Build Powerful Electromagnet: Wire or Bitter Plates?

[reddevil2576]

I am needing to build an electromagnet that will sit around part of a torus. In your opinion would I be better off just using wire to wind my own electromagnet or making bitter plates that make an electromagnet?
I realize this might sounds crazy but I need to build a very powerful electromagnet. If the bitter magnet would be better this won't be a problem. I am nearing the finish of building my own cnc machine and could build my own mould to form the plates.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Carl Pugh]

Use wire. Bitter electromagnets require a very low voltage, very high current power supply.

 

[paralumina]

I never heard of a Bitter electromagnet before this thread.

Link for those who are curious. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_electromagnet

How big of a magnetic field are you needing?

 

[reddevil2576]

what about if the bittermagnet is made out of a solid piece of copper and has real insulation but no cooling cause it has high voltage and lower amperage? Let's say 5000v 3amp

 

[reddevil2576]

I don't know how big of a field I am needing I'm not that familiar with this area of electricity. I would like to generat at least 1000 pounds of force is the only thing I know.

 

[Carl Pugh]

A bittermagnet has high current and low voltage and is not the way to go.
1000 pounds of force could be easy or impossible.
You need to draw the magnetic circuit so the force can be calculated.
If most of the magnetic flux is through iron and there is a very small gap, then 1000 pounds of force could be easy.

 

[reddevil2576]

ill have to look up some equations. there will not be an iron core. the object of this electromagnet will be to get a piece of iron that is at the edge of it almost to the center then turn off.

 

[paralumina]

Sounds almost like a gun.

Maybe try Ampere's Force law?

 

[reddevil2576]

Yeah it sounds like a coilgun but these electromagnets will be on the outside of an aluminum ring with iron pieces bolted onto it. These coils will accelerate the ring.

 

[paralumina]

If you want to accelerate the ring, aluminum is diamagnetic and would be accelerated through the coils without the iron, but I am not sure that this is what you are wanting.

I know my physics teacher had a demonstration for this, and he would ask a student to hold the ring down with the magnetic field and asked what they felt. It got hot fairly quickly.

 

[reddevil2576]

I don't think that'll work appreciate the thought though. I thought about doing a DC maglev type of propulsion to accelerate this ring. Only 3/4 of the ring will have magnets or some kind of propulsion system. The system will also suspend the ring so there is no friction on the ring so no moving parts touch anything.