to field

field vector

Earth: cause of gravitational field

We usually (not always: e.g. tides) ignore the fact that all
other bodies also generate a field, which adds to Earths field.
Reason: Earth is the strongest source (~1024 stronger)

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The Magnetic Field - Visualization

Magnetic Forces

Magnetic field lines flow from the

North Pole and to the South Pole
(convention)
Historically this was considered
a flow process from North to
South. The total flow, i.e. the total
number of field lines, is called
the magnetic flux [1Wb =
Weber])
Field lines are directed lines
along which a single north pole
would move, or to which a small
compass needle would be
tangent.
The strength of the force is given
by how many field lines flow
through a certain area
(The flux density B [1T = Tesla])

Magnets have two so called poles, the North and South Pole
The force between identical poles is repulsive
The force between different poles is attractive
What will happen?
(Do the two magnets attract or repell each other?)
d1
N

d2

Thus they attract each other, because d1 is shorter

than d2.

The Magnetic Field - Visualization

What forces will act on the compass needles A-D?

Cullity, Graham,Introduction to Magnetic Materials, Wiley-IEEE Press, 2009

Iron powder on a sheet of glass with bar magnets beneath. Orients

itself according to the magnetic forces. Pattern is an image of the
magnetic field lines (flux).