volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

This article describes a method of guiding a moving ferromagnetic sphere. By using a magnetic field, it is possible to confine a moving object such as a steel sphere to motion along a curve. We have designed and built a device that uses the magnetic field in the gap of a steel tube to trap and guide a steel sphere along a circular path solely by a magnetic restoring force. A simple relationship between tangential velocity and magnetic field strength in the gap is developed. Excellent correlation between analytic, simulated, and measured results are shown.

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Dr. Darryl S. Jessie

Dr. Michael P. Bradley