Abstract
Finite element and other numerical field solving techniques are well proven in many applications related to electrical machine design. However, its use in assessing the flux and loss distributions in machine cores assembled from thin laminations of anisotropic silicon-iron sheet is still at a primitive stage. The main problem is developing models which accurately represent the effect of anisotropic material under complex magnetisation conditions. This paper highlights the errors in conventional techniques of flux density and loss evaluations caused by factors such as anisotropy and dimensions of laminations and by ignoring the presence of magnetic domains and their effect on the magnetisation and loss characteristics of a device. It is shown that magnetic domain structures must be taken into account particularly when the magnetic field is inclined at an angle to the easy direction of anisotropic sheet.· The conclusion is that application of classical electromagnetic theory is best combined with a physical model of magnetic domain processes in order to fully model the loss distribution in many types of electrical machinery.
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