Average Magnetic Field Between 2 Conducting Rods

Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the average magnetic field between two conducting rods, specifically copper bars, in a railgun setup. The magnetic field at any point is expressed as (u*I)/(2*pi) * (1/r + 1/(d-r)), where u represents permeability, I is the current, d is the distance between the rods, and r is the distance from one bar's center. To derive the average magnetic field, the integral B_{avg} = (2∫(μ₀ I)/(2πr) dr)/(d-2a) is used, accounting for the finite radius of the wires. This approach addresses the singularity issue as r approaches zero.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electromagnetic theory, specifically magnetic fields generated by current-carrying conductors.
  • Familiarity with calculus, particularly integration techniques.
  • Knowledge of the physical properties of materials, such as the permeability of copper and neodymium magnets.
  • Basic principles of railgun operation and design.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the derivation of magnetic fields from current-carrying wires using Ampère's Law.
  • Learn about the effects of wire radius on magnetic field calculations in practical applications.
  • Explore numerical integration techniques for calculating magnetic fields in complex geometries.
  • Investigate the design and optimization of railgun systems, focusing on material selection and magnetic field enhancement.
USEFUL FOR

Engineers, physicists, and hobbyists involved in electromagnetism, railgun design, or anyone interested in the practical applications of magnetic fields in conductive materials.

Gbl911
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
I am building small, simple version of a railgun using 2 copper bars and a couple of neodymium magnets to increase the magnetic field. I have also been trying to mathematically describe the magnetic field created by the conducting rods themselves. I am coming across some trouble when trying to derive an expression for the average magnetic field across the entire gap and would like some help.

You can write the magnetic field at anyone point in between the two bars as

(u*I)/(2*pi) * (1/r + 1/(d-r))
where u is mu, d is distance between the bars, I is the current, and r is the distance from the center of one bar to the point of interest.
I assume that I need to compute some form of integral but I'm not sure exactly what to integrate over and how to obtain the average field strength from that.
I found a website that details how they went about it but I still am not sure on why the way they did it works. Here is the link.
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Railgun
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You will notice that there is a problem as ## r \rightarrow 0 ##. So you need to take the finite radius of your wires into account.
If you do that the average is ## B_{avg} = ~(2\int_a^{d-a} \mu_0 I/2\pi r~ dr)/(d-2a) ## where ## a ## is the wire radius.
Not sure why you want this but there you go.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
2K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
1K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
1K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K