EDDY CURRENT BRAKES Many of the ordinary brakes, which are being used now days, stop the

vehicle by means of mechanical blocking. This causes skidding and wear and tear of the vehicle. And if the speed of the vehicle is very high, the brake cannot provide that much high braking force and it will cause problems. These drawbacks of ordinary brakes can be overcome by a simple and effective mechanism of braking system 'The eddy current brake'. It is an abrasion-free method for braking of vehicles including trains. It makes use of the opposing tendency of eddy current. Eddy current is the swirling current produced in a conductor, which is subjected to a change in magnetic field. Because of the tendency of eddy currents to oppose, eddy currents cause energy to be lost. More accurately, eddy currents transform more useful forms of energy such as kinetic energy into heat, which is much less useful. In many applications, the loss of useful energy is not particularly desirable. But there are some practical applications. Such an application is the eddy current brake. Principle of Operations: Eddy current brake works according to Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. According to this law, whenever a conductor cuts magnetic lines of forces, an emf is induced in the conductor, the magnitude of which is proportional to the strength of magnetic field and the speed of the conductor. If the conductor is a disc, there will be circulatory currents i.e. eddy currents in the disc. According to Lenz's law, the direction of the current is in such a way as to oppose the cause, i.e. movement of the disc. Essentially the eddy current brake consists of two parts, a stationary magnetic field system and a solid rotating part, which include a metal disc. During braking, the metal disc is exposed to a magnetic field from an electromagnet, generating eddy currents in

the disc. The magnetic interaction between the applied field and the eddy currents slow down the rotating disc. Thus the wheels of the vehicle also slow down since the wheels are directly coupled to the disc of the eddy current brake, thus producing smooth stopping motion. Working: Essentially an eddy current brake consists of two members, a stationary magnetic field system and a solid rotary member, generally of mild steel, which is sometimes referred to as the secondary because the eddy currents are induced in it. Two members are separated by a short air gap; they're being no contact between the two for the purpose of torque transmission. Consequently there is no wear as in friction brake. Stator consists of pole core, pole shoe, and field winding. The field winding is wounded on the pole core. Pole core and pole shoes are made of east steel laminations and fixed to the state of frames by means of screw or bolts. Copper and aluminium is used for winding material the arrangement is shown in fig. 1. This system consists of two parts. 1. Stator 2. Rotor When the vehicle is moving, the rotor disc of eddy current brake which is coupled to the wheels of the vehicle rotates, in close proximity to stationary magnetic poles. When we want to brake the vehicle, a control switch is put on which is placed on the steering column in a position for easy operation. When the control switch is operated, current flows from a battery to the field winding, thus energizing the magnet. Then the rotating disc will cut the magnetic field. When the disc cuts the magnetic field, flux changes occur in the disc which is proportional

to the strength of the magnetic field. The current will flow back to the zero field areas of the metal plate and thus create a closed current loop like a whirl or eddy. A flow of current always means there is a magnetic field as well. Due to Lenz's law the magnetic field produced by the eddy currents works against the movement direction. Thus instead of mechanical friction, a magnetic friction is created. In consequence, the disc will experience a drag or the braking effect, and thus the disc stops rotation. The wheels of the vehicle, which is directly coupled to the disc, also stop rotation. Faster the wheels are spinning, stronger the effect, meaning that as the vehicle slows, the braking force is reduced producing a smooth stopping action. The control switch can be set at different positions for controlling the excitation current to several set values in order to regulate the magnetic flux and consequently the magnitude of braking force. i.e. if the speed of the vehicle is lpw, a low braking force is required to stop the vehicle. So the control switch is set at the lowest position so that a low current will be supplied to the field winding. Then the magnetic field produced will be of low strength, so that a required low braking force is produced. http://www.tcsme.org/Papers/Vol35/Vol35No1Paper2.pdf http://www.uic.org/apps/presentation/schoepf.pdf http://www.ansoft.com/firstpass/pdf/analysis_of_eddy_current_bra kes.pdf http://www.cim.mcgill.ca/~haptic/pub/AG-ET-AL-EH-06.pdf Braking: What is the point of owning your dream car, when it does not have brakes? Sounds strange, right! Though you would be able to start your car, what about slowing your vehicle or stopping it? Definitely, you sure wouldnt want to go back to the era of when

vehicles moved and stopped at the stroke of a whip. Talking of the present vehicle industry, brakes form the most important component of any vehicle. Used to slow or stop a moving vehicle, brakes are installed in all vehicles, whether they are automobiles, motorcycles, trains, or even airplanes. The friction generated by pushing the brake converts kinetic energy into heat, which causes the brake rod to move and stop the vehicle. Depending upon the vehicle type and desirability, brakes are grouped into different types. To know them, glance through the following lines. THEORY OF OPERATION Eddy current brakes develop torque by the direct magnetic linking of the rotor to the stator. This linking generates eddy currents in the driven rotor. Eddy current brakes must have a slip between the rotor and the stator to generate torque. An eddy current brake having an electromagnetic pole and the rotor is positioned in close proximity to the stator with an air gap between them The stator comprises steel pole pieces with hollow cores that establish a magnetic circuit for a magnetic flux field. The pole pieces have machine-wound electrical windings. The windings are fastened with pole caps. The hollow core reduces the weight and material of the stator without significantly adversely affecting the braking capacity. The pole caps reduce the magnetic saturation and increases the overall brake torque output. CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS Components Electromagnets Cast Iron Core Conducting (Copper) Wire Mounting bolts Disc Mild steel Machined from plates It consists of two members, a stationary magnetic field system and

a solid rotary member, generally of mild steel, which is sometimes referred to as the secondary because the eddy currents are induced in it. Two members are separated by a short air gap, they're being no contact between the two for the purpose of torque transmission. Consequently there is no wear as in friction brake. Stator consists of pole core, pole shoe, and field winding. The field winding is wounded on the pole core. Pole core and pole shoes are made of east steel laminations and fixed to the state of frames by means of screw or bolts. Copper and aluminum is used as winding materials. CLASSIFICATION OF EDDY CURRENT BRAKES Linear eddy current brakes It consists of a magnetic yoke with electrical coils which are being magnetized alternately. This magnet does not touch the rail (held at approx 7 mm.) When the magnet is moved along the rail, it generates a nonstationary magnetic field which generates electrical tension and causes eddy currents. These disturb the magnetic field in such a way that the magnetic force is diverted to the opposite of the direction of the movement. The braking energy of the vehicle is converted in eddy current losses which lead to a warming of the rail. Circular eddy current brakes When electromagnets are used, control of the braking action is made possible by varying the strength of the magnetic field. A braking force is possible when electric current is passed through the electromagnets. The movement of the metal through the magnetic field of the electromagnets creates eddy currents in the discs. These eddy currents generate an opposing magnetic field, which then resists the rotation of the discs, providing braking force. The net result is to convert the motion of the rotors into heat in the

rotors. Advantages. . . It uses electromagnetic force and not mechanical friction Non-mechanical (no moving parts, no friction) Fully resettable Can be activated at will via electrical signal Low maintenance Operates at any rotational speed Light weight Disadvantages. . . Braking force diminishes as speed diminishes with no ability to hold the load in position at standstill. That could be considered to be a safety issue, but it really means that friction braking may need to be used as well. Eddy-current brakes can only be used where the infrastructure has been modified to accept them. Applications For additional safety on long decants in mountain area For high speed passenger and goods vehicle Eddy current brakes are best substitutes for ordinary brakes, which are being used nowadays in road vehicles even in trains, because of their jerk-free operation. In mountain areas where continuous braking force is needed, for a long time, the eddy current braking is very much useful for working without overheating. Eddy current brakes are very much useful for high-speed passengers and good vehicles. It can also be used to slow down the trolleys of faster roller coasters. CONCLUSION The ordinary brakes which are being used now days, stop the vehicle by means of mechanical blocking. This causes skidding and wear and tear of the vehicle. If the speed of the vehicle is very high, it cannot provide that much high braking force and it will cause problems. These drawbacks of ordinary brakes can be overcome by a

simple and effective mechanism of braking system 'The eddy current brake'. It is an abrasion-free method for braking of vehicles including trains. It makes use of the opposing tendency of eddy current