BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ELECTROMAGNETISM

Magnetism
Electromagnetism is produced when an electrical current flows through a simple conductor such as a piece of wire or cable. A small magnetic field is created around the conductor with the direction of this magnetic field with regards to its "North" and "South" poles being determined by the direction of the current flowing through the conductor. Magnetism plays an important role in Electrical and Electronic Engineering because without it components such as relays, solenoids, inductors, chokes, coils, loudspeakers, motors, generators, transformers, and electricity meters etc, would not work if magnetism did not exist. Then every coil of wire uses the effect of electromagnetism when an electrical current flows through it. But before we can look at Magnetism and especially Electromagnetism in more detail we need to remember back to our physics classes of how magnets and magnetism works.

Magnetic Flux
All magnets, no matter what their shape, have two regions called magnetic poles with the magnetism both in and around a magnetic circuit producing a definite chain of organised and balanced pattern of invisible lines of flux around it. These lines of flux are collectively referred to as the "magnetic field" of the magnet. The shape of this magnetic field is more intense in some parts than others with the area of the magnet that has the greatest magnetism being called "poles". At each end of a magnet is a pole.

These lines of flux (called a vector field) can not be seen by the naked eye, but they can be seen visually by using iron fillings sprinkled onto a sheet of paper or by using a small compass to trace them out. Magnetic poles are always present in pairs, there is always a region of the magnet called the North-pole and there is always an opposite region called the South-pole.

Lines of Force from a Bar Magnets Magnetic Field

To further describe and work with magnet phenomena, lines are used to represent the force existing in the area surrounding a magnet (refer to figure. 1). These lines, called MAGNETIC LINES OF FORCE, do not actually exist but are imaginary lines used to illustrate and describe the pattern of the magnetic field. The magnetic lines of force are assumed to emanate from the north pole of a magnet, pass through surrounding space, and enter the south pole. The lines of force then travel inside the magnet from the south pole to the north pole, thus completing a closed loop.

figure. 1

Although magnetic lines of force are imaginary, a simplified version of many magnetic phenomena can be explained by assuming the magnetic lines to have certain real properties. The lines of force can be compared to rubber bands which stretch outward when a force is exerted upon them and contract when the force is removed. The characteristics of magnetic lines of force can be described as follows:
1. - Lines of force NEVER cross. 2. - Lines of force are CONTINUOUS. 3. - Lines of force always form individual CLOSED LOOPS around the magnet. 4. - Lines of force have a definite DIRECTION from North to South.

5. - Lines of force that are close together indicate a STRONG magnetic field.
6. - Lines of force that are farther apart indicate a WEAK magnetic field.

When two magnetic poles are brought close together, the mutual attraction or repulsion of the poles produces a more complicated pattern than that of a single magnet. These magnetic lines of force can be plotted by placing a compass at various points throughout the magnetic field, or they can be roughly illustrated by the use of iron filings as before. A diagram of magnetic poles placed close together is shown in figure 1-2.

figure. 1.2

Magnetic forces attract and repel like electric forces and when two lines of force are brought close together the interaction between the two magnetic fields causes one of two things to occur: 1. - When adjacent poles are the same, (north-north or south-south) they REPEL each other. 2. - When adjacent poles are not the same, (north-south or south-north) they ATTRACT each other.

Unlike Pole - Attract

Like Pole - Repel

Relationship between current and magnetism

Electromagnetism The relationship between magnetism and electrical current was discovered by a Danish scientist amed Oersted in 1819. He found that if an electric current was caused to flow through a conductor, the conductor produced a magnetic field around that conductor (figure 2 )

figure 2

LEFT HAND AND RIGHT HAND RULES

Magnetic flux cylinder have direction , just as the flux lines surrounding a bar magnet have direction. The left hand rule is simple way to determine this direction. When you grasp a conductor with you left hand so that you thumb point in the direction of the electron flow ( - to + ) through the conductor, your fingers curt around the wire in the direction of the magnetic flux lines.

Most automotive circuit use the conventional theory of current ( + to - ). Therefore the rigth hand rule is used to determine the direction of the magnetic flux lines.

Current Flow in a single conductor

Polarity of a Single Conductor A convenient way to determine the relationship between the current flow through a conductor and the direction of the magnetic lines of force around the conductor is the left-hand rule for current carrying conductors, as illustrated in Figure 2.1. The student should verify that the left- hand rule holds true for the examples shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2.1

A simple way to determine the direction of the magnetic field around the conductor is to consider screwing an ordinary wood screw into a sheet of paper. As the screw enters the paper the rotational action is CLOCKWISE and the only part of the screw that is visible above the paper is the screw head. If the wood screw is of the pozidriv or philips type head design,the cross on the head will be visible and it is this cross that is used to indicate current flowing "into" the paper and away from the observer.

Likewise, the action of removing the screw is the reverse, anti-clockwise. As the current enters from the top it therefore leaves the underside of the paper and the only part of the wood screw that is visible from below is the tip or point of the screw and it is this point which is used to indicate current flowing "out of" the paper and towards the observer. Then the physical action of screwing into and out of the paper indicates the direction of the current in the conductor and therefore, the direction of rotation of the electromagnetic field around it as shown below. This concept is known generally as the Right Hand Screw Action.

The Right Hand Screw Action

A magnetic field implies the existence of poles and the polarity of a current carrying conductor can be established by drawing the capital letters S and N and then adding arrow heads to the free end of the letters as shown above giving a visual representation of the magnetic field direction.

Left Hand Rule of Electromagnetism

Another more familiar concept which determines both the direction of current flow and the resulting direction of the magnetic flux around the conductor is called the "Left Hand Rule".

Current Flow in a Two conductor

The current flowing through the two parallel conductors of the loop are in opposite directions as the current through the loop exits the left hand side and returns on the right hand side. This results in the magnetic field around each conductor inside the loop being in the "SAME" direction to each other.

The resulting lines of force generated by the current flowing through the loop oppose each other in the space between the two conductors where the two like poles meet thereby deforming the lines of force around each conductor as shown

i.

A force will be produced between 2 current carrying conductors. If the currents are in the same direction, the 2 conductor will attract each other. ii. If the currents are in the opposite direction, the 2 conductor will repel each other

Factor that Affect electromsagnetic strength in terms

i. Current strength ii. Conductor length iii. Coil length.

Current strength
-

The strength of the electromagnet is directly proportional to the current flowing in the coil. Current increase,magnetic field increase

Conductor length
Depend on the nature of core material. The use soft of core can produce strongest magnetism.

Coil Length
The strength of electromagnetic is directly proportional to the length of the coil. Up the wire coil can increase the length and force magnetic field.

ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION

Basic Law
i.

ii.

iii.

When a conductor cuts or is cut by magnetism a Voltage is induced in the conductor. The direction of the induced voltage depends upon the direction of the magnetic field and the direction in which the moves relative to the conductor. The voltage level is proportional to the rate at which the conductor cuts or by the magnetism.

This effect of induction , meaning that voltage is made in the wire, is the basic principle of how genarators such as the alternator on a car work. A generator is a machine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Figure 2.3 showns a wire moving in a magnetic field.

Figure 2.3 Electricity is induced into the wire as it moves up or down.

SELF INDUCTION

When current begins to flow in a coil, the flux lines expand as the magnetic field froms and stregthens. As current increases, the flux lines continues to expand, cutting across the wires of the coil and actually inducing another voltage within the same coil. Following Lenzs law, this self induced voltage tends to oppose the current that produces it. If the current continues to increase, the second voltage opposes the increase. When the current stabilizes, the counter voltage is no longer induced because there are no more expanding flux lines (no relative motion). When current to the coil is shut off, the collapsing magnetic flux lines self-induce a voltage in the coil that tries to maintain the original current. The self induced voltage opposes and slows the decrease in the oroginal current. The self-indiced voltage that opposes changes in current flowis an induction called counter electromotive force (CEMF).

MUTUAL INDUCTION.

When two coil are close together, energy may be tranferred from one to other by magnetic coupling called mutual induction. Mutual induction means that the expansion or collapse of the magnetic field around one coil induces a voltage in the second coil.

If two coil ( know as the primary and secondary) are wound on to the same iron core then any charge in magnetism of one coil will induce a voltage in to the other. This happens when a current to the primary coil is switched on and off. If the number of turn of wire on the secondry coli is more than the primary, a higher voltage can be produced. If the number of turn of wire on secondry coil is less than the ptimary a lower voltage is obtained. This caller transformer action and is the principle of the ignition coli/ figure 2.3 is showns the principle of mutual induction

The value of this mutually induced voltage depends on :

i. The primary current ii. The turns ratio between primary and secondary coils. iii. The speed at which the magnetism changes.

4 FACTOR THAT INFLUENCE

ELECTROMAGNETIC STRENGTH.

i.

Number of turns. More winding will increase the strength of the magnetic field. ii. Strength of current Magnetic field strength will increase with greater electric current. iii. Core. An electromagnet will be stronger if the turns of wire winding around a matel core. Depending on the types of core material. iv. Temperature. The current carrying ability of wire improves with very low temperature

Following are the factors on which value of the current depends: Magnetic field strength (the magnetic flux density) Speed of change of flux Number of turns of coil