A voltage fed AC contactor modeling using 3D edge elements

The operation of voltage-fed AC contactors is simulated in this work by using a time stepping scheme. 3D edge element equations are strongly coupled to the voltage equations of the main winding, taking into account the iron nonlinearities and the currents induced in the copper short-circuited ring. To evaluate forces, a volume integral form of the Maxwell stress tensor is used. Comparison between simulated and experimental results shows good agreement.