An accurate scalar potential finite element method for linear, two-dimensional magnetostatics problems

✍ Scribed by T. W. McDaniel; R. B. Fernandez; R. R. Root; R. B. Anderson

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 608 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0029-5981
• DOI: 10.1002/nme.1620190507

✦ Synopsis

We have assessed the accuracy of a commercially available computer software package for finite element method calculations of magnetostatic fields. The computer program, MSC/NASTRAN,t is well known for its wide applicability in structural analysis and heat transfer problems. We exploit the fact that the differential equations of magnetostatics are identical to those for heat transfer if the magnetic field problem is formulated with the reduced scalar potential.' Consequently, the powerful, optimized numerical routines of NASTRAN can immediately be applied to two-and three-dimensional linear magnetostatics problems. Application of the NASTRAN reduced scalar potential approach to a 'worst case' two-dimensional problem for which an analytic solution is available has yielded much better accuracy than was recently reported' for a reduced scalar potential calculation using a different finite element program. Furthermore, our method exhibits completely satisfactory performance with regard to computational expense and accuracy for a linear electromagnet with an air gap. Our analysis opens the way for large three-dimensional magnetostatics calculations at far greater economy than is possible with the more commonly used vector potential and boundary integral methods.