Can a lift electromagnet pull a permanent magnet?

[kfpanda]

A lift electromagnet has N + S pole on the same side. will it push or pull a permanent magnet which has N & S pole on opposite side? If I have a lift electromagnet and a permanent magnet, both can pull 100 lbs. What is the break away force if I put them together? Thanks

 

[vk6kro]

If your permanent magnet has the north pole facing the lift magnet, the south pole on the lift magnet will attract it and the north pole will repel it.

So, it becomes a bit unpredictable and you would have to try it to find out. However, it will be lot less than if you had just two permanent magnets attracting each other.

 

[kfpanda]

Will the attraction increase if I put a piece of metal in between the 2 magnet?

 

[vk6kro]

Probably.

Both magnets will attract the metal if it is soft iron, but there will still be some interaction due to the different polarity patterns of the magnets.

If you put a piece of soft iron touching a magnet there is an induced magnet formed in the soft iron. That would happen in this case.

You might be able to improve this by having two thick pieces of soft iron with a non magnetic metal or air gap between them. Get one to touch the permanent magnet and one to touch the electromagnet. Then there should be a lot of attraction.

 

[JEDIGnome]

Is that not called an electric motor? electric current flows around metal rotor creating electromagnet in the housing are permanent magnets

 

[vk6kro]

It is like this: (click on it)

The magnets at the top are a circular magnet which we want to attract the normal magnet at the bottom.

The soft iron may help to do this or it may need a horizontal magnetic gap in the soft iron to stop the different patterns of the magnets conflicting with one another.