Magnetic Materials

Magnetism
• The phenomenon of attracting magnetic
substances like iron, nickel, cobalt etc.,
• The word magnetism was coined from the name
of an iron ore Magnetite (Fe3o4).
 Contents
• Basic Definitions
• Origin of Magnetism
• Hysteresis Curve
• Hard and Soft magnetic materials
• Ferrites and their applications
 Magnets
• Materials which gets magnetised when placed in
an external magnetic field/ Materials which
strongly attract the small pieces of iron are
known as Magnets or Magnetic materials.
 Non-Magnets
• Materials which doesn’t gets magnetised even
when placed in an external magnetic field/
Materials which doesn’t attract the small pieces
of iron are known as Non-Magnets or Non-
Magnetic materials.
• Units of Pole Strength (m): amp-m
• Units of Magnetic Dipole moment (M): M=mx2l
(amp-m2)
• Magnetic Flux(φ): The number of
magnetic lines of force passing
normally through a surface.
• Units: Weber or Tesla-m2
• Magnetic Flux Density /Magnetic
field Induction (B): The number of
magnetic lines of force passing
normally through a surface of unit
area. B= φ/A
• Units: Weber/m2 or Tesla
• Magnetic Field Intensity/Applied
Magnetic Field (H):
The force experienced by a unit
north pole placed at a point in a
magnetic field.
Units: amp/m
H= F/m
• Intensity of Magnetisation (I):
The magnetic moment per unit
volume of the material.
I= M/V
Units: amp/m
It is also defined as the ratio of pole
strength per unit area.
I = m/A
• Magnetic Susceptability (χ):
The Intensity of magnetisation produced in a material
is directly proportional to the applied field intensity.
Iα H
I= χH or χ = I/H
Units: No units
It is also defined as ratio of I and H. (or)
Easeness of the material by which it gets
magnetied is also called as the susceptability.
Magnetic Permeability (μ):
The property by which it allows the
magnetic lines to pass through it.
Bα H
B= μ H or μ = B/H
Units: Henry/m.
It is also defined as ratio of B and H. (or)
μ0 is the permeability of the free space and it is
equal to 4πX10-7 H/m
Relative Permeability (μr):
It is the ratio of permeability of a
medium to the permeability of the
free space.
μr = μ/μ0
Units: No units
 Relation between Relative Permeability (μr) and Susceptability
(χ)
B= μ0 (H+I)
B= μH
B= μ0 μr H
μ0 μr H = μ0 (H+I)
μr = H/H +I/H
μr = 1 +I/H
μr = 1 + χ
 Origin of Magnetism
Magnetism can be origined in a material in
the two ways

1.By supplying an electrical energy

2.With out supplying an electrical energy
B-H Curve
Hall Effect
Orbital and Spin motion of the electron
 Origin of Magnetism
Magnetic moment contributed by a
single electron is known as Bohr
Magneton.

Bohr Magneton μB= eh/4πm

=9.27x10 amp-m
-24 2
 Types of Magnetic Materials
1.Diamagnetic
2.Paramagnetic
3.Ferromagnetic
4.Antiferromagnetic
5.Ferrimagnetic
Hysteresis (B-H) Curve
Lagging of magnetic field
Induction (B) behind the
magnetic field intensity (H) is
called Hysteresis.
At point b-H=0 and B=ob
At point c-B=0 and H=oc
At point e-H=0 and B=oe
At point f-B=0 and H=of
 1. Consider a ferromagnetic
material which is
demagnetised completely.

2.Place that ferromagnetic

material in the presence of
external magnetic field whose
intensity is H.
3. Slowly increase the strength of magnetic
field H, ferromagentic material gets
magnetised.
4. As it gets magnetisation it’s B value changes
in accordance with H.
5. How B changes with H, that is shown in the
B-H curve.
 Retentivity
In the absence of external magnetic field (H=0)
the ferromagnetic material retains some
property of magnetisation.
Retaining property of magnetisation by
a ferromagnetic material is called as retentivity.
 Coercivity
Magnetic field applied in the opposite direction
to erase the retained magnetisation of
ferromagnetic material is called coercive field
and the property is called coercivity.
 Hard magnetic materials are having the
large area of the loop.

Soft magnetic materials are having the

small area of the loop.
 Hard magnetic materials are
having the large area of the
loop.
Soft magnetic materials are
having the small area of the
loop.
 Applications of Hysteresis loop
• It is used to determine the magnetic parameters
like retentivity, coercivity and relative
permeability.
• To distinguish between the hard and soft
magnetic materials.
• To confirm the domains present in the material.
 Domain: The small region in which all
atomic magnetic moments are aligned in
the same direction.
Examples for hard magnets:
AlNiCo, CuNiCo, CuNiFe, MnBi etc.,

Examples for soft magnets:

Permalloy, Supermalloy, Permandur (Iron-
nickel and Iron-Silicon alloys) etc.,

AlNiCo is the best permanent magnet

Applications of Hard magnets:
1.Microphones
2.Magnetic separators
3.In measuring Instruments
4.In voltage regulators
5.Permanent magnets
Applications of soft magnets:
1.Transformer cores
2.Electromagnets
3.Switching circuits
 FERRITES
• The materials which exhibits both magnetic and electrical
properties are called ferrites.
• Ferrites are ceramic compounds composed of iron oxide
(Fe2O3) combined chemically with one or more metallic
elements.
• They are non conductors.
• They can be magnetised to a greater extent.
• These are ferrimagnetic materials.
 Properties
• Hard and brittle in nature.
• Properties depends upon composition.
• They can be doped with different elements to change their
properties.
• They possess high µ and high ρ.
• Resistance decreases with increasing of temp.
• They will not allow current.
• They show Hysteresis curves.
• They show magnetostriction effect.
• Non corrosive.
• µ increases with the temperature and attains a maximum value at a
certain temperature and after that it decreases.
• χ increases with the temperature and attains a maximum value at a
certain temperature and after that it decreases.
• µ varies with frequency but complex in nature.
 Classification of Ferrites

Based on coercivity, Ferrites are divided into

two types
1)Hard Ferrites
2)Soft Ferrites
 1)HARD FERRITES:
• Coercivity is high
• They are difficult to magnetize and demagnetise
• Permeability (µ) is high
APPLICATIONS:
Refrigerator magnets, permanent magnets,
loud speakers, wind screen wiper motors
2) SOFT FERRITES:
• Coercivity is low
• Easy to magnetise and demagnetise
• Permeability (µ) is high
APPLICATIONS:
Cores of transformers, inductors and
microwave devices.
Based on chemical composition soft ferrites are
divided into two categories
1. Mn-Zn ferrites : µ is high and ρ is low and are
used at low frequencies (<5Mhz)
2. Ni-Zn ferrites: µ is low and ρ is high used at
high frequencies (>5Mhz) to avoid eddy
currents.
Hard Ferrites are divided into 3 categories
1. Strontium Ferrites SrO(6Fe2O3)
2. Barium Ferrites BaO(6Fe2O3)
3. Cobalt Ferrites CoO(Fe2O3)
 Applications
• Ferrites are used in Antennas.
• Microphones.
• Loudspeakers.
• Wind screen wiper motors.
• SMPS(switch mode power supplies).
• Frequency Modulation Control(FMC).
• Refrigerator magnets.
• Recording heads.
• Computer Chips(memory chips).
• Bead in computer cable to avoid noise
• Electric motors
• Permanent magnets
• Transducers (Electronic gadgets to convert energy from
one form to another)
• Actuators (Machine to control movement)
• Ferrite rods in radio receivers
• Converging coils in TV receivers
• Floppy devices
• Microwave devices
• Humidity and gas sensors
• MRI scanning (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
 Formulas
1.M=mx2l
2.B= φ/A
3.H= F/m
4.I= M/V
5.I = m/A
6.χ = I/H
7.μ = B/H
8.μr = μ/μ0
9.B= μ0 (H+I)
10.μr = 1 + χ
 Problems
1.Find the relative permeability of a ferromagnetic
material if a field of strength 220 amp/m produces
a magnetisation of 3300 amp/m.

Sol. H=220A/m
I=3300A/m
μr = 1 + χ
μr = 1+I/H =1+3300 /220=16
 2.The magnetic field in the interior of a solenoid has
the value of 4753 amp/m when it is empty. When
the solenoid is filled with the iron it gets
magnetised and the flux density of iron is 0.1756
Tesla. Find the relative permeability and
susceptability of iron.
Sol. H=4753 amp/m
B=0.1756 T
μ = B/H=0.1756/4753 =3.6945x10-5 H/m
μr = μ/μ0 = 3.6945x10-5 /4x3.14x10-7 =29.41
μr = 1 + χ
χ = μr - 1=29.41-1=28.41
3. A magnetic material has a magnetisation of 3300amp/m
and flux density of 0.0044 wb/m2. Calculate magnetising
force and the relative permeability of the material.

Sol. I=3300A/m
B=0.0044wb/m2
B= μ0 (H+I)
H=B/ μ0 – I
H=(0.0044/4X3.14X10-7 )-3300=203A/m
μr = 1 + χ= 1+I/H = 1+3300/203= 17.5
 4. A Circular loop of copper having a diameter of 10cm
carries a current of 500 mA. Calculate the magnetic
moment associated with the loop.

Sol. d=10 cm=0.1m

R=5 cm=0.05 m
I=500 mA=0.5A
Magnetic moment= μi = Axi = πr2 x i
= 3.14x0.05x0.05x 0.5
=3.93X10-3A-m2
5. The magnetic susceptability of silicon is -0.4x10-5.
Calculate the flux density and magnetic moment
per unit volume when magnetic field of intensity
5x105A/m is applied.

Sol.
χ = - 0.4x10-5T
H=5X105A/m
B= μ0 (H+I)= μ0 H(1+I/H)= μ0 H(1+ χ)=

=4X3.14X10-7X5X105(1-0.4X10-5)=0.62Wb/m2
I= χH= - 0.4X10-5X5X105= -2.0A/m