Determining force characteristics of an electromagnetic brake using co-energy

Abstract The paper proposes a new method for determining force characteristics of an electromagnetic brake (EMB) by using co-energy considering only the main flux linkage. The co-energy is calculated by integrating the flux linkages in terms of exciting currents. The flux linkage depends on exciting current and on the variable air-gap thickness. The characteristics of flux linkages are determined numerically using finite-element method (FEM). Using flux linkage characteristics, the current and air-gap thickness-dependent co-energy characteristics of the EMB can be determined in the entire range of operation. Considering the co-energy variation caused by the air-gap thickness variation, the attractive force characteristics can be obtained. The paper presents a detailed description of the proposed method for determination of force characteristics of an EMB using co-energy considering only the main flux linkage. The procedure for determining force characteristics of an EMB using co-energy considering only the main flux linkage of an EMB has not been described yet. The results presented in this paper are used as a part of the EMB magnetically nonlinear dynamic model for the reaction time prediction.