A C.A.E. TOOL TO UNDERSTAND MAGNETOSTATICS

Abstract

We present in this paper a Computer Aided Education package allowing to visualize the magnetostatic field in and around the magnetic circuit of a double-U shaped contactor. The modeling of this device is performed by solving in real time a non-linear finite element problem. The imple- mentation of this method is optimized greatly in order to allow to animate field patterns in real time in reaction to any user interaction. An evaluation of the improvements brought by this technique to the learning capabilities of students is presented. [Vol. 12, No. 2 (1997), Special Issue on Numerical Field Calculations in Electrical Engineering, pp 81-84]