MagNet's new 3D solver is in full motion

Montréal, Québec, Canada – December 17, 2003 -- Infolytica is pleased to announce that the upcoming release of MagNet will contain the 3D Transient with Motion solver. MagNet 6.14 is scheduled for release in late January 2004. This new solver includes coupling to the mechanical equations of motion, so that the movement of a component of a device (e.g. the rotor in an electrical machine or the plunger in an actuator) is accurately simulated. Similar to the 2D Transient with Motion solver, the mechanical effects include viscous friction, inertia, mass, springs, and gravitation, as well as constraints on movement imposed by mechanical end stops, and arbitrary load forces specified as a function of position, speed, and time. The main difference is that with the 3D solver, the field equations are solved in 3-dimensions and therefore take into account devices without translational or axial symmetry, such as end effects and skew in motor applications.

Sneak preview - (Model:Brushless DC motor with a skewed stator)
To view a 3D animation of the flux density, click here.
AVI clip - 2426KB

Another similarity that the 3D Transient with Motion solver shares with the 2D version is that it re-meshes the region surrounding the moving component. Re-meshing this relatively small and simple region is quick, and with this approach, no additional constraint equations need to be solved, which keeps solution times short and memory requirements low.

Sneak preview - (Model:Brushless DC motor with a skewed stator)
To view a 3D animation of the mesh changing in the air gap while the rotor is spinning, click here.
AVI clip - 7040KB

Typical applications for the 3D Transient with Motion solver include electrical machines (claw-pole, induction motors, switched reluctance, brushed and brushless DC), actuators, levitation systems, braking systems, magnetic bearings, loudspeakers, and electromechanical shakers.

More details on the 3D Transient with Motion solver

• The solver uses the advanced T-Omega formulation developed by Infolytica with hierarchal elements based on polynomial orders 1 to 3.
• The transient solver uses a high-order time-stepping scheme. Mechanical effects, such as the torque acting on a rotor, and the friction and windage losses, are taken into account during each time step and used to compute the new positions and speeds of moving parts.
• The full effects of induced currents are included. Therefore, in applications where the moving component runs at a high speed, the eddy currents that are induced in solid conductors are taken into account.
• Coils may be connected in circuits supplied by current or voltage sources of arbitrary waveform.
• A switch-on transient in an electrical machine may be simulated for any point in the AC cycle and the resulting run-up curve for the device determined. Alternately, the speed of a motor can be fixed and the effects on the torque and excitation systems found.

To get more information on this exciting new addition to MagNet, please contact one of our sales representatives at 514-849-8752 or by email at info@infolytica.com.