Noun 1.

ignition system - the mechanism that ignites the fuel in an

internal-combustion engine
ignition
electrical distributor, distributer, distributor - electrical device
that distributes voltage to the spark plugs of a gasoline engine
in the order of the firing sequence
electrical system - equipment in a motor vehicle that provides electricity to start the
engine and ignite the fuel and operate the lights and windshield wiper and heater and
air conditioner and radio
ignition coil - an induction coil that converts current from a battery into the high-voltage
current required by spark plugs
ignition switch - switch that operates a solenoid that closes a circuit to operate the
starter
magneto, magnetoelectric machine - a small dynamo with a secondary winding that
produces a high voltage enabling a spark to jump between the poles of a spark plug in
a gasoline engine
mechanism - device consisting of a piece of machinery; has moving parts that perform
some function
spark coil - an induction coil used to create sparks
spark gap - a component of an ignition system; consists of two shaped electrodes and
the space between them
spark plug, sparking plug, plug - electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of an
internal-combustion engine and ignites the gas by means of an electric spark
Ignition system
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The ignition system of an internal-combustion engine is an important part of the overall
engine system that provides for the timely burning of the fuel mixture within the engine
!ll conventional petrol "gasoline# engines re$uire an ignition system The ignition system
is usually switched on%off through a lock switch, operated with a key or code patch
Contents
&hide'
( )istory
o (( *agneto system
o (+ ,witchable systems
o (- .attery operated ignition
+ *odern ignition systems
o +( *echanically timed ignition
o ++ /lectronic ignition
- /ngine management
0 ,ee also
1 2eferences
&edit'
History
The earliest petrol engines used a very crude ignition system This often took the form of
a copper or brass rod which protruded into the cylinder, which was heated using an
external source The fuel would ignite when it came into contact with the rod 3aturally
this was very inefficient as the fuel would not be ignited in a controlled manner This type
of arrangement was $uickly superseded by spark ignition, attributed to 4arl .en5, a
system which is generally used to this day, albeit with sparks generated by more
advanced circuitry /arly low-speed stationary engines often used a moving contact
which protruded into the cylinder This contact was $uickly closed and reopened at the
precise instant, producing a spark across the contacts, generated by a coil
&edit'
Magneto system
The simplest form of spark ignition is that using a magneto The engine spins a magnet
inside a coil, and also operates a contact breaker, interrupting the current and causing the
voltage to be increased sufficiently to 6ump a small gap The spark plugs are connected
directly from the magneto output *agnetos are not used in modern cars, but because
they generate their own electricity they are often found on small engines such as mopeds,
lawnmowers, snowblowers, chainsaws, etc where there is no battery7 also on the small
engine8s ancestor, the stationary 9hit or miss9 engine of the early twentieth century7 on
older gasoline or distillate farm tractors before battery starting and lighting became
common7 and also in aircraft piston engines, where their simplicity and self-contained
nature confers a generally greater reliability as well as lighter weight in the absence of a
battery and generator or alternator !ircraft engines usually have multiple magnetos to
provide redundancy in the event of a failure ,ome older automobiles had both a magneto
system and a battery actuated system "see below# running simultaneously to ensure
proper ignition under all conditions with the limited performance each system provided at
the time
&edit'
Switchable systems
The output of a magneto depends on the speed of the engine, and therefore starting can be
problematic ,ome magnetos incorporate an impulse system, which spins the magnet
$uickly at the proper moment, facilitating easier starting at slow cranking speeds ,ome
engines, such as aircraft but also the Ford *odel T, utili5ed a system which relied on non
rechargeable dry cells, "like large flashlight batteries, not what are usually thought of as
automobile batteries today# to start the engine or for running at low speed7 then the
operator would manually switch the ignition over to magneto operation for high speed
operation :n order to provide high voltage for the spark from the low voltage batteries,
however, a 9tickler9 was used, which was essentially a larger version of the once
ubi$uitous electric bu55er With this apparatus, the direct current passes through an
electromagnetic coil which pulls open a pair of contact points, interrupting the current7
the magnetic field collapses, the spring-loaded points close again, the circuit is
reestablished, and the cycle repeats rapidly The rapidly collapsing magnetic field,
however, induces a high voltage across the coil which can only relieve itself by arcing
across the contact points7 while in the case of the bu55er this is a problem as it causes the
points to oxidi5e and%or weld together, in the case of the ignition system this becomes the
source of the high voltage to operate the spark plugs :n this mode of operation, the coil
would 9bu559 continuously, producing a constant train of sparks The entire apparatus
was known as the *odel T spark coil "in contrast to the modern ignition coil which is
only the actual coil component of the system#, and long after the demise of the *odel T
as transportation they remained a popular self-contained source of high voltage for
electrical home experimenters, appearing in articles in maga5ines such as ;opular
*echanics and pro6ects for school science fairs as late as the early (<=>s :n the ?4 these
devices were commonly known as trembler coils and were popular in cars pre-(<(>, and
also in commercial vehicles with large engines until around (<+1 to ease starting
The magneto on the *odel T "built into the flywheel# differed from modern
implementations by not providing high voltage directly at the output7 the maximum
voltage produced was about -> volts, and therefore also had to be run through the spark
coil to provide high enough voltage for ignition, as described above, although the coil
would not 9bu559 continuously in this case, only going through one cycle per spark :n
either case, the high voltage was switched to the appropriate spark plug by the timer
mounted on the front of the engine, the e$uivalent of the modern distributor The timing
of the spark was ad6ustable by rotating this mechanism through a lever mounted on the
steering column
Ignition coil
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.osch ignition coil
!n ignition coil "also called a spark coil# is an induction coil in a automobile8s ignition
system which transforms a storage battery8s (+ volts to the thousands of volts needed to
spark the spark plugs
This specific form of the autotransformer, together with the contact breaker, converts low
voltage from a battery into the high voltage re$uired by spark plugs in an internal
combustion engine
:n modern ignition systems, there is not an ignition distributor and ignition is instead
electronically controlled and firing voltage is achieved by one of the following ways:
coil-on-plug or waste spark :n the coil-on-plug system each spark plug has its own
individual coil sitting right on top of it :t is a so-called Direct Ignition "@:# module :n a
9waste spark9 system two spark plugs share the same coil :n this system both spark plugs
attached to the coil are fired simultaneously While one cylinder is toward the end of its
compression stroke, its 9piston pair9 is nearing the end of its exhaust stroke, and both
plugs are fired !lthough the spark plugs are manufactured identically, if re-installed after
extended use, they should go back into the cylinder from which they came from This is
because the electrons align themselves favorably with one direction of current flow
While one plug receives positive potential "voltage# at the wire side, the piston pair
receives negative potential This negative potential is what causes the second plug to fire
instead of the voltage 6ust going straight to ground after firing the first one "cars use the
conventional theory as opposed to the electron theory of current flow# The waste spark
system is better than having a single coil, and cheaper than coil-on-plug
The disruptive discharge Tesla coil is an early predecessor of the 9ignition coil9 in the
ignition system Tesla also gained ?, ;atent =><+1>, 9Electrical Igniter for Gas
Engines9, on !ugust (=, (A<A :t used the principles of the ignition coil used today in
automobiles ! !twater 4ent, in (<+(, patented the modern form of the ignition coil
Flywheel
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,poked flywheel
,imple flywheel in motion Bonstructed based on drawings by Ceonardo da Dinci
! flywheel is a heavy rotating disk used as a repository for angular momentum
Flywheels resist changes in their rotation speed, which helps steady the rotation of the
shaft when an uneven tor$ue is exerted on it by its power source such as a piston-based,
"reciprocating# engine, or when the load placed on it is intermittent "such as a piston-
based pump# Flywheels can also be used by small motors to store up energy over a long
period of time and then release it over a shorter period of time, temporarily magnifying
its power output for that brief period 2ecently, flywheels have become the sub6ect of
extensive research as power storage devices7 see flywheel energy storage
! momentum wheel is a type of flywheel useful in satellite pointing operations, in which
the flywheels are used to point the satellite8s instruments in the correct directions without
the use of thrusters
The kinetic energy stored in a rotating flywheel is
where I is the moment of inertia of the mass about the center of rotation and E "omega# is
the angular velocity in radian units ! flywheel is more effective when its inertia is larger,
as when its mass is located farther from the center of rotation either due to a more
massive rim or due to a larger diameter 3ote the similarity of the above formula to the
kinetic energy formula / F mv
+
%+, where linear velocity v is comparable to the rotational
velocity, and the mass is comparable to the rotational inertia
The flywheel has been used since ancient times, the most common traditional example
being the potter8s wheel :n the :ndustrial 2evolution, James Watt contributed to the
development of the flywheel in the steam engine, and his contemporary James ;ickard
used a flywheel combined with a crank to transform reciprocating into rotary motion
Dideo of a simple
flywheel in motion
"file info#
o Bonstructed
based on
drawings by
Ceonardo da
Dinci
o Problems
viewing the
video? See
media help.
:n the world of venture capital, the term 9flywheel9 is used to represent the recurrent,
margin-generating heart of a business
Modern ignition systems
&edit'
Mechanically timed ignition
@istributor cap
*ost four-stroke engines have used a mechanically timed electrical ignition system The
heart of the system is the distributor which contains a rotating cam running off the
engine8s drive, a set of breaker points, a condenser, a rotor and a distributor cap /xternal
to the distributor is the ignition coil, the spark plugs, and wires linking the spark plugs
and ignition coil to the distributor
The power source is a lead-acid battery, kept charged by the car8s electrical system, which
generates electricity using a dynamo or alternator The engine operates contact breaker
points, which interrupt the current flow to an induction coil "known as the ignition coil#
The ignition coil consists of two transformer windings sharing a common magnetic core
-- the primary and secondary windings !n alternating current in the primary induces
alternating magnetic field in the coil8s core .ecause the ignition coil8s secondary has far
more windings than the primary, the coil is a step-up transformer which induces a much
higher voltage across the secondary windings For an ignition coil, one end of windings
of both the primary and secondary are connected together This common point is
connected to the battery "usually through a current-limiting resistor# The other end of the
primary is connected to the points within the distributor The other end of the secondary
is connected, via the distributor cap and rotor, to the spark plugs
The ignition firing se$uence begins with the points "or contact breaker# closed ! steady
current flows from the battery, through the current-limiting resistor, through the coil
primary, across the closed breaker points and finally back to the battery This steady
current produces a magnetic field within the coil8s core This magnetic field forms the
energy reservoir that will be used to drive the ignition spark
!s the engine turns, so does the cam inside the distributor The points ride on the cam so
that as the engine turns and reaches the top of the engine8s compression cycle, a high
point in the cam causes the breaker points to open This breaks the primary winding8s
circuit and abruptly stops the current flow through the breaker points
Without the steady current flow through the points, the magnetic field generated in the
coil immediately begins to $uickly collapse This rapid decay of the magnetic field
induces a high voltage in the coil8s secondary windings
!t the same time, current exits the coil8s primary winding and begin to charge up the
capacitor "9condenser9# that lies across the now-open breaker points This capacitor and
the coilGs primary windings form an oscillating CB circuit This CB circuit produces a
damped, oscillating current which bounces energy between the capacitorGs electric field
and the ignition coilGs magnetic field The oscillating current in the coilGs primary, which
produces an oscillating magnetic field in the coil, extends the high voltage pulse at the
output of the secondary windings This high voltage thus continues beyond the time of
the initial field collapse pulse The oscillation continues until the circuitGs energy is
consumed
The ignition coil8s secondary windings are connected to the distributor cap ! turning
rotor, located on top of the breaker cam within the distributor cap, se$uentially connects
the coil8s secondary windings to one of the several wires leading to each engine8s spark
plugs The extremely high voltage from the coil8s secondary H often higher than (>>>
volts -- causes a spark to form across the gap of the spark plug This, in turn, ignites the
compressed air-fuel mixture within the engine :t is the creation of this spark which
consumes the energy that was originally stored in the ignition coilGs magnetic field
/xcept that more separate elements are involved, this distributor-based system is not
greatly different from a magneto system There are also advantages to this arrangement
For example, the position of the contact breaker points relative to the engine angle can be
changed a small amount dynamically, allowing the ignition timing to be automatically
advanced with increasing revolutions per minute "2;*# and%or increased manifold
vacuum, giving better efficiency This system was used almost universally until the late
(<I>s, when electronic ignition systems started to appear
&edit'
Electronic ignition
The disadvantage of the mechanical system is the use of breaker points to interrupt the
low voltage high current through the primary winding of the coil7 the points are sub6ect to
mechanical wear where they ride the cam to open and shut, as well as oxidation and
burning at the contact surfaces from the constant sparking They re$uire regular
ad6ustment to compensate for wear, and the opening of the contact breakers, which is
responsible for spark timing, is sub6ect to mechanical variations :n addition, the spark
voltage is also dependent on contact effectiveness, and poor sparking can lead to lower
engine efficiency /lectronic ignition "/:# solves these problems :n the initial systems,
points were still used but they only handled a low current which was used to control the
high primary current through a solid state switching system ,oon, however, even these
contact breaker points were replaced by an angular sensor of some kind - either optical,
where a vaned rotor breaks a light beam, or more commonly using a )all effect sensor,
which responds to a rotating magnet mounted on a suitable shaft The sensor output is
shaped and processed by suitable circuitry, then used to trigger a switching device such as
a thyristor, which switches a large flow of current through the coil The rest of the system
"distributor and spark plugs# remains as for the mechanical system The lack of moving
parts compared with the mechanical system leads to greater reliability and longer service
intervals For older cars, it is usually possible to retrofit an /: system in place of the
mechanical one :n some cases, a modern distributor will fit into the older engine with no
other modifications
Jther innovations are currently available on various cars :n some models, rather than
one central coil, there are individual coils on each spark plug This allows the coil a
longer time to accumulate a charge between sparks, and therefore a higher energy spark
! variation on this has each coil handle two plugs, on cylinders which are -=> degrees
out of phase7 in the four cycle engine this means that one plug will be sparking during the
end of the exhaust stroke while the other fires at the usual time, a so-called 9wasted
spark9 arrangement which has no drawbacks Jther systems do away with the distributor
as a timing apparatus and use a magnetic crank angle sensor mounted on the crankshaft to
trigger the ignition at the proper time
@uring the (<A>s, /: systems were developed alongside other improvements such as fuel
in6ection systems !fter a while it became logical to combine the functions of fuel control
and ignition into one electronic system known as an engine management system
&edit'
Engine management
:n an /ngine *anagement ,ystem "/*,#, electronics control fuel delivery, ignition
timing and firing order ;rimary sensors on the system are engine angle "crank or Top
@ead Benter "T@B# position#, airflow into the engine and throttle demand position The
circuitry determines which cylinder needs fuel and how much, opens the re$uisite
in6ector to deliver it, then causes a spark at the right moment to burn it /arly /*,
systems used analogue computer circuit designs to accomplish this, but as embedded
systems became fast enough to keep up with the changing inputs at high revolutions,
digital systems started to appear
,ome designs using /*, retain the original coil, distributor and spark plugs found on
cars throughout history Jther systems dispense with the distributor and coil and use
special spark plugs which each contain their own coil "@irect :gnition# This means high
voltages are not routed all over the engine, they are created at the point at which they are
needed ,uch designs offer potentially much greater reliability than conventional
arrangements
*odern /*, systems usually monitor other engine parameters such as temperature and
the amount of uncombined oxygen in the exhaust This allows them to control the engine
to minimise unburnt or partially burnt fuel and other noxious gases, leading to much
cleaner and more efficient engines
Magneto
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This article is about an engine component. For other uses of the term see
!agneto "disambiguation#.
! magneto provides pulses of electrical power to the spark plugs in some petrol-powered
internal combustion engines where batteries are not available, most commonly those in +-
stroke and 0-stroke engines used in small motorcycles, lawnmowers and chainsaws, as
well as in most small aircraft and some racing automobiles, serving a similar function to
the coil-type ignition system found in automobiles :n aircraft, typically each cylinder has
two spark plugs, each driven from a separate magneto This arrangement provides
redundancy in the event of a failure of one of the magnetos, and two sparks burn more
efficiently than one
*agnetos combine the functions of a dynamo, contact breaker points and coil into one
unit The engine rotates a coil of wire between the poles of a permanent magnet to
provide a basic source of electrical energy ":n some variants the permanent magnet is
rotated and the coil remains stationary# Jn each revolution, a cam opens the contact
breaker one or more times, interrupting the current, causing the voltage in the secondary
winding of the coil to reach a very high value, enough to arc across the electrodes of the
spark plug .ecause no battery or other source of energy is re$uired, the magneto is a
rugged, reliable and self-contained solution to providing ignition of the fuel :n some
modern magneto designs, an electronic switch replaces the contact breaker
Magnet
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For other uses see !agnet "disambiguation#.
:ron filings in a magnetic field generated by a bar magnet
! magnet is an ob6ect that has a magnetic field The word magnet comes from the Kreek
$%&'()*+ ,-./+ "magn0t0s lithos#, which means 9magnesian stone9 *agnesia was an area
in !ncient Kreece, in present-day *anisa, Turkey where deposits of magnetite have been
discovered since anti$uity
Contents
&hide'
( :ntroduction
+ ;hysical origin of magnetism
o +( ;ermanent magnets "permagnets#
o ++ /lectronic generation of magnetism
o +- /lectromagnets
- Bharacteristics of magnetic materials
o -( ;ermanent magnets and dipoles
o -+ 3orth-south pole designation and the
/arth8s magnetic field
0 Bommon uses for magnets
1 *agneti5ation of materials
= @emagneti5ing materials
I Types of permanent magnets
A *agnetic forces
o A( Forces between magnets
o A+ *agnets and ferromagnetic materials
o A- *agnets and diamagnetic materials
o A0 *agnets and paramagnetic materials
o A1 Balculating the magnetic force
A1( Force between two monopoles
A1+ Force between two very close
attracting surfaces
A1- Force between two bar magnets
< ,ee also
(> Jnline references
(( ;rinted references
(+ /xternal articles
&edit'
Introduction
:n the modern sense,a magnet is a material that has a magnetic field :t can be in the form
of a permanent magnet or an electromagnet ;ermanent magnets do not rely upon outside
influences to generate their field /lectromagnets rely upon electric current to generate a
magnetic field - when the current increases, so does the field *agnets are attracted to or
repelled by other things ,omething that is strongly attracted to a magnet is said to have a
high permeability :ron and steel are two examples of materials with very high
permeability, and they are strongly attracted to magnets Ci$uid oxygen is an example of
something with a low permeability, and it is only weakly attracted to a magnetic field
Water has such a low permeability that it is actually repelled by magnetic fields
/verything has a measurable permeability: people, gases and even the vacuum of outer
space
The ,: unit of magnetic field strength is the tesla, and the ,: unit of total magnetic flux is
the weber ( weber F ( tesla flowing through ( s$uare meter, and is a very large amount
of magnetic flux
&edit'
Physical origin of magnetism
&edit'
Permanent magnets (permagnets
!ll normal matter is composed of particles such as protons, neutrons and electrons, and
all of these have the fundamental property of $uantum mechanical spin ,pin gives each
one of these particles an associated magnetic field .ecause of this, and the fact that the
average microscopic piece of matter contains huge numbers of these particles, it would be
expected that all matter would be magnetic /ven antimatter would have magnetic
characteristics )owever, everyday experience shows that this is not the case
Within each atom and molecule, the spin of each of these particles is highly ordered as a
result of the ;auli /xclusion ;rinciple )owever, there is no long range ordering of these
spins between atoms and molecules Without long range ordering, there is no net
magnetic field because the magnetic moment of each one of the particles is cancelled by
the magnetic moment of other particles
;ermanent magnets are special in that long range ordering does exist The highest degree
of ordering exists within magnetic domains These domains can be likened to
microscopic neighbourhoods in which there is a strong reinforcing interaction between
particles, and as a result, a great deal of order The greater the degree of ordering within
and between domains, the greater the resulting field will be
Cong range ordering "and the resulting strong net magnetic field# is one of the hallmarks
of a ferromagnetic material
&edit'
Electronic generation of magnetism
/lectrons play the primary role in generating a magnetic field Within an atom, electrons
can exist either individually or in pairs within any given orbital When they are paired,
the individuals in that pair always have opposite spin L one up, one down The fact that
the spins have opposite orientation means that the two cancel one another :f all electrons
are paired, no net magnetic field will be generated
:n some atoms, there are electrons that are unpaired !ll magnets have unpaired electrons,
but not all atoms with unpaired electrons are ferromagnetic :n order for the material to
become ferromagnetic, not only must there be unpaired electrons present, but those
unpaired electrons must interact with one another over long ranges such that they are all
oriented in the same way The specific electron configuration of the atoms "as well as the
distance between atoms# is what leads to this long range ordering The electrons find that
they can exist in a lower energy state if they all have the same orientation
&edit'
Electromagnets
!n electromagnet, in its simplest form, is a wire that has been coiled into one or more
loops This coil is known as a solenoid When electric current flows along the coil, a
magnetic field is generated around the coil The orientation of this field can be
determined via the right hand rule The strength of the field is influenced by several
factors The number of loops determines the surface area of interaction, the amount of
current determines the amount of activity, and the material in the core determines
electrical resistance The more loops of wire and the greater the current, the stronger the
field will be
:f the coil of wire is empty in the center, it will tend to generate a very weak field
@ifferent ferromagnetic or paramagnetic items can be placed in the center of the core
with the effect of magnifying the magnetic field, for example an iron nail :n addition,
soft iron is commonly used for this purpose The addition of these types of materials can
result in a several hundred- to thousand-fold increase of field strength
!t long distances, magnetic fields obey an inverse s$uare law This means that the field
strength is inversely proportional to the s$uare of the distance from the magnet
:n the case of an electromagnet in contact with a flat metal plate, the force needed to
separate the two will be greatest if the two surfaces are machined as flat as possible The
flatter the surfaces, the more points of contact between them, and the smaller the
magnetic circuit8s reluctance to the magnetic field
/lectromagnets find uses in many places, ranging from particle accelerators, to 6unkyard
cranes, to magnetic resonance imaging machines There are also speciali5ed applications
that involve more than a simple magnetic dipole, such as the $uadrupole magnets used to
focus particle beams
:f an electromagnet is strong enough, the magnetic force between neighbouring loops of
wire can cause the electromagnet to be crushed by its own magnetic field
&edit'
Characteristics of magnetic materials
&edit'
Permanent magnets and dipoles
!ll magnets have at least two poles: that is, all magnets have at least one north pole and
at least one south pole The poles are not a pair of things on or inside the magnet They
are a concept used to discuss and describe magnets :n the image at the top of this page,
the poles look like specific locations, because the highest surface intensity of the field
occurs at the poles, but this does not mean that they are specific locations
To understand the concept of pole, it can be imagined that a row of people who are all
facing the same direction and standing in line While there is a 9face9 end of the line and
a 9back9 end of the line, there is no one place where all of the faces are and all of the
backs are The person at the front of the face end has a back7 and the person at the back
end has a face :f the line is divided into two shorter lines, each one of the shorter lines
still has a face end and a back end /ven if the line is pulled completely apart so that there
are 6ust individuals standing around, each one of the individuals still has a face and a
back This can continue without end
The same holds true with magnets There is not one place where all of the north or south
poles are :f a magnet is divided in two, two magnets will result--and both magnets will
have a north and a south pole Those smaller magnets can then be divided, and all of the
resulting pieces will have both a north and south pole :n most instances, if the material
continues to be broken into smaller and smaller pieces there will be a point where the
pieces are too small to retain a net magnetic field They won8t become individual north or
south poles though7 instead, they will 6ust lose the ability to maintain a net field ,ome
materials, however, can be divided down to the molecular level and still maintain a net
field with both a north and a south pole There are theories involving the possibility of
north and south magnetic monopoles, but no magnetic monopole has ever been found
&edit'
!orth"south pole designation and the Earth#s magnetic field
! standard naming system for the poles of magnets is important )istorically, the terms
north and south reflect awareness of the relationship between magnets and the earth8s
magnetic field ! freely suspended magnet will eventually orient itself north-to-south,
because of its attraction to the north and south magnetic poles of the earth The end of a
magnet that points toward the /arth8s geographic 3orth ;ole is labeled as the north pole
of the magnet7 correspondingly, the end that points south is the south pole of the magnet
The /arth8s current geographic north is thus actually its magnetic south Bonfounding the
situation further, magnetised rocks on the ocean floor show that the /arth8s magnetic field
has reversed itself in the past, so this system of naming is likely to be backward at some
time in the future
Fortunately, by using an electromagnet and the right hand rule, the orientation of the field
of a magnet can be defined without reference to the /arth8s geomagnetic field
To avoid the confusion between geographic and magnetic north and south poles, the
terms positive and negative are sometimes used for the poles of a magnet The positive
pole is that which seeks geographical north
&edit'
Common uses for magnets
*agnetic recording
media: Bommon
D), tapes contain a
reel of magnetic
tape The
information that
makes up the video
and sound is encoded
on the magnetic
coating on the tape
Bommon audio
cassettes also rely on
magnetic tape
,imilarly, in
computers, floppy
disks and hard disks
record data on a thin
magnetic coating
Bredit, debit, and
!T* cards: !ll of
these cards have a
magnetic strip on
one of their sides
This strip contains
the necessary
information to
contact an
individuals financial
institution and
connect with their
account"s#
Bommon televisions
and computer
monitors: The vast
ma6ority of TD8s and
computer screens
rely in part on an
electromagnet to
generate an image--
see the article on
cathode ray tubes for
more information
;lasma screens and
CB@s rely on
different technology
entirely
Coudspeakers and
microphones:
Coudspeakers
actually rely on a
combination of a
permanent magnet
and an
electromagnet !
speaker is
fundamentally a
device to convert
electric energy "the
signal# into
mechanical energy
"the sound# The
electromagnet carries
the signal, which
generates a changing
magnetic field that
pushes and pulls on
the field generated
by the permanent
magnet This
pushing and pulling
moves the cone,
which creates sound
3ot all speakers rely
on this technology,
but the vast ma6ority
do ,tandard
microphones are
based upon the same
concept, but run in
reverse !
microphone has a
cone or membrane
attached to a coil of
wire The coil rests
inside a specially
shaped magnet
When sound vibrates
the membrane, the
coil is vibrated as
well !s the coil
moves through the
magnetic field, a
voltage is generated
in the coil "see
Cen58s Caw# This
voltage in the wire is
now an electric
signal that is
representative of the
original sound
/lectric motors and
generators: ,ome
electric motors
"much like
loudspeakers# rely
upon a combination
of an electromagnet
and a permanent
magnet, and much
like loudspeakers,
they convert electric
energy into
mechanical energy !
generator is the
reverse: it converts
mechanical energy
into electric energy
Transformers:
Transformers are
devices that transfer
electric energy
between two devices
that are electrically
disconnected via
magnetic coupling
Bhucks: Bhucks are
used in the
metalworking field
to hold ob6ects :f
these ob6ects can be
held securely with a
magnet then a
permanent or
electromagnetic
chuck may be used
*agnets are also
used in other types
of fastening devices,
such as the magnetic
base, the magnetic
clamp and the
refrigerator magnet
*agic: 3aturally
magnetic Codestones
as well as iron
magnets are used in
con6unction with fine
iron grains "called
9magnetic sand9# in
the practice of the
!frican-!merican
folk magic known as
hoodoo The stones
are symbolically
linked to people8s
names and ritually
sprinkled with
magnetic sand to
reveal the magnetic
field Jne stone may
be utili5ed to bring
desired things to a
person7 a pair of
stones may be
manipulated to bring
two people closer
together in love
&edit'
Magneti$ation of materials
Ferromagnetic materials can be magnetised in the following ways:
;lacing the item in
an external magnetic
field will result in
the item retaining
some of the
magnetism on
removal Dibration
has been shown to
increase the effect
Ferrous materials
aligned with the
earth8s magnetic field
and which are
sub6ect to vibration
"eg frame of a
conveyor# have been
shown to ac$uire
significant residual
magnetism
;lacing the item in a
solenoid with a
direct current
passing through it
,troking - !n
existing magnet is
moved from one end
of the item to the
other repeatedly in
the same direction
;lacing a steel bar in
a magnetic field,
then heating it to a
high temperature and
then finally
hammering it as it
cools This can be
done by laying the
magnet in a 3orth-
,outh direction in
the /arth8s magnetic
field The magnet is
not very strong7
however, the effect is
permanent
&edit'
%emagneti$ing materials
;ermanent magnets can be demagneti5ed in the following ways:
)eating a magnet
past its Burie point
will destroy the long
range ordering
Bontact through
stroking one magnet
with another in
random fashion will
demagneti5e the
magnet being
stroked, in some
cases7 some
materials have a very
high coercive field
and cannot be
demagneti5ed with
other permanent
magnets
)ammering or
6arring will destroy
the long range
ordering within the
magnet
! magnet being
placed in a solenoid
which has an
alternating current
being passed through
it will have its long
range ordering
disrupted, in much
the same way that
direct current can
cause ordering
:n an electromagnet, ceasing the flow of current will eliminate the magnetic field
)owever, a slight field may remain in the core material as a result of hysteresis
&edit'
&ypes of permanent magnets
! stack of ferrite magnets
2are /arth or
3eodymium
magnets, - some of
the most powerful
permanent magnets
,amarium-Bobalt
magnets
Beramic magnets
;lastic magnets
!lnico magnets
&edit'
Magnetic forces
*agneti5ed items interact with other items in very specific ways
&edit'
Forces between magnets
:f two magnets are brought close enough together, their fields will begin to interact in the
following ways:
:f the magnets8 north
poles are brought
together, the magnets
will repel one
another "like poles
repel#
:f the north pole of
one magnet is
brought to the south
pole of the other
magnet, the magnets
will attract one
another "opposite
poles attract#
&edit'
Magnets and ferromagnetic materials
:f a magnet is brought close enough to a ferromagnetic material "that is not magneti5ed
itself#, the magnet will strongly attract the ferromagnetic material regardless of
orientation .oth the north and south pole of the magnet will attract the other item with
e$ual strength
&edit'
Magnets and diamagnetic materials
.y definition, diamagnetic materials weakly repel a magnetic field This occurs
regardless of the north%south orientation of the field
&edit'
Magnets and paramagnetic materials
.y definition, paramagnetic materials are weakly attracted to a magnetic field This
occurs regardless of the north%south orientation of the field
&edit'
Calculating the magnetic force
Balculating the attractive or repulsive force between two magnets is, in the general case,
an extremely complex operation, as it depends on the shape, magneti5ation, orientation
and separation of the magnets
&edit'
Force between two monopoles
The force between two magnetic monopoles is as follows:
&('
where
F is force ",: unit: newton#
m is pole strength ",: unit: weber#
M is the permeability of the intervening medium ",: unit: tesla meter per ampere#
r is the separation ",: unit: meter#
,ince magnetic monopoles are only a theoretical construction, this e$uation does not
describe a physically realisable arrangement :t is stated here because it is the simplest
possible calculation of magnetic forces :n reality, one of the more complex formulae
given below will be more useful
&edit'
Force between two 'ery close attracting surfaces
&+'
where
1 is the area of each surface, in m
+
, and
2 is the flux density between them, in teslas
&edit'
Force between two bar magnets
The force between two identical cylindrical bar magnets placed end-to-end is given by:
&-'
where
23 is the flux density at each pole, in T,
1 is the area of each pole, in m
+
,
4 is the length of each magnet, in m,
5 is the radius of each magnet, in m, and
6 is the separation between the two magnets, in m
&edit'
See also
electromagnet
electromagnetism
electromagnetic field
neodymium magnet
diamagnetism
magnetic dipole
magnetic monopole
magnetism
molecular magnet
paramagnetism
single-molecule
magnet
magnet therapy
&edit'
(nline references
)yper;hysics /%*,
good complete tree
diagram of
electromagnetic
relationships with
magnets
*agnet /ducation
and ?nderstanding
Bommercial
*agnets useful
companies who have
many helpful magnet
e$uations
*axwell8s /$uations
and some history
@etailed Theory on
@esigning a
,olenoid or a Boil
Kun
*agnet ?niversity
2esources from the
fundamental theory
of magnetism to
advanced
applications of
magnetic materials
K+ BJ3,?CT:3K
! textbook style
resource with
information from the
fundamental theory
of magnetism and
electromagnetism, to
advanced
applications of
magnetic devices
Contact breaker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
.reaker arm with contact points at the left The pivot is on the right and the cam follower
is in the middle of the breaker arm
! contact breaker "or 9points9# is a type of electrical switch, and the term typically
refers to the switching device found in the distributor of the ignition systems of spark-
ignition internal combustion engines
&edit'
Purpose
The purpose of the contact breaker is to interrupt the current flowing in the primary
circuit of the ignition coil When this occurs, the collapsing current induces a high
voltage in the secondary winding of the coil, which has very many more turns This
causes a very large voltage to appear at the coil output for a short period - enough to arc
across the electrodes of a spark plug
&edit'
(peration
The contact breaker is operated by an engine-driven cam, and the position of the contact
breaker is set so that they open "and hence generate a spark# at the exactly correct
moment needed to ignite the fuel at the top of the piston8s compression stroke The
contact breaker is usually mounted on a plate that is able to rotate relative to the camshaft
operating it The plate is rotated by a centrifugal mechanism, thus advancing the timing
"making the spark occur earlier# at higher revolutions This gives the fuel time to burn so
that the resulting gases reach their maximum pressure at the same time as the piston
reaches the top of the cylinder The plate8s position can also be moved a small distance
using a small vacuum-operated servomechanism, providing advanced timing when the
engine is re$uired to speed up on demand This helps to prevent pre-ignition "or pinging#
&edit'
%isad'antages of contact breakers
,ince they open and close several times every turn of the engine, contact breaker points
and cam follower suffer from wear - both mechanical and pitting caused by arcing across
the contacts This latter effect is largely prevented by placing a capacitor parallel across
the contact breaker - this is usually referred to by the more old fashioned term condenser
by mechanics !s well as suppressing arcing, it helps boost the coil output by creating a
resonant CB circuit with the coil windings ! drawback of using a mechanical switch as
part of the ignition timing is that it is not very precise, needs regular ad6ustment of the
dwell "contact# angle, and at higher revolutions, its mass becomes significant, leading to
poor operation at higher engine speeds These effects can largely be overcome using
electronic ignition systems, where the contact breakers are retrofitted by a massless
sensor device
2etrieved from 9http:%%enwikipediaorg%wiki%BontactNbreaker9