Abstract
The numerical analysis of electromagnetic devices by means of finite element methods (FEM) is often hindered by the need to incorporate the surrounding domain. The discretisation of the air may become complex and has to be truncated by artificial boundaries incurring a modelling error. Even more problematic are moving parts that require tedious re-meshing and mapping techniques. In this work, we tackle these problems by using the boundary element method (BEM) in conjunction with FEM. Whereas the solid parts of the electrical device are discretised by FEM, which can easily account for material non-linearities, the surrounding domain is represented by BEM, which requires only a surface discretisation. This approach completely avoids an air mesh and its re-meshing during the simulation with moving or deforming parts. Our approach is robust, shows optimal complexity, and provides an accurate calculation of electromagnetic forces that are required to study the mechanical behaviour of the device.
Highlights
Introduction with Moving PartsSimulation withThe digital development of electromagnetic devices usually requires a coupled multiphysical approach to achieve a sufficiently accurate prediction of electrical and mechanical properties
Actuators or eddy-current brakes and processes such as magnetic metal forming. Their functionality is determined by the effect of electromagnetic forces induced by permanent magnets or AC coils
Conventional simulation methods are based on the finite element method (FEM)
Summary
The digital development of electromagnetic devices usually requires a coupled multiphysical approach to achieve a sufficiently accurate prediction of electrical and mechanical properties. Rely on the domain discretisation of both the solid parts and the surrounding air or protective gas environment; this has some significant drawbacks for the design engineer: the volume of the surrounding domain is usually not covered by the computeraided design (CAD) model and its domain needs to be discretised and artificially truncated. We present a symmetric coupling scheme based on [6] It utilises the particular advantages of the involved numerical methods and provides the application engineer with an easy-to-use, versatile, and accurate simulation tool.
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