Experimental and theoretical study of the harmonic distortion in a ferromagnetic plate excited by a pair of air-cored coils

Abstract

The harmonic distortion in a ferromagnetic plate is studied both experimentally and using numerical simulations. The electromagnetic field inside the specimen is excited by a couple of air-cored coils, and the field is measured at a specific location using a set of Hall sensors. The considered material is a typical structural steel of an intermediate mechanical and magnetic hardness. The comparison of the numerical results with carefully conducted measurements demonstrates the importance of an accurate and physically consistent hysteresis model. The absence of magnetic circuit reduces the number of the setup uncertainties thereby simplifying the characterisation procedure and making this particular configuration a good benchmark candidate for the validation of numerical codes dealing with the hysteresis problem.