Magnetic Circuits Made Simple

In this video, we explore the fundamental concepts of magnetic circuits and how they are used to analyze electromagnetic systems. You’ll learn what a magnetic circuit is and how key quantities such as flux density (B) and magnetic field intensity (H) describe magnetic behavior.

We also introduce permeability and examine the relationship between magnetic field intensity and flux density through the B–H curve. Additionally, we discuss the effects of magnetic saturation, an important consideration in real-world engineering applications, and explain the concept of reluctance in magnetic circuits.

By the end of this video, you’ll understand how magnetic fields behave in different materials and how engineers analyze magnetic systems in practical applications.

In this lesson, we take your understanding further by exploring the powerful analogy between magnetic circuits and electric circuits. This approach allows you to analyze magnetic systems more easily by applying familiar circuit concepts and theorems.

We begin with a brief review of magnetic circuits before introducing the key similarities between magnetic and electric systems. You’ll then learn how to solve magnetic circuit problems using circuit analysis techniques through guided examples.

The lesson also covers important practical concepts such as linkage flux, leakage flux, and fringing, along with the analysis of series-parallel magnetic circuits. A comprehensive step-by-step example is included to reinforce your understanding, followed by verification of results using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with FEMM 4.2.

In this lesson, we move beyond theoretical concepts and focus on practical design, showing how inductance is not only calculated but also validated and optimised in real-world applications. This video bridges the gap between electromagnetic fundamentals and hands-on implementation, making it valuable for students, engineers, and enthusiasts alike.

You’ll begin by understanding Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction and its role in inductance, followed by a clear explanation of self-inductance. The lesson also highlights common challenges when winding coils directly onto a core and introduces best practices for effective coil design.

Through step-by-step examples, you’ll learn how to calculate inductance and verify results using multiple approaches, including analytical calculations, simulation, and practical measurement techniques. A simulation walkthrough using FEMM 4.2 demonstrates how Finite Element Analysis (FEA) can be used to model magnetic systems accurately.

Finally, the video compares calculated, simulated, and measured results, and concludes with a real-world inductance design example that considers practical constraints.

In this video, we explore key concepts related to magnetic circuits and their practical behaviour under AC excitation. What you’ll learn: AC sinusoidal excitation and its effects, size considerations of magnetic devices, losses in magnetic circuits: Hysteresis loss, eddy current loss, circuit conventions, mutual inductance and dot conventions, course summary and key takeaways.