The Influence of Magnetization Pattern on the Performance of Permanent Magnet Eddy Current Couplings and Brakes

This paper examines permanent magnet eddy current couplings and brakes. Specifically, the effect of permanent magnet magnetization patterns on the magnetic field and force production is investigated. The eddy current couplings and brakes employ high energy-product neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets that act on iron-backed copper drums to provide torque transfer from motor to load without mechanical contact. A 2-dimensional finite element modeling is performed to predict the electromagnetic behavior and the torque-speed characteristics of permanent magnet type eddy current couplings and brakes under constant speed operation.