INTRODUCTION

An eddy current brake, also known as an induction brake, electric

brake or electric retarder, is a device used to slow or stop a moving
object by dissipating its kinetic energy as heat. However, unlike friction
brakes, in which the drag force that stops the moving object is provided
by friction between two surfaces pressed together, the drag force in an
eddy current brake is an electromagnetic force between a magnet and a
nearby conductive object in relative motion, due to eddy currents induced
in the conductor through electromagnetic induction.

A conductive surface moving past a stationary magnet will have

circular electric currents called eddy currents induced in it by
the magnetic field, as described by Faraday's law of induction. By Lenz's
law, the circulating currents will create their own magnetic field which
opposes the field of the magnet. Thus the moving conductor will
experience a drag force from the magnet that opposes its motion,
proportional to its velocity. The kinetic energy of the moving object is
dissipated as heat generated by the current flowing through the electrical
resistance of the conductor.

In an eddy current brake the magnetic field may be created by

a permanent magnet, or an electromagnet so the braking force can be
turned on and off or varied by varying the electric current in the
electromagnet's windings. Another advantage is that since the brake does
not work by friction, there are no brake shoe surfaces to wear out,
necessitating replacement, as with friction brakes. A disadvantage is that
since the braking force is proportional to relative velocity of the brake,
the brake has no holding force when the moving object is stationary, as is
1
provided by static friction in a friction brake, so in vehicles it must be
supplemented by a friction brake.

Eddy current brakes are used to slow high-speed trains and roller
coasters, as a complement for friction brakes in semi-trailer trucks to help
prevent brake wear and overheating, to stop powered tools quickly when
power is turned off, and in electric meters used by electric utilities.

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.

2
 Eddy current brake.

CONSTRUCTION

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

3
Stator:-

It is supported frame members of the vehicle chassis. It has

introduced magnetic poles energized by windings. Current is supplied to
the winding from the battery.
Rotor:-
It is a rotating disc, which is fitted on the line of crankshaft with small
air gap to stator. When disc rotates a flux change occur in the section of
the disc passing the poles of stator. Due to the flux change there is a
circulatory or eddy current in the disc around the magnetic lines of force.
The effect of this eddy current induces „N‟ and „S‟ poles at the surface of
the disc. Then there will be a „drag‟ or braking effect in between eddy
current induced poles and magnetic poles in the stator. By changing
current from the battery we can change the braking force. In this breaking
system kinetic energy of the vehicle is converted to heat and this heat is
dissipated through the rotating disc.
Total resistance of field winding
R = L/A
where, L = total length of field winding in meter.
 = Resistivity of the wire in ohm meter
A = the area of cross section of field winding in m2
Total no: of terms = total length /mean length of one term
The rotor is a rotating disc on shaft, which is placed very near to
the stator with small air gap (1 mm to 2 mm). Rotating disc may be one
or both side of stator.
The two units have common ring member, poles cores on which
winding are provided being fixed to ring number. If a malleable casting
is employed, then the pole core could be cast integrally with the right.

4
After fitting the windings on the cores, poles shoes are fitted to provide
pole faces of appropriate shape and area. The rotor disc should be
provided with properly designed fins for faster heat removal. The
magnetic circuits of the two units are substantially the same, non-undue
and thrust would be imposed on the motor bearings. Slight axial
displacement of rotor could however, cause quite appreciable
discrepancy, the air gap of two units. The effect would be to increase the
magnetic pull in one air gap and diminish it on other which could give to
rise to excessive and thrust on rotor bearing to overcome the inherent
defect, the air gaps of both units could be put in series by making the
central number non magnetic and providing a continues pole core for
each pair axially opposite poles. This modification could possibly reduce
the length of the combined pole course or permits a larger winding
length.
The maximum diameter of the eddy current brake is decided by
1. The spacing of vehicle chassis frame.
2. Vehicle floor clearance

WORKING

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

5
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

6
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.
When the control switch is operated during the standby position
of the vehicle, the magnet will be energized and magnetic field is created.
But since the wheels are not moving, magnetic lines of force are not cut
by it, and the brake will not work. However, a warning lamp is provided
on the instrument panel to indicate whether the brake is energized. This
provides a safe guard for the driver against leaving the unit energized.
When control switch is put in any one of the operating positions, the
corresponding conductor in the contractor box is energized and current
flows from the battery to the field winding to the contractor box. This
current magnetizes the poles in stator, which placed very near to the rotor.
When rotor rotates it will cut magnetic lines and eddy current will set up
in the rotor. The magnetic field of this eddy current produces a breaking
force or torque in the opposite direction of rotation disc. This kinetic
energy of rotor is converted as heat energy and dissipated from rotating
disc to surrounding atmosphere. Current in the field can change by
changing the position of the controls switch. Thus we can change the
strength of the braking force.

TYPES OF EDDY CURRENT BRAKES

1.Disk Eddy Current Brakes
2.Linear Eddy Current Brakes

7
1.DISK EDDY CURRENT BRAKES
Disk electromagnetic brakes are used on vehicles such as trains, and
power tools such as circular saws, to stop the blade quickly when the
power is turned off. A disk eddy current brake consists of a conductive
non-ferromagnetic metal disc (rotor) attached to the axle of the vehicle's
wheel, with an electromagnet located with its poles on each side of the
disk, so the magnetic field passes through the disk. The electromagnet
allows the braking force to be varied. When no current is passed through
the electromagnet's winding, there is no braking force. When the driver
steps on the brake pedal, current is passed through the electromagnet
windings, creating a magnetic field, The larger the current in the winding,
the larger the eddy currents and the stronger the braking force. Power tool
brakes use permanent magnets, which are moved adjacent to the disk by a
linkage when the power is turned off. The kinetic energy of the vehicle's
motion is dissipated in Joule heating by the eddy currents passing through
the disk's resistance, so like conventional friction disk brakes, the disk
becomes hot. Unlike in the linear brake below, the metal of the disk
passes repeatedly through the magnetic field, so disk eddy current brakes
get hotter than linear eddy current brakes.

Japanese Shinkansen trains had employed circular eddy current brake

system on trailer cars since 100 Series Shinkansen. However, N700
Series Shinkansen abandoned eddy current brakes in favour
of regenerative brakes, since 14 of the 16 cars in the trainset used electric
motors. In regenerative brakes, the motor that drives the wheel is used as
a generator to produce electric current, which can be used to charge a
battery, so the energy can be used again.

8
2.LINEAR EDDY CURRENT BRAKES
Linear eddy current brakes are used on some vehicles that ride on rails,
such as trains. They are used on roller coasters, to stop the cars smoothly
at the end of the ride.

The linear eddy current brake consists of a magnetic yoke with electrical
coils positioned along the rail, which are being magnetized alternating as
south and north magnetic poles. This magnet does not touch the rail, but
is held at a constant small distance from the rail of approximately 7 mm
(the eddy current brake should not be confused with another device, the
magnetic brake, in wide use in railways, which exerts its braking force by
friction of a brake shoe with the rail). It works the same as a disk eddy
current brake, by inducing closed loops of eddy current in the conductive
rail, which generate counter magnetic fields which oppose the motion of
the train.

The kinetic energy of the moving vehicle is converted to heat by the eddy
current flowing through the electrical resistance of the rail, which leads to
a warming of the rail. An advantage of the linear brake is that since each
section of rail passes only once through the magnetic field of the brake, in
contrast to the disk brake in which each section of the disk passes
repeatedly through the brake, the rail doesn't get as hot as a disk, so the
linear brake can dissipate more energy and have a higher power rating
than disk brakes.

The eddy current brake does not have any mechanical contact with the
rail, and thus no wear, and creates no noise or odor. The eddy current
brake is unusable at low speeds, but can be used at high speeds both for
emergency braking and for regular braking.[1]

9
The TSI (Technical Specifications for Interoperability) of the EU for
trans-European high-speed rail recommends that all newly built high-
speed lines should make the eddy current brake possible.

The first train in commercial circulation to use such a braking system has
been the ICE 3.

Modern roller coasters also use this type of braking, but in order to avoid
the risk posed by potential power outages, they utilize permanent
magnets instead of electromagnets, thus not requiring any power supply,
however, without the possibility to adjust the braking strength as easily as
with electromagnets.

EDDY CURRENT BRAKE IN TRAINS

In the case of trains, the part in which the eddy current is induced is
rail. The brake shoe is enclosed in a coil, forming an electromagnet.
When the magnet is energized, eddy currents are induced in the rail by
means of electromagnetic induction, thereby producing braking action.

EDDY CURRENT BRAKE IN TRAINS

10
TYPES OF EDDY CURRENT BRAKES

There are two types of eddy current brakes according to the method
of excitation.
1.Electrically excited eddy current brake
2.Permanent magnet eddy current brake

11
1.ELECTRICALLY EXCITED EDDY CURRENT BRAKE

Electrically excited eddy current brakes are abruption-free

method for braking. In high-speed trains they offer a good alternative to
the mechanical rail brakes which are being used now a days. During
braking, the brake comes in contact with the rail, and the magnetic poles
of brakes are energized by a winding supplied. Magnetic poles of brakes
are energized by a winding supplied with current from the battery. Then
the magnetic flux is distributed over the rail. The eddy currents are
generated in the rail, producing an electromagnetic braking force. This
types of braking need an additional safety power supply when there are

breakdowns in the electrical power supply.

ELECTRICALLY EXCITED EDDY CURRENT BRAKE

12
2. PERMANENT MAGNET EDDY CURRENT BRAKE

Recently, permanent magnet eddy current brakes have been

developed for subways, trams and local trains. These brakes need a

mechanical actuator to turn the magnets jn an on and off position. The

main advantage of this type of brake is safety. i.e. it does not need

electrical power supply to energize the magnet.

MODELING EDDY CURRENT BRAKES

Let‟s suppose you are designing an eddy current brake, and you want to
know how large the permanent magnet needs to be in order to provide
enough torque to slow down the vehicle (train, roller coaster, car…) in
time. In this case we‟re assuming the induced current distribution does
not move with the rotating disc; it stays where the magnet is located.

The induced Lorentz current density term often leads to confusion when
modeling electromagnetics where there are moving magnetic sources or

13
the moving domain is of bounded extent in the same direction as the
motion or varies in this direction. These types of moving sources
generate magnetic flux that cannot be included in the Lorentz term. To
be clear, in our case the induced current distribution is stationary and
does not move with the disc.

Let‟s assume you have a copper disc that‟s 1 cm thick, has a radius of
10 cm, and moves at an initial angular speed of 1,000 rpm. The 1 T
permanent magnet is connected via an iron yoke, and there‟s a 1.5 cm
gap of air where the disc can spin. Using COMSOL Multiphysics and
the AC/DC Module, you can figure out how much torque your brake
system will have. What‟s notable is that you can include the rotation of
the device without having a moving mesh. The magnetic brake
model couples a dynamic equation (this defines the rotation of the disc)
with the finite element method (this defines the torque). This will allow
you to calculate the total time to completely brake the system.

We can also plot the time evolution of the angular velocity, braking
torque, and dissipated power in your magnetic brake system:

14
BRAKING POWER CALCULATIONS

Sophisticated calculation methods for the determination of

braking forces of eddy current brakes are important for the design of the
brakes.
For a simple eddy current brake employing a thin non-magnetic
disc as copper the drag or braking force on the disc

where
H = Magnetic field strength in Webers.
A = Pole force area in cm2.
V = Velocity in cm/sec of mean radius of disc under the poles.
T = disc thickness in cm.
 = specific resistance of disc material at its operating temperature in
micro ohms/cm3.
Torque = F * R Nm
Where R = mean pole radius in meter.
Power P = 2  NT/60 watts.

15
EDDY CURRENT BRAKE REQUIREMENTS
An eddy current brake is an energy converter functions is to
convert the kinetic energy of a vehicle into heat and dissipate it such a
rate to maintain the temperature of unit with in reasonable limits under
maximum and prolonged braking conditions. The energy absorbed by the
brake is transformed into heat by the currents induced in the motor, and
this is heat manly dissipated in surrounding air through the medium of
suitable designed fins the rotating member.
In mountains area, continues braking force is needed for a long
time (say about half an hour), at this condition, eddy current braking is
more suitable to function without over heating. The use of these retarders
is by no means limited to mountain on country. They can be
advantageously employed on public service vehicles on city routes
without frequent stops. But in this braking system there with out be any
braking force in the vehicle is rest. So the eddy current brake is used as an
auxiliary heavy-duty retarder. By using auxiliary retarder very smooth
retardation is assumed and likely hood of skidding on slippery roads
surfaces is minimized. Smooth braking action cuts down tier were and
since brake is used as an auxiliary heavy-duty retarder. By using auxiliary
retarder very smooth retardation is assumed and likely hood of skidding
on slippery roads surfaces is minimized. Smooth braking action cuts
down tier were and since the conventional brakes are relieved of heavy
duty being required only to bring vehicles to rest.

16
MOUNTING AND INSTALLATION

A typical mounting of an eddy current brake consists of two discs

in which pole salient type, supported between the frame numbers of a
vehicle chassis. Rotor is coupled to road wheels being often mounted on
a shaft that is interposed between the gearbox and propeller shaft and
stator is mounted on the frame of the vehicle.
The driver who can select one or four excitation settings
according to the breaking effect required mounts a control switch on a
steering column in a position for easy operation. In the operative
positions of this switch 1, 2, 3, 4 contractors are energized to supply
current to the excitation windings of the retarder. Warning lamp is also
provided on the instrument panel to indicate when the retarder is
energized. This provides a safe guard for the driver against leaving the
unit energized when the vehicle is stationary.

ADVANTAGES
 Less maintenance
 Wide range of braking force available within the temperature limit
 Prolonged braking is possible
 Long life
 Less strain to the operation
 Smooth retardation, which cuts down, the tire wears

Eddy current brakes offer smooth retardation of vehicles without

skidding. It is totally free of wear and tear. So it has long life compared to
ordinary brakes. These need less maintenance.

17
 In mountain areas continuous braking is needed for a long time. At
this condition, eddy current braking is more suitable to function without
overheating.
By changing the excitation current to the field winding, i.e. by
adjusting the position of the control switch, we can vary the braking force
to required range. The operation of eddy current brake is very simple. i.e.
the control switch is a soft switch which can be operated without any
strain.
Eddy current brakes works even under the toughest environmental
conditions. For example, in larger water slides and water coasters where
the humidity would immediately result in reduction of friction and thus
impair the effectiveness of ordinary brakes. It works even in highly
corrosive environments and heavily contaminated areas.

DISADVANTAGES

 No breaking force at rest

 Need of electric power

The main disadvantage of the edyy current brake is that it needs

electric power to work. Researches are going on to overcome this
disadvantage by making the brake regenerative i.e. by converting the
kinetic energy of the vehicle into electric energy and storing it back into
the battery.

18
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.

19
CONCLUSION

Eddy current brakes are the best choice when demands for
reliability and safety are the highest. They work even in the toughest
environmental conditions. Even the strike of lightning will not result in
the loss of the braking force.
Eddy current braking system is not popular now a days. But we
hope that the eddy current braking system which is simpler and more
effective will take the place of the ordinary braking system and we can do
expect it to be the norm one in few years of time.

20
REFERENCES

1. Manual 1 Gonzalez, Volume 25,Issue 4,July 2004

2. IEEE Transactions on magnetics, Volume 34, Issue 4, July 1998
3. Analysis of eddy current brake for high-speed railway by
Wang.P.J.& Chiuch.S.J.
4. Automobile electrical equipments by Young &Griffith.
5. Automatic engineering by Kripal Sing.
6. Clutches and brakes by William.C.Orthwin.
7. www.reelectromagneticbrakes.com
8. www.lineareddycurrentbrakes.com

21