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Performing accurate numerical simulations of electrical drives, the precise knowledge of the local magnetic material properties is of utmost importance. Due to the various manufacturing steps, e.g. heat treatment or cutting techniques, the magnetic material properties can strongly vary locally, and the assumption of homogenized global material parameters is no longer feasible. This paper aims to present the general methodology and two different solution strategies for determining the local magnetic material properties using reference and simulation data.

The general methodology combines methods based on measurement, numerical simulation and solving an inverse problem. Therefore, a sensor-actuator system is used to characterize electrical steel sheets locally. Based on the measurement data and results from the finite element simulation, the inverse problem is solved with two different solution strategies. The first one is a quasi Newton method (QNM) using Broyden's update formula to approximate the Jacobian and the second is an adjoint method. For comparison of both methods regarding convergence and efficiency, an artificial example with a linear material model is considered.

The QNM and the adjoint method show similar convergence behavior for two different cutting-edge effects. Furthermore, considering a priori information improved the convergence rate. However, no impact on the stability and the remaining error is observed.

The presented methodology enables a fast and simple determination of the local magnetic material properties of electrical steel sheets without the need for a large number of samples or special preparation procedures.

This paper aims to present a novel stageless evaluation scheme for a vector Preisach model that exploits rotational operators for the description of vector hysteresis. It is meant to resolve the discretizational errors that arise during the application of the standard matrix-based implementation of Preisach-based models.

The newly developed evaluation uses a nested-list data structure. Together with an adapted form of the Everett function, it allows to represent both the additional rotational operator and the switching operator of the standard scalar Preisach model in a stageless fashion, i.e. without introducing discretization errors. Additionally, presented updating and simplification rules ensure the computational efficiency of the scheme.

A comparison between the stageless evaluation scheme and the commonly used matrix approach reveals not only an improvement in accuracy up to machine precision but, furthermore, a reduction of computational resources.

The presented evaluation scheme is especially designed for a vector Preisach model, which is based on an additional rotational operator. A direct application to other vector Preisach models that do not rely on rotational operators is not intended. Nevertheless, the presented methodology allows an easy adaption to similar vector Preisach schemes that use modified setting rules for the rotational operator and/or the switching operator.

Prior to this contribution, the vector Preisach model based on rotational operators could only be evaluated using a matrix-based approach that works with discretized forms of rotational and switching operator. The presented evaluation scheme offers reduced computational cost at much higher accuracy. Therefore, it is of great interest for all users of the mentioned or similar vector Preisach models.

The numerical computation of magnetization processes in moving and rotating assemblies requires the usage of vector hysteresis models. A commonly used model is the so-called Mayergoyz vector Preisach model, which applies the scalar Preisach model into multiple angles of the halfspace. The usage of several scalar models, which are optionally weighted differently, enables the description of isotropic as well as anisotropic materials. The flexibility is achieved, however, at the cost of multiple scalar model evaluations. For solely isotropic materials, two vector Preisach models, based on an extra rotational operator, might offer a lightweight alternative in terms of evaluation cost. The study aims at comparing the three mentioned models with respect to computational efficiency and practical applicability.

The three mentioned vector Preisach models are compared with respect to their computational costs and their representation of magnetic polarization curves measured by a vector vibrating sample magnetometer.

The results prove the applicability of all three models to practical scenarios and show the higher efficiency of the vector models based on rotational operators in terms of computational time.

Although the two vector Preisach models, based on an extra rotational operator, have been proposed in 2012 and 2015, their practical application and inversion has not been tested yet. This paper not only shows the usability of these particular vector Preisach models but also proves the efficiency of a special stageless evaluation approach that was proposed in a former contribution.

The purpose of this paper is to examine a solution strategy for coupled nonlinear magnetic-thermal problems and apply it to the heating process of a thin moving steel sheet. Performing efficient numerical simulations of induction heating processes becomes ever more important because of faster production development cycles, where the quasi steady-state solution of the problem plays a pivotal role.

To avoid time-consuming transient simulations, the eddy current problem is transformed into frequency domain and a harmonic balancing scheme is used to take into account the nonlinear BH-curve. The thermal problem is solved in steady-state domain, which is carried out by including a convective term to model the stationary heat transport due to the sheet velocity.

The presented solution strategy is compared to a classical nonlinear transient reference solution of the eddy current problem and shows good convergence, even for a small number of considered harmonics.

Numerical simulations of induction heating processes are necessary to fully understand certain phenomena, e.g. local overheating of areas in thin structures. With the presented approach it is possible to perform large 3D simulations without excessive computational resources by exploiting certain properties of the multiharmonic solution of the eddy current problem. Together with the use of nonconforming interfaces, the overall computational complexity of the problem can be decreased significantly.

A major purpose of vector hysteresis models lies in the prediction of power losses under rotating magnetic fields. The well-known vector Preisach model by Mayergoyz has been shown to well predict such power losses at low amplitudes of the applied field. However, in its original form, it fails to predict the reduction of rotational power losses at high fields. In recent years, two variants of a novel vector Preisach model based on rotational operators have been published and investigated with respect to general accuracy and performance. This paper aims to examine the capabilities of the named vector Preisach models in terms of rotational hysteresis loss calculations.

In a first step, both variants of the novel rotational operator-based vector Preisach model are tested with respect to their overall capability to prescribe rotational hysteresis losses. Hereby, the direct influence of the model-specific parameters onto the computable losses is investigated. Afterward, it is researched whether there exists an optimized set of parameters for these models that allows the matching of measured rotational hysteresis losses.

The theoretical investigations on the influence of the model-specific parameters onto the computable rotational hysteresis losses showed that such losses can be predicted in general and that a variation of these parameters allows to adapt the simulated loss curves in both shape and amplitude. Furthermore, an optimized parameter set for the prediction of the named losses could be retrieved by direct matching of simulated and measured loss curves.

Even though the practical applicability and the efficiency of the novel vector Preisach model based on rotational operators has been proven in previous publications, its capabilities to predict rotational hysteresis losses has not been researched so far. This publication does not only show the general possibility to compute such losses with help of the named vector Preisach models but also in addition provides a routine to derive an optimized parameter set, which allows an accurate modeling of actually measured loss curves.

The modeling of magnetostrictive effects is a topic of intensive research. The authors' goal is the precise modeling and numerical simulation of the magnetic field and resulting mechanical vibrations caused by magnetostriction along the joint regions of electric transformers.

The authors apply the finite element (FE) method to efficiently solve the arising coupled system of partial differential equations describing magnetostriction. Hereby, they fully take the anisotropic behavior of the material into account, both in the computation of the nonlinear electromagnetic field as well as the induced magnetostrictive strains. To support their material models, the authors measure the magnetic as well as the mechanical hysteresis curves of the grain-oriented electrical steel sheets with different orientations (w.r.t the rolling direction). From these curves they then extract for each orientation the corresponding commutation curve, so that the hysteretic behavior is simplified to a nonlinear one.

The numerical simulations show strong differences both in the magnetic field as well as mechanical vibrations when comparing this newly developed anisotropic model to an isotropic one, which just uses measured curves in rolling direction of the steel sheets. Therefore, a realistic modeling of the magnetostrictive behavior, especially for grain-oriented electrical steel as used in transformers, needs to take into account the anisotropic material behavior.

The authors have developed an enhanced material model for describing magnetostrictive effects along the joint regions of electric transformers, which fully considers the anisotropic material behavior. This model has been integrated into a FE scheme to numerically simulate the mechanical vibrations in transformer cores caused by magnetostriction.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a solution strategy for both accurate and efficient simulation of nonlinear magnetostatic problems in thin structures using higher order finite element methods. Special interest is put in the investigation of the step-lap joints of transformer cores, with a focus on the spatial resolution of the field quantities.

The usage of hierarchical finite elements of higher order makes it possible to adapt the local accuracy in different spatial directions in thin steel sheets. Due to explicit representation of gradients in the basis functions, a simple Schwarz-type block preconditioner with a conjugate gradient solver can efficiently solve the arising algebraic system. By adapting the block size automatically according to the aspect ratio, deterioration of convergence in case of thin elements can be prevented. The resulting Newton scheme is accelerated utilizing the hierarchical splitting in a two-level scheme, where an initial guess is computed on a coarse sub-space.

Compared to an isotropic choice of polynomial order for the basis functions, significant runtime and memory can be saved in the simulation of thin structures without losing accuracy. The iterative solution scheme proves to be robust with respect to the polynomial order, even for aspect ratios of 1:1000 and anisotropies in two directions. An additional saving in runtime and Newton iterations can be achieved by solving the nonlinear problem initially on the lowest order basis functions only and projecting the solution to the complete space as starting value, analogous to a full multigrid scheme.

Within the presented solution strategy, especially the anisotropic block preconditioner and the accelerated Newton scheme based on the two-level splitting constitute a novel contribution. They provide building blocks, which can be utilized for other types of magnetic field problems like transient nonlinear problems or hysteresis modeling as well.

The fast and flexible development of fast switching electromagnetic valves as used in modern gasoline engine demands the availability of efficient and accurate simulation tools. The purpose of this paper is to provide an enhanced computational scheme of these actuators including all relevant physical effects of magneto‐mechanical systems and including contact mechanics.

The finite element (FE) method is applied to efficiently solve the arising coupled system of partial differential equations describing magneto‐mechanical systems. The algorithm for contact mechanics is based on the cross‐constraint method using an energy‐ and momentum‐conserving time‐discretisation scheme. Although solving separately for the electromagnetic and mechanical system, a strong coupling is ensured within each time step by an iterative process with stopping criterion.

The numerical simulations of the full switching cycle of an electromagnetic direct injection valve, including the bouncing during the closing state, are just feasible with an enhanced and robust mechanical contact algorithm. Furthermore, the solution of the nonlinear electromagnetic and mechanical equations needs a Newton scheme with a line search scheme for the relaxation of the step size.

The paper provides a numerical simulation scheme based on the FE method, which includes all relevant physical effects in magneto‐mechanical systems, and which is robust even for long‐term contact periods with multitude re‐opening phases.

Magnetostrictive alloys are widely used in actuator and sensor applications. The purpose of this paper is to developed a realistic physical model and a numerical computational scheme for their precise computation.

The main step in the physical modeling is the decomposition of the mechanical strain and the magnetic induction into a reversible and an irreversible part. For the efficient solution of the arising coupled nonlinear partial differential equations the authors apply the finite element method.

It can be demonstrated, that the hysteresis operators can be fitted by appropriate measurements. Therewith, the developed physical model and numerical simulation scheme is applicable for the design of magnetostrictive actuators and sensors.

The decomposition of the mechanical strain and the magnetic induction into a reversible and an irreversible part. The reversible part is described by the linear magnetostrictive constitutive equations, where the entries of the coupling tensor depend on the magnetization. The irreversible part of the magnetic induction is modeled by a Preisach hysteresis operator, and the irreversible part of the mechanical strain by a polynomial function depending on the magnetization.

A wide range of micro‐electro‐mechanical‐systems are based on the electrostatic principle, and for their design the computation of the electric capacities is of great importance. The purpose of this paper is to efficiently compute the capacities as a function of all possible positions of the two electrode structures within the transducer by an enhanced boundary element method (BEM).

A Galerkin BEM is developed and the arising algebraic system of equations is efficiently solved by a CG‐method with a multilevel preconditioner and an appropriate fast multipole algorithm for the matrix‐vector operations within the CG‐iterations.

It can be demonstrated that the piecewise linear and discontinuous trial functions give an approximation, which is almost as good as the one of the piecewise constant trial functions on the refined mesh, at lower computational costs and at about the same memory requirements.

The paper can proof mathematically and demonstrate in practice, that a higher order of convergence is achieved by using piecewise linear, globally discontinuous basis functions instead of piecewise constant basis functions. In addition, an appropriate preconditioner (artificial multilevel boundary element preconditioner, which is based on the Bramble Pasciak Xu like preconditioner) has been developed for the fast iterative solution of the algebraic system of equations.