Electrical Conductivity Influence on Eddy-Current Losses: Analytical Study and Experimental Validation

A two-dimensional (2-D) analytical model is developed to estimate the eddy-current losses in conductive massive parts generated by the magnetic field variation. In order to validate this model, an experimental comparison is performed by using a U-shaped electromagnetic device with a flat mobile armature (viz., adjustable air-gap) with different material plates (viz, pure copper, pure aluminum and brass). The magnetic field generated by the device is spatially uniform and varies sinusoidally in time. The comparison between the analytical results and experimental measurements using the separation of powers method presents a good accuracy. Study of the electrical conductivity influence and segmentation on eddy-current losses is performed.