Modeling and numerical simulation of soft ferromagnetic materials used in electrical machinery

Abstract

The soft ferromagnetic materials are usually used to conduct the magnetic induction flux in electrical devices. These materials create currents known as Foucault currents affecting the efficiency and performance of these devices: the resistivity and magnetization decrease, and magnetic losses increase. The Soft Magnetic Composite (SMC), based on the metallurgy of iron powder which are used to improve the resistivity by restricting the Foucault currents flow, and this is due to the insulation of iron particles. However, the production process of these materials creates parasitic air gaps distributed throughout the volume of the magnetic circuit leading to a significant reducing of the relative permeability of the material. In this work, we study the various factors that may affect the performance of SMC materials, and we compare these materials with other of the same category.