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Electromagnetic coil

 

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Electromagnetic coil



 
 
An electromagnetic coil (or simply a "coil") is formed when a conductor (usually a solid copper wire
Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylinder , elongated string of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical Structural loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications Wiktionary:signal....
) is wound around a core or form to create an inductor
Inductor

An inductor is a Passive component Electronic component that can store energy in a magnetic field created by the electric current passing through it....
 or electromagnet
Electromagnet

An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric Current . The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases....
. One loop of wire is usually referred to as a turn, and a coil consists of one or more turns.






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Transformers
An electromagnetic coil (or simply a "coil") is formed when a conductor (usually a solid copper wire
Wire

A wire is a single, usually cylinder , elongated string of metal. Wires are used to bear mechanical Structural loads and to carry electricity and telecommunications Wiktionary:signal....
) is wound around a core or form to create an inductor
Inductor

An inductor is a Passive component Electronic component that can store energy in a magnetic field created by the electric current passing through it....
 or electromagnet
Electromagnet

An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric Current . The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases....
. One loop of wire is usually referred to as a turn, and a coil consists of one or more turns. For use in an electronic circuit
Electronic circuit

An electronic circuit is a closed path formed by the interconnection of electronic components through which an electric current can flow. The electronic circuits may be physically constructed using any number of methods....
, electrical connection
Electrical connection

An electrical connection between discrete points allows the flow of electrons . A pair of connections is needed for a electrical network.Between points with a low voltage difference, direct current can be controlled by a switch....
 terminals called taps are often connected to a coil. Coils are often coated with varnish and/or wrapped with insulating tape to provide additional insulation
Electrical insulation

An insulator, also called a dielectric, is a material that resists the flow of electric current. An insulating material has atoms with tightly bonded valence electrons....
 and secure them in place. A completed coil assembly with taps etc. is often called a winding. A transformer
Transformer

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one electrical network to another through inductive coupling conductors — the transformer's coils or "windings"....
 is an electromagnetic device that has a primary winding and a secondary winding that transfers energy from one electrical circuit to another by magnetic coupling without moving parts. The term tickler coil usually refers to a third coil placed in relation to a primary coil and secondary coil. A coil tap
Coil tap

A coil tap is a wiring feature found on some electrical transformers, inductors and Pickup , all of which are sets of wire coils. The coil tap are points in a wire coil where a Conductor patch has been exposed ....
 is a wiring feature found on some electrical transformers, inductors and coil pickups, all of which are sets of wire coils. The coil tap(s) are points in a wire coil where a conductive patch has been exposed (usually on a loop of wire that extends out of the main coil body). As self induction is larger for larger coil diameter the current in a thick wire tries to flow on the inside. The ideal use of copper is achieved by foils. Sometimes this means that a spiral
Spiral

In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a central point, getting progressively farther away as it revolves around the point....
 is a better alternative. Multilayer coils have the problem of interlayer capacitance
Capacitance

In electromagnetism and electronics, capacitance is the ability of a body to hold an electrical charge.Capacitance is also a measure of the amount of electric charge stored for a given electric potential....
, so when multiple layers are needed the shape needs to be radically changed to a short coil with many layers so that the voltage between consecutive layers is smaller (making them more spiral like).

Analysis
The inductance
Inductance

Inductance is the property in an electrical circuit where a change in the current flowing through that circuit induces an Electromotive force that opposes the change in current ....
 of single-layer coils can be calculated to a reasonable degree of accuracy with the simplified formula
where µH (microhenries) are units of inductance, R is the coil radius
RADIUS

Remote Authentication Dial In User Service is a networking protocol that provides centralized access, authorization and accounting management for people or computers to connect and use a network service....
 (measured in inches to the center of the conductor), N is the number of turns, and L is the length of the coil in inches. The online calculates the inductance of any coil using this formula. Higher accuracy estimates of coil inductance require calculations of considerably greater complexity. A layperson's translation is:
In calculating the distances, one centimeter is equal to 0.393700787 inches and one inch is equal to 2.54 centimeters. The inductance formula uses inches. The relationship between the radius and the circumference
Circumference

The circumference is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a kind of perimeter....
 of a coil is , with r as the radius, c as the circumference, and π (the Greek letter pi
Pi

Pi or p is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean geometry; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle's area to the square of its radius....
) as the constant
Mathematical constant

A mathematical constant is a number, usually a real number, that arises naturally in mathematics. Unlike physical constants, mathematical constants are defined independently of physical measurement....
 3.141. The circumference of a coil can be calculated by , with d as the diameter
Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle....
 of the coil and π as 3.141.

Coil examples
Some common electromagnetic coils include:
  • A bifilar coil
    Bifilar coil

    A bifilar coil is an electromagnetic coil that contains two closely spaced, parallel windings. In engineering, the word bifilar describes wire which is made of two filaments or strands....
     is a coil that employs two parallel
    Parallel (geometry)

    Parallelism is a term in geometry and in everyday life that refers to a property in Euclidean space of two or more line s or plane , or a combination of these....
     windings.
  • A Barker coil is used in low field NMR imaging.
  • A Balun
    Balun

    File:Balun-twisted-pair-to-coaxial-hdr-0a.jpgA balun, , is a type of electrical transformer that can convert electrical Signalling s that are balanced line about ground to signals that are unbalanced line and vice versa....
     is set of transformer coils for transmission lines.
  • A Braunbeck coil is used in geomagnetic research.
  • A degaussing coil
    Degaussing

    Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism....
     is used in the process of removing permanent magnetism (magnetic hysteresis
    Hysteresis

    A system with hysteresis can be summarized as a system that may be in any number of states, independent of the inputs to the system. To be exact, a system with hysteresis exhibits path-dependence, or "rate-independent memory"....
    ) from an object.
  • A choke coil
    Choke (electronics)

    A choke is an inductor designed to have a high Reactance to a particular frequency when used in a signal-carrying circuit....
     (or choking coil) is low-resistance
    Electrical resistance

    The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the passage of a steady electrical current. An object of uniform cross section will have a resistance proportional to its length and inversely proportional to its cross-sectional area, and proportional to the resistivity of the material....
     inductor
    Inductor

    An inductor is a Passive component Electronic component that can store energy in a magnetic field created by the electric current passing through it....
     used to block alternating current
    Alternating current

    In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again....
     while passing direct current
    Direct current

    Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as battery , thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type....
    .
  • A Flat coil is used in thin electric motor.
  • A Garrett coil is used in metal detector
    Metal detector

    Metal detectors use electromagnetic induction to detect metal. Uses include de-mining , the detection of weapons such as knives and guns, especially at airport security, geophysics, archaeology and treasure hunting....
    s.
  • A Helmholtz coil
    Helmholtz coil

    The term Helmholtz coils refers to a device for producing a region of nearly uniform magnetic field. It is named in honor of the German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz....
     is a device for producing a region of nearly uniform magnetic field
    Magnetic field

    A magnetism field is a vector field which can exert a magnetic force on moving electric charges and on magnetic dipoles . When placed in a magnetic field, magnetic dipoles tend to align their axes parallel to the magnetic field....
    .
  • A hybrid coil
    Hybrid coil

    A hybrid coil is a transformer that has three coils, and which is designed to be configured as a electrical network having four branches, that are conjugate in pairs....
     (or bridge transformer) is a single transformer that effectively has three windings.
  • An induction coil
    Induction coil

    An induction coil or "spark coil" is a type of disruptive discharge coil. It is a type of electrical transformer used to produce high-voltage pulses from a low-voltage Direct current supply....
     (or ignition coil
    Ignition coil

    An ignition coil is an induction coil in an automobile's ignition system which transformer the Car battery 12 volts to the thousands of volts needed to spark the spark plugs....
    ) is an electrical device in common use as the ignition system
    Ignition system

    An ignition system is a system for igniting a fuel-air mixture. It is best known in the field of internal combustion engines but also has other applications, e.g....
     (ignition coil or spark coil) of internal-combustion engines.
  • A loading coil
    Loading coil

    In electronics, a loading coil or load coil is a coil that does not provide coupling to any other Electronic circuit, but is inserted in a circuit to increase its inductance....
     is, in electronics, a coil (inductor) inserted in a circuit to increase its inductance
    Inductance

    Inductance is the property in an electrical circuit where a change in the current flowing through that circuit induces an Electromotive force that opposes the change in current ....
    . Archaically called Pupin coils.
  • A multiple coil magnet
    Multiple coil magnet

    The multiple-coil magnet was invented by Joseph Henry in 1831. It is an electromagnet that has several coils of wire connected in series and parallel circuits....
     is an electromagnet
    Electromagnet

    An electromagnet is a type of magnet in which the magnetic field is produced by the flow of electric Current . The magnetic field disappears when the current ceases....
     that has several coils of wire connected in parallel.
  • A Maxwell coil
    Maxwell coil

    A Maxwell coil is a device for producing a large volume of almost constant magnetic field....
     is a device for producing almost a constant magnetic field.
  • A Micro coil use in security devices.
  • A Oudin coil
    Oudin coil

    An Oudin coil, also called an Oudin oscillator or Oudin resonator, is a disruptive discharge coil, that is a transformer designed to produce high voltage Electrical arcs and Corona discharge, similar to a Tesla coil....
     is a disruptive discharge coil.
  • The polyphase coil
    Polyphase coil

    Polyphase coils are electrical coils connected together in a polyphase system such as a electrical generator or electric motor. In modern systems the number of phases is usually three, or a multiple of three....
    s
    are connected together in a polyphase system such as a generator or motor.
  • A relay coil is the copper winding part of a relay
    Relay

    A relay is an electrical switch that opens and closes under the control of another electrical circuit. In the original form, the switch is operated by an magnet to open or close one or many sets of contacts....
     that produces a magnetic field that actuates the mechanism.
  • A Repeating coil
    Repeating coil

    In telecommunications, a repeating coil is a voice-frequency transformer characterized by a closed magnetic core, a pair of identical balanced line primary windings, a pair of identical but not necessarily balanced secondary windings, and low Attenuation at human voice frequencies....
     is a voice-frequency transformer.
  • A Rogowski coil
    Rogowski coil

    A Rogowski coil, named after Walter Rogowski, is an electricity device for measuring alternating current or high speed current pulses. It consists of a helix coil of wire with the lead from one end returning through the centre of the coil to the other end, so that both Terminal s are at the same end of the coil....
     is an electrical device for measuring alternating current.
  • A single coil
    Single coil

    A single coil pickup is a type of magnetic transducer for the electric guitar and the bass guitar. It electromagnetically converts the vibration of the strings to an electric signal....
     is a type of pickup for the electric guitar
    Electric guitar

    An electric guitar is a type of guitar that uses pickup to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker....
    .
  • A solenoid
    Solenoid

    A solenoid is a three-dimensional coil. In physics, the term solenoid refers to a loop of wire, often wrapped around a metallic core, which produces a magnetic field when an electric current is passed through it....
     is a mechanical device, based around a coil of wire, that usually converts energy into linear motion, however solenoids also come in a rotary motion (normally up to a turn of 90 degrees).
  • A telephone
    Telephone

    The telephone is a telecommunications device that is used to transmitter and receive electronically or digitally encoded sound between two or more people conversing....
     cord
    is usually manufactured in a coiled fashion, as to allow maximum length while taking up minimum space when not in use.
  • A Tesla coil
    Tesla coil

    A Tesla coil is a type of Transformer#Resonant transformers circuit invented by Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla around 1891. It is generally used to generate very high voltage, low Electrical current, high frequency alternating current electricity....
     is category of disruptive discharge coils, usually denoting a resonant transformer that generates very high voltages at radio frequencies.
  • A voice coil
    Voice coil

    A voice coil is the coil of wire attached to the apex of the cone of a speaker driver. It provides the motive force to the cone by the reaction of a magnetic field to the current passing through it....
     which is mounted to the moving cone of a loudspeaker
    Loudspeaker

    A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electroacoustical transducer that converts an electricity signal processing to sound....
    .


Other applications of coils exist in the field of electromagnetic devices. A coilgun
Coilgun

A coilgun is a type of synchronous linear electric motor which is used as a projectile accelerator that consists of one or more electromagnet....
 is a type of cannon that uses a series of electromagnetic coils to accelerate a magnetic shell to very high velocities. The filament of an incandescent light bulb
Incandescent light bulb

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe is a source of electric light that works by incandescence, ....
 has usually the shape of a coiled coil, in order to fit the long filament in a small space.

Further reading

  • Querfurth, William, "Coil winding; a description of coil winding procedures, winding machines and associated equipment for the electronic industry" (2d ed.). Chicago, G. Stevens Mfg. Co., 1958.
  • Weymouth, F. Marten, "Drum armatures and commutators (theory and practice) : a complete treatise on the theory and construction of drum winding, and of commutators for closed-coil armatures, together with a full résumé of some of the principal points involved in their design; and an exposition of armature reactions and sparking". London, "The Electrician" Printing and Publishing Co., 1893.
  • "Coil winding proceedings". International Coil Winding Association.
  • Chandler, R. H., "Coil coating review, 1970-76". Braintree, R. H. Chandler Ltd, 1977.


External articles
  • R. Clarke, "". Surrey.ac.uk, 2005 October 9.