Eddy Currents

Induced electromotive force is produced in the coil

when there is a change in the magnetic flux linked
with that coil. Eddy currents are named so
because the current looks like eddies or
whirlpools. When a conductor is placed in the
changing magnetic field, the induced current in the
conductor is termed as Eddy current. We can
define it as:

“Eddy currents are loops of electrical

current induced within conductors by a
changing magnetic field in the conductor
according to Faraday’s law of induction.
Eddy currents flow in closed loops within
conductors, in planes perpendicular to the
magnetic field.”
They can be induced within nearby stationary
conductors by a time-varying magnetic field
created by an AC electromagnet or transformer,
for example, or by relative motion between
a magnet and a nearby conductor.
The magnitude of the current in a given loop is
proportional to the strength of the magnetic
field, the area of the loop, and the rate of
change of flux, and inversely proportional to
the resistivity of the material.

Like Lenz’s law, there are lots of experiments done

to explain the eddy currents. The first test showed
that inside a solenoid a soft iron core is introduced
and it is connected to the alternating electromotive
force. When the metallic disc is placed over the
soft iron core, the circuit is switched on and when
the circuit is turned on the metallic disc is thrown
up away from the iron core.
Primarily, eddy currents will be introduced in the
material, when an electrically conductive material
is placed in the coils magnetic field
an electromagnetic induction occurs.
The magnitude of the eddy currents produces a
large current since the resistance of the metallic
conductor becomes low. They may produce
undesirable effects if the large eddy current is
allowed into the core of a choke coil, transformer,
etc.
Because of the tendency of eddy currents to
oppose, eddy currents cause a loss of energy.
Eddy currents transform more useful forms of
energy, such as kinetic energy, into heat, which
isn’t generally useful.

 NOTE: The 25th Prime Minister of France,

François Arago, who was a mathematician,
physicist and astronomer, was the first to
observe Eddy currents in 1824. Then, Heinrich
Lenz gave the Lenz law ten years later, but it
wasn’t until 1855 that the French physicist Léon
Foucault officially discovered eddy currents. He
performed various experiments and concluded
that the force needed to rotate a copper disk
increases when its rim is placed between the
poles of a magnet. These induced eddy currents
generated heat in the disk.
 Power dissipation of eddy
currents

Under certain assumptions (uniform material,

uniform magnetic field, etc.) the power lost due to
eddy currents per unit mass for a thin sheet or wire
can be calculated from the following equation.

where
 P is the power lost per unit mass (W/kg),
 Bp is the peak magnetic field (T),

 d is the thickness of the sheet or diameter of the

wire (m),
 f is the frequency (Hz),

 k is a constant equal to 1 for a thin sheet and 2

for a thin wire,

 ρ is the resistivity of the material (Ω m), and
3
 D is the density of the material (kg/m ).

This equation is valid only under the quasi-static

conditions, where the frequency of magnetisation
does not result in the skin effect; that is, the
electromagnetic wave fully penetrates the material.
 Skin effect
In very fast-changing fields, the magnetic field
does not penetrate completely into the interior of
the material. This skin effect renders the above
equation invalid. However, in any case
increased frequency of the same value of field
will always increase eddy currents, even with
non-uniform field penetration.

The penetration depth for a good conductor can

be calculated from the following equation:

Where δ is the penetration depth (m), f is the

frequency (Hz), μ is the magnetic
permeability of the material (H/m), and σ is
the electrical conductivity of the material (S/m).
Uses of Eddy Current
 Automobile speedometers: Eddy
currents are used to know the speed of a
vehicle. A speedometer consists of a rotating
magnet, which rotates based on the speed of
the vehicle, producing Eddy Current in the
drum. When the drum turns in the direction of
the rotating magnet, the pointer attached to
the drum indicates the speed of the vehicle.

 Magnetic brakes: When you press the

brakes, the metal wheels get exposed to a
magnetic field which generates eddy currents
in the wheels. The interaction between the
eddy currents and the applied magnetic field
slows the wheels down.
 Energy meters: A metal disc in the electric
power meter rotates due to eddy currents. The
magnetic field induces the electric currents in
the disc by alternating varying currents in a
coil.
 In induction furnaces: Eddy current is
used for a uniform increase of temperatures in
induction furnaces. Large eddy currents start
flowing in rapidly changing magnetic fields,
due to a large emf being produced. This
produces high temperatures. A coil is wound
over a constituent metal, placed in a highly
oscillating magnetic field, produced by high
frequency.
 Free-fall devices (detecting coins in
vending machines): Eddy current helps
detect counterfeit coins and notes in vending
machines. Eddy currents slow down the speed
of the coins as they move past a stationary
magnet.

 Proximity/displacement sensors
 Induction alternating current (AC)
motors
 Electromagnetic damping: Used to
design deadbeat galvanometers. Usually, the
needle oscillates a little about its equilibrium
position before it comes to rest. This causes a
delay in taking the reading so to avoid this
delay, the coil is wound over a non-magnetic
metallic frame. As the coil is deflected, eddy
currents set up in the metallic frame and thus,
the needle comes to rest almost instantly.
Thus, the motion of the “coil is damped”.
Certain galvanometers have a fixed core made
up of nonmagnetic metallic material. When the
coil oscillates, the eddy currents that generate
in the core oppose the motion and bring the coil
to rest.

 Rides in Amusement Parks: The

braking mechanism of the rides in
amusement parks involves the eddy current
based braking mechanism for much
smoother and contactless braking.
 Non-destructive Testing: Eddy
currents are used for detecting cracks in
large buildings or machines like aeroplanes.
A change in the magnetic field at a place,
indicated by the change in the number of
eddy currents induced, will be noted
wherever there will be an irregularity in the
metal surface.

 Cookers: The heating effect produced by

converting electrical energy into heat
energy is used in induction-based cookers.
Utensils with metal plate bases are placed
over the induction cooktops. These
cooktops are installed with copper coils
under ceramic plates. When AC current is
passed through coils, oscillating magnetic
fields produced causes eddy currents in the
metal plate of the utensils, which in turn
heats up the utensils.