Electric-Field Analyses of Airgaps in Magnetic Cores

Airgaps in the magnetic cores are essential for the design of magnetic components from the perspective of magnetic field. However, this paper reports the existence of the electric field in the airgaps of the magnetic components with non-conductive fixtures, which has not been comprehensively analysed in previous research. The physical mechanism of the electric field generation in the airgaps is briefly analysed and verified by the comparisons between the magnetic components with conductive and non-conductive fixtures based on finite element method simulations and experimental results. In the end, the effects of the electric field in the airgaps on the parasitic capacitance, the potential near field coupling, and the insulation design of the magnetic components are discussed.