THE MAGNETIC MATERIALS USED IN BRUSHLESS DC MOTOR
Magnetic materials are important industrial material necessary for many
engineering designs, particularly in the area of electrical engineering. In
general, there are two main types: soft and hard magnetic material. Soft
magnetic materials are used for applications in which the material must be
easily magnetized and demagnetized such as core for transformer and stator
and rotor materials for motors and generators. On other hand, hard magnetic
materials are used for applications requiring permanent magnets which do not
demagnetized easily such as permanent magnet in synchronous and brushless
motors.
1.1 THE HYSTERESIS LOOP OF FERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS:
Ferromagnetic materials such as Fe, Co, and Ni acquire large magnetizations
when placed in magnetizing field,
and remain in the magnetizing
condition to a lesser extent after
the magnetizing field is removed.
Figure 1
Let us consider the effect of an applied field H on the magnetic flux density B
of a ferromagnetic material during magnetizing and demagnetizing, as shown
in the B vs. H curve of Fig.1. First, let us demagnetize a ferromagnetic
material such as iron by slowly cooling it from above Curie temperature.
Then, let us supply a magnetizing field to the sample and follow the effect of
the applied field on the magnetic flux density of the sample. As the applied
field increases from zero, B increases from zero along curve oa of Fig.1 until
saturation flux density is reached at point b. Upon decreasing the applied
field to zero, the original magnetization curve is not retraced, and there is
remains a magnetic flux density called the remanent inretraced BR (point C in
figure 1). To decrease the magnetic flux density to zero, a reverse (negative)
applied field of the amount H d, called coercive force must be applied (point d).
If the negative applied field is increased still more, eventually the material will
reach saturation flux density in the reverse field at point e of Fig.1. Upon
removing the reverse field, the magnetic flux density will return to the
remanent flux density at point f in Fig.1, and upon application of a positive
applied field, the B-H curve will follow fga curve. This magnetization loop is
referred as hysteresis loop, and its internal area is a measure of energy lost.
1.2 SOFT AND HARD
MAGNETIC MATERIALS:
A soft magnetic material
is easily magnetize and
demagnetize, whereas a hard
magnetic material is difficult
to magnetize and demagnetize.
Soft materials such as the iron-3
to 4% silicon alloys used in core
for motors and generators have
narrow hysteresis loops with low coercive forces. On other hand, hard
magnetic materials used for permanent magnets have wide hysteresis loops
with high coercive forces.
Figure 2
1.2.1 Desirable Properties for Soft Magnetic Materials:
For a ferromagnetic material to be soft, its hysteresis loop should have as
low coercive force as possible. That is, its hysteresis loop should be thin as
possible so that the material magnetizes easily and has a high magnetic
permeability. For most applications, a high saturation flux density is also an
important property of soft magnetic materials. Thus, a very thin and high
hysteresis loop is desirable for most soft magnetic materials.
1.2.2 Core Losses for Soft Magnetic Materials:
When ferromagnetic materials are excited with any time varying excitation,
energy is
dissipated due to hysteresis and eddy current losses. These losses are difficult
to isolate
experimentally, therefore their combined losses are usually measured and
called core
losses. Figure 3 shows core loss density data of a typical magnetic material for
sinusoidal
excitation.
Figure 3 Tipycal core losses characteristic
1- Hysteresis Energy losses:
The internal area of hysteresis loop is a measure of the energy lost due to
magnetic hysteresis. In the magnetic core of an ac machine using 50 cycles/s
electric current, the electric current goes through the entire hysteresis loop 50
times per second, and in each cycle there is some energy lost. Thus,
increasing the ac electrical input frequency increases the hysteresis energy
losses (Fig.3). It is proportional to the amplitude of the excitation. In general,
hysteresis power loss is described by the equation:
Ph=K h f Bn
Where Kh is a constant that depends on the material type and dimensions
f is the frequency of applied excitation
B is the flux density amplitude within the material
n is a material dependent exponent usually between 1.5 and 2.5
2- Eddy Current Energy Losses:
A fluctuating magnetic field caused by ac electrical input into a
conducting magnetic core produces transient voltage gradients which
create stray electric currents. These induced electric currents are called
eddy currents and are a source of energy loss due to electrical resistance
heating. Eddy current energy losses can be reduced by using a laminated
magnetic core. An insulation layer between the conducting magnetic
material prevents the eddy currents from going from one sheet to the next.
Eddy current power loss is approximately described by the relationship
Pe =k e h2 f 2 B 2
Where h is the material thickness and
Ke is a material dependent constant.
1.3 TYPICAL PROPERTIES FOR SEVERAL SOFT MAGNETIC
MATERIALS:
The properties of a half-dozen soft magnetic materials are shown in Table I.
Table I
Initial Saturatio Hysteresi
Material Compositi Relative n s Resistivit
on permeabil Flux loss/cycle y
(wt %) ity Density [J/m3] (/m)
r Bs
[ tesla ]
Commercia 99.95Fe 150 2.14 270 1.010-7
l iron ingot
Siliconiron 97Fe, 3Si 1400 2.01 40 4.710-7
(oriented)
45 55Fe, 45Ni 2500 1.60 120 4.510-7
Permalloy
Supermallo 79Ni, 15Fe, 75,000 0.80 ___ 6.010-7
y 5Mo,
0.5Mn
Ferroxcube 48MnFe2O4, 1400 0.33 ~ 40 2000
A 52ZnFe2O4
Ferroxcube 36NiFe2O4, 650 0.36 ~ 35 107
B 64ZnFe2O4
