ARTICLE IN PRESS

Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 290291 (2005) 15671570

www.elsevier.com/locate/jmmm

Improved measurement of magnetic properties with 3D

magnetic uxes
J.J. Zhonga,, J.G. Zhua, Z.W. Lina, Y.G. Guoa, J.D. Sievertb
a
Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology, P.O. Box 123 Broadway, Sydney NSW 2007, Australia
b
Laboratory of Magnetic Measurements, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, Braunschweig D-38116, Germany
Available online 8 December 2004

Abstract

This paper, as a pioneering work, presents measurement techniques to characterize soft magnetic materials in three-
dimensional (3D) space. A novel 3D magnetic property tester using cubic sample has been constructed and calibrated.
Some phenomena and problems of measurement caused by the imperfect winding and misalignment of coils are
analyzed. The correction methods are proposed and employed. The new soft magnetic composite SOMALOYTM 500 is
investigated.
r 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PACS: 75.50.Gg

Keyword: 3D tester; Anisotropy; Imperfect winding; Misalignment

1. Introduction illustrates the block diagram of the testing system and

One- and two-dimensional (2D) measurements are
widely employed for characterization of soft magnetic
materials. However, they are still far from describing
actual materials. In many situations, such as the end
regions of rotating electrical machines, the magnetic ux
is not restricted in the plane of electrical steel sheets and
the magnetic properties of materials with three-dimen-
sional (3D) magnetic uxes must be considered. Only
when the 3D magnetic properties are taken into account
properly the understanding and modelling of the
magnetization process in a magnetic material can be
complete.
A novel 3D magnetic property tester using cubic
samples has been constructed and calibrated [1]. Fig. 1
Corresponding author. Tel.: +612 9514 1268;
+612 9514 2435.
E-mail address: zhong@eng.uts.edu.au (J.J. Zhong).
the tester magnetic circuit. Three groups of computer-
controlled excitation coils are used to produce magnetic
elds in three axes, such that various ux density loci,
such as circularly and elliptically rotating ux density
vectors, can be obtained.
Cubic samples are used. The components of ux density
B are detected by three coils wrapped around the cubic
sample, and the components of magnetic strength H in
three axes are measured by six surface H search coils.
This paper presents an analysis of the phenomena and
problems of measurement caused by the imperfect
winding and misalignment of cubic sensor. In addition,
the correction methods are proposed and employed.
2. Correction and improvement of measurement
fax:
When an excitation eld strength was employed with
sample, for example, on X-axis of 3D tester, it was

0304-8853/$ - see front matter r 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jmmm.2004.11.240
 ARTICLE IN PRESS
1568 J.J. Zhong et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 290291 (2005) 15671570
(a)
(b)
(c)
Fig. 1. 3D magnetic testing system: (a) block diagram of 3D
magnetic testing system, (b) cut away view of 3D tester and (c)
sample H search coils.
observed that besides Hx some signicant signals were
also picked by Hy and Hz coils. However, when the
sensor was calibrated in solenoid without sample, the H
component signals Hy and Hz were very small. It did not
seem that the phenomenon was relative to the aniso-
tropy of sample, since the ux density components in By
and Bz coils were very small and could be ignored. The
unwanted values must be error and can be caused by
two possible reasons: the imperfect winding of sensing
coils, and the misalignment angles of sensors. The
analysis is now outlined here.
Let us look at Fig. 1(c). Since the imperfect winding
there forms some valid areas on the face and the side-
face of coils where the uxes can go through, an
electromotive force (emf) can be induced in the coil.
With an alternating eld applied on X direction,
the Hx coil on top of sample collects the tangent eld
strength signal of sample. Normally the Hz should
pick no signal from excitation eld on X-axis. However,
due to the imperfect winding of the coil, as seen in
Fig. 1(c), some eld strength H on X direction goes
through the side-face of the Hz coil and induces
emf in Hz coil. Here both Hx and Hz pick up eld
strength signal. The values depend on their induction
coefcient K H XX 3:95  103 and K H ZX 7  105
(note: subscript Hzx indicates Hz coil picks signal of
X-axis, same as follows) which are related to the
cross-sectional area and turns of coils. However, the
signal picked by Hy coil is different. As the face of Hy
coil is normal to the excitation eld and is installed very
close to the surface of the sample, the Hy collects the
uxes, which go through continually Hy coil and sample.
Thus, this signal due to the imperfect winding of Hy
reects the ux density B of X direction rather than eld
strength H. It is relative to K ByX 4:9  105 : Further-
more, because the permeability of soft magnetic
materials is very high, the emf value of B picked by Hy
is also quite large compared to that of the eld strength.
This explains why the induced emf signal is small
without sample, and becomes signicant when it is
with the sample.
To eliminate the unwanted values caused by imperfect
winding, theoretically we can measure their induction
coefcients and then calculate the induced values by
using the formulae
Z
1
B V B dt; (1)
KB
Z
1
H V H dt: (2)
m0 K H
Finally the unwanted values are subtracted. The same
methods are also used to remove the errors on the other
two axes.
When the axes of the sensing coils are misaligned with
the axes of the excitation coils, the measured values are
not the true components on their axes of the magnetic
eld strength or ux density. Theoretically, this error
can be corrected by using the rotational transformation
of coordinates. In the 3D magnetic tester, the error
caused by the sensing coil misalignment can also be
eliminated by a rotation of the coordinate axes.
However, the misalignment angles cannot be easily
worked out directly using measured elds components.
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J.J. Zhong et al. / Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 290291 (2005) 15671570 1569

Fig. 2 illustrates the rotation of coordinates in three calculated by

dimensions where X, Y, and Z are orthogonal coordi- p
nate axes of the measurement system. X0 , Y0 , and Z0 are y1 tan1 tan2 yx1 tan2 yx2 ; (3a)
misaligned axes of the 3D sensor. The angles between  
X0 -axis and X, Y and Z axes are denoted, respectively, 1
f1 tan1 ; (3b)
y1, f1 and c1. Similarly, the angles between Y0 and X, Y, cos yx2 tan yx1
Z and Z0 and X, Y, Z are,respetively, y2, f2, c2, and y3,  
1
f3, c3. c1 tan1 : (3c)
cos yx1 tan yx2
In order to evaluate the angles yi, fi, ci (i 1; 2; 3),
excitation elds in X, Y, and Z axes are applied. When Similarly, the misalignment angles y2, f2, c2, y3, f3
an excitation eld is applied only in X, Y or Z axis, the and c3 can be obtained using the same method.
eld components H 0x ; H 0y ; H 0z can be measured by the H Thus, the true values of the surface magnetic
sensing coils. We denote the projection angle of the eld strength H can be evaluated from the measured
misaligned axis X0 in XOY as yx1, and yx2 in XOZ. By values by
using the method for 2D measurement introduced, 2 3 2 3 2 3
the values of the projection angles yx1 and yx2 can be Hx cos y1 cos f1 cos c1 1 H 0x
calculated. Thus, the angle y1, f1 and c1 can be 6 H 7 6 cos y cos f cos c 7 6 H 0 7
4 y54 2 2 25 4 y5 (4)
Hz cos y3 cos f3 cos c3 H 0z

Z where H 0x ; H 0y ; and H 0z are the measured component

misaligned
values of the magnetic eld strength, and Hx, Hy, and Hz
Z' the true ones.
cubic sensor
In the case which H sensing coils are either misaligned
Y' or imperfectly wound, the correction of measurement is
much more complicated. Under this circumstance, for
Y example, H acts on X direction, Hx coil picks not only
H 0xx ; H 0xy ; H 0xz signals from X0 , Y0 and Z0 directions
1 (since the coils tilt in space), but also H 0zx value by side
face and B0yx value by normal face due to the inclining
1 X' and imperfect winding. And it is hard to quantitatively
1 separate these components.
X Fortunately, in the experiment, the 3D tester frame and

cubic sensor were elaborately constructed and installed,
Fig. 2. Misalignment of sensor. the misalignment angles of H sensing coils due to both

Fig. 3. H and B loci when the sample is magnetized in the XOY (light weight), YOZ (middle weight) and XOZ (high weight) planes. (a)
H loci, (b) B loci.
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physical misalignment and its effects to the measurement 4. Conclusion

were found very small, and can be safely ignored.
3. Measurement results
The new soft magnetic composite material SOMA-
LOYTM 500, developed by Hoganas AB, Sweden, was
investigated. It is made of highly pure iron powder with
surface coating to ensure low eddy current loss.
Fig. 3 shows the B loci in 3D space and their
corresponding H loci while the B loci are controlled to
form a round circle with a diameter of 0.7 T in the XOY,
XOZ and YOZ planes. It can be seen that the B loci are
controlled well and lie on the desired planes though they
do not completely match the desired set point and there
is a small tilt.
The 3D magnetic property tester has been success-
fully assembled. Some phenomena and problems of
measurement caused by the imperfect winding and
misalignment of coils are analyzed. The correc-
tion methods are proposed. Further improvement
is required for the ux density waveform control
system.
References
[1] J.G. Zhu, J.J. Zhong, Z.W. Lin, J.D. Sievert, Measurement
of magnetic properties under 3-D magnetic excitations,
IEEE Trans. Magn. 39 (5) (2003) 3429.