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Single layer toroids are inexpensive and popular but not the only option. For higher powers or inductors
requiring a large number of turns in a compact volume, core+bobbin assemblies are frequently used.
One advantage of segmented cores is that air-gaps can be incorporated easily, allowing the designer greater
control over the effective permeability.
Unlike the single-layer toroid in which the winding is constrained by a linear dimension (the inner diameter),
multiple-layer windings are constrained by an available winding area, called the window area
Core halves slide into plastic
sleeve or bobbin onto
which the wire is wound.
We will develop two commonly-used approaches for core selection that can be easily extended to other
core types:
The area-product method (similar to the area-diameter product for single-layer toroids)
The core geometry method
Bob York
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Ab
NAbw K w Ab
Window
utilization factor
Single bare
wire area
I rms
J max
Abw
dbw
4I rms
J max
A
L = e N e = N 2 AL
le
2) B<Bmax
I max
NBmax Ae
L
NAbw
N I rms
=
Kw
K w J max
3) Window area:
Ab
4) Winding Loss
PCu = Cu
N ( MLT ) 2
I rms
Abw
The product of core cross sectional area and window area is the area product Ap:
LI max I rms
Ap Ae Ab
Bmax K w J max
K w = 0.4 0.5
Bob York
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Gapped Cores
Once the core geometry is chosen, the required
inductance factor can be determined from (1) and (2):
AL
2
Bmax
Ae2
Ferroxcube E-cores
2
LI max
Usually the cores are made from a high permeability ferrite, and an air-gap is used
to engineer the desired effective permeability or inductance factor. From earlier
work we can get a quick estimate of the required gap:
AL
0
g
Ae
2
0 LI max
2
Bmax
Ae
Some manufacturers sell some pregapped core sets with certain predetermined values of inductance factor.
Often one of those will work fine.
Core relative
permeability
r
L I 2 [J]
For customized gaps the manufacturer will often provide information like the
chart at right. This aids core selection as well. This data should account for
fringing flux around the gap which increases the effective cross section.
The effect can be approximated by assuming the fringing
increases the cross-sectional dimensions by the gap length:
Agap
Rgap
1 g
0 Agap
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Ae + g
Ae + 2 g Ae
NI max
Bmax Ae
Rgap
L 0 N 2
Agap
g
2
LI max
Ae
g
1 + 2 g / Ae
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Design Example
Circuit Spec:
Assumptions:
L = 200 H
I dc = 2 A
Bmax = 0.3T
I = 0.4 A
J max = 400A/cm 2
Ku = 0.5
Ap > 1520mm4
E25/10/6 core satisfies this criterion.
Using this core, the design requires:
AL < 145nH
For 3C81 ferrite (a general purpose
material for <200kHz) a standard gapped
core is available with:
AL = 100nH
From this we find:
N=
L
= 47turns
AL
Bob York
PCu 0.3Watt
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Abw
NI max
Bmax
le
NAe Bmax
L
I max
K w Ab
N
PCu Cu
L I max
Ae Bmax
MLT 2 L I max
I rms
K w Ab
A
B
e max
This result combines all the important constraints on the inductor design. If
we group all the parameters relating to the core geometry on the left we get:
Kg
2
L I max
Cu I rms
PCu K w Bmax
where
Ab Ae2
Kg =
MLT
Kg is the core-geometry constant. It can usually be calculated for any core-bobbin combination, and thus gives a
method for chosing a core when power loss is specified.
Once the core is selection, the air-gap is chosen as outlined previously.
Bob York
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