United States: Improving Electro Magnetic Wire

Fields and forces surrounding current carrying wire can interfere destructively, leading to a waste of energy. New insights into some ways to reduce destructive interference present opportunities for significant energy savings in many applications.

It has long been known that passing a current through a wire produces a magnetic flux that surrounds the wire. The many applications of magnet wire take advantage of this phenomenon. Electrical designers of products that use coiled wire endeavor to use the fields and forces of this magnetic flux in a constructive way.

Examples of components that involve coiled wire include solenoids, electric motors, transformers, audio speakers (percussion air motors) and even lamp filaments.

A radical torque motion is associated with the conductor or electrical transmission line. This results in a mechanical force that contributes to the premature decomposition of insulation coatings, such as with magnet wire used for solenoids.

Since all electrically conductive materials have their own characteristic impedance (the value of resistance that electricity has during electrification), this is a contributing factor in how much electrification a wire can withstand.

Much study has been concerned with insulation materials and the processes of their application and testing. Materials have progressed from simple paper wrapping to various enamels and plastics. NEMA, ASTM and IEEE have each written procedures and standards concerning magnet wire. Heat shock, solubility, blister and abrasion resistance and flexibility have all received attention. Thermal classes are established.

On the other hand, with the exception of round vs. rectangular as effecting volume of a coil, very little has been published on the effects of various cross sections on the performance of the wires.

Our work has shown that wire with a longitudinal slot, or a "C" or "U" sectional configuration, has two space-facing surfaces created by the opening. Figure 1.

In this case the flux polarity becomes evident at the two surfaces. This polarity results from the flux direction being opposite on the material’s inside surface to that on the material’s outside surface.

Tests show that the twisting torque caused by energy circulating around the skin of a round wire is reduced in wire with an open cross section. Minimizing the twisting torque provides more energy for whatever is intended for the wire’s application. In addition to energy efficiency, benefits are realized for eddy current decay time, heat rise, hysteresis loss, material life, counter EMF, electric acceleration, distortion, vibration and economics.

As explained in our Patent No. 5,985,448, we ran a test with two identical copper tubes sawed along the length axis. One remained open, which created a "C" section. The other was squeezed closed creating a shape with an unopened outside skin. Thus we had specimens of identical material and cross section area.

The specimens were positioned between a 110V AC source and a 1500W inductive load. The open specimen heat rise was 122 degrees F (50 degrees C) while on a closed specimen the heat rise was 127 degrees F (52.8 degrees C). The investigation showed that the "C" shape influenced the conductor element nobility and constructively improved the conductor material characteristic impedance.

Another advantage of open cross-sectional wire stems from the fact that there is more surface area, which in itself increases electric capacity.

The advantages of open cross-sectional wire can be applied to enhance the performance of coiled wire products and improved further by using the mirror image winding technique.

Conventional coiled electromagnetic circuits constructed with conventional wire suffer from both the wire-twisting torque loss discussed above and from a circuit wobble motion waste. Circuit wobble results from the reinforcement of the magnetic field surrounding the wire by each subsequent turn of the coil when all the turns of the coil are wound in the same direction.

In the mirror image method, two coils on the same axis are wound simultaneously; one proceeding to the right and the other to the left, Figure 2. The circuits are connected in parallel. Balance results from the left pitch angle of inclination of the left coil canceling the right pitch angle of the right coil.

In this configuration the wobble magnetic fields cancel each other, which means that less energy is lost from the intended work effort.

These innovative technologies can be applied to a wide range of electrical products. The bottom line is reduced energy losses and enhanced electrical efficiency. We have patents on lamp filament assemblies, percussion air motors and circuits for inductance conductors, transformers and motors.

Inquiries are welcomed from companies wishing to take advantage of these developments. There are many opportunities to offer improved electrical products.