(61) Magnetic Induction: The role of Ferromagnetic Materials

Magnetic induction is the phenomenon in which an electrical current is induced to flow in an electrical conductor due to a changing magnetic field.Today, magnetic induction has found numerous applications in technology such as... [ view full abstract ]

Magnetic induction is the phenomenon in which an electrical current is induced to flow in an electrical conductor due to a changing magnetic field.Today, magnetic induction has found numerous applications in technology such as brakes on railroad cars or cooking stovetop burners. When using electromagnets,the magnetic field is produced by an electric current, and if that current isoscillating, so is the magnetic. My research focuses on which electrical conductors and operating conditions are best for magnetic induction heating by analyzing the magnetic properties within them. To do this, I conducted a digital hysteresis loop measurement of the materials. In this experiment, a sinusoidalwave, produced by a BK Precision function generator, is input into a primary transformer which induces a voltage across a secondary winding where both coils are looped around the electromagnetic material being studied.  The induced signal is then output to aTektronix TDS 2012C digital oscilloscope. From the oscilloscope, a hysteresiscurve is obtained for the given material (steel rod or iron toroid) and analyzedto define the magnetic properties within these materials that allow formagnetic induction heating of the material.