Electromagnetic coil

For other uses, see Coil.

Winding redirects here. For other uses, see Winding
(disambiguation).
An electromagnetic coil is an electrical conductor such

be determined by the right hand grip rule. If the ngers of

the right hand are wrapped around the magnetic core of
a coil in the direction of conventional current through the
wire, the thumb will point in the direction the magnetic
eld lines pass through the coil. The end of a magnetic
core from which the eld lines emerge is dened to be the
North pole.
There are many dierent types of coils used in electric
and electronic equipment.

1 Windings and taps

I
The magnetic eld lines (red) of a current-carrying loop of wire
pass through the center of the loop, concentrating the eld there

as a wire in the shape of a coil, spiral or helix.[1][2] Electromagnetic coils are used in electrical engineering, in applications where electric currents interact with magnetic
elds, in devices such as inductors, electromagnets,
transformers, and sensor coils. Either an electric current
is passed through the wire of the coil to generate a magnetic eld, or conversely an external time-varying mag- Diagram of typical transformer congurations
netic eld through the interior of the coil generates an
EMF (voltage) in the conductor.
The wire or conductor which constitutes the coil is called
A current through any conductor creates a circular mag- the winding.[5] The hole in the center of the coil is called
netic eld around the conductor due to Amperes law.[3] the core area or magnetic axis.[6] Each loop of wire is
The advantage of using a coil shape is that it increases called a turn.[2] In windings in which the turns touch,
the strength of magnetic eld produced by a given cur- the wire must be insulated with a coating of nonconducrent. The magnetic elds generated by the separate turns tive insulation such as plastic or enamel to prevent the
of wire all pass through the center of the coil and add current from passing between the wire turns. The wind(superpose) to produce a strong eld there.[3] The more ing is often wrapped around a coil form made of plasturns of wire, the stronger the eld produced. Conversely, tic or other material to hold it in place.[2] The ends of
a changing external magnetic ux induces a voltage in a the wire are brought out and attached to an external circonductor such as a wire, due to Faradays law of induc- cuit. Windings may have additional electrical connection.[3][4] The induced voltage can be increased by wind- tions along their length; these are called taps.[7] A winding the wire into a coil, because the eld lines intersect ing which has a single tap in the center of its length is
the circuit multiple times.[3]
called center-tapped.[8]
The direction of the magnetic eld produced by a coil can Coils can have more than one winding, insulated elec1

3 TYPES OF COILS

trically from each other. When there are two or more

windings around a common magnetic axis, the windings
are said to be inductively coupled or magnetically coupled.[9] A time-varying current through one winding will
create a time-varying magnetic eld which passes through
the other winding, which will induce a time-varying voltage in the other windings. This is called a transformer.[10]

Magnetic core

Many electromagnetic coils have a magnetic core, a piece

of ferromagnetic material like iron in the center to increase the magnetic eld.[11] The current through the coil Field coil electromagnet on the stator of an AC induction motor.
magnetizes the iron, and the eld of the magnetized material adds to the eld produced by the wire. This is called
a ferromagnetic-core or iron-core coil.[12] A ferromag Solenoid - an electromagnet in the form
netic core can increase the magnetic eld of a coil by hunof a straight hollow helix of wire
dreds or thousands of times over what it would be without
Motor and generator windings - iron core
the core. A ferrite core coil is a variety of coil with a core
electromagnets on the rotor or stator of
made of ferrite, a ferrimagnetic ceramic compound.[13]
electric motors and generators which act
Ferrite coils have lower losses at high frequencies.
on each other to either turn the shaft (moA coil without a ferromagnetic core is called an air-core
coil.[14] This includes coils wound on plastic or other
nonmagnetic forms, as well as coils which actually have
empty air space inside their windings.

Types of coils

Coils can be classied by the frequency of the current they

are designed to operate with:

tor) or generate an electric current (generator)

Field winding - an iron-core coil
which generates a steady magnetic
eld to act on the armature winding.
Armature winding - an iron-core
coil which is acted on by the magnetic eld of the eld winding to either create torque (motor) or induce
a voltage to produce power (generator)

Direct current or DC coils or electromagnets operate with a steady direct current

in their windings

Helmholtz coil, Maxwell coil - air-core

coils which serve to cancel an external
magnetic eld

Audio-frequency or AF coils, inductors

or transformers operate with alternating
currents in the audio frequency range,
less than 20 kHz

Degaussing coil - a coil used to demagnetize parts

Radio-frequency or RF coils, inductors

or transformers operate with alternating
currents in the radio frequency range,
above 20 kHz
Coils can be classied by their function:

Voice coil - a coil used in a movingcoil loudspeaker, suspended between the

poles of a magnet. When the audio signal is passed through the coil, it vibrates,
moving the attached speaker cone to create sound waves.

3.2 Inductors
Main article: Inductor

3.1

Electromagnets

Inductors or reactors are coils which generate a magnetic

eld which interacts with the coil itself, to induce a back
EMF which opposes changes in current through the coil.
Electromagnets are coils that generate a magnetic eld Inductors are used as circuit elements in electrical cirfor some external use, often to exert a mechanical force cuits, to temporarily store energy or resist changes in curon something.[15] A few specic types:
rent. A few types:
Main article: Electromagnet

3.3

Transformers

Tank inductor in a tuned circuit in a shortwave radio transmitter

Tank coil - an inductor used in a tuned

circuit
Choke - an inductor used to block high
frequency AC while allowing through low
frequency AC.
Loading coil - an inductor used to add inductance to an antenna, to make it resonant, or to a cable to prevent distortion of
signals.
Variometer - an adjustable inductor consisting of two coils in series, an outer stationary coil and a second one inside it
which can be rotated so their magnetic
axes are in the same direction or opposed.
Flyback transformer - Although called a
transformer, this is actually an inductor
which serves to store energy in switching
power supplies and horizontal deection
circuits for CRT televisions and monitors
Saturable reactor - an iron-core inductor
used to control AC power by varying the
saturation of the core using a DC control
voltage in an auxiliary winding.
Inductive ballast - an inductor used
in gas-discharge lamp circuits, such as
uorescent lamps, to limit the current
through the lamp.

3.3

Transformers

Main article: Transformer

A transformer is a device with two or more magnetically
coupled windings (or sections of a single winding). A
time varying current in one coil (called the primary winding) generates a magnetic eld which induces a voltage

Transformer

in the other coil (called the secondary winding). A few

types:
Distribution transformer - A transformer
in an electric power grid which transforms the high voltage from the electric
power line to the lower voltage used by
utility customers.
Autotransformer - a transformer with
only one winding. Dierent portions of
the winding, accessed with taps, act as
primary and secondary windings of the
transformer.
Toroidal transformer - the core is in the
shape of a toroid. This is a commonly
used shape as it decreases the leakage
ux, resulting in less electromagnetic interferece.
Induction coil or trembler coil - an early
transformer which uses a vibrating interrupter mechanism to break the primary
current so it can operate o of DC current.
Ignition coil - an induction coil used
in internal combustion engines to
create a pulse of high voltage to re
the spark plug which initiates the
fuel burning.
Balun - a transformer which matches a
balanced transmission line to an unbalanced one.
Bilar coil - a coil wound with two parallel, closely spaced strands. If AC currents
are passed through it in the same direction, the magnetic uxes will add, but if
equal currents in opposite directions pass
through the windings the opposite uxes
will cancel, resulting in zero ux in the

4
core. So no voltage will be induced in
a third winding on the core. These are
used in instruments and in devices like
Ground Fault Interrupters. They are also
used in low inductance wirewound resistors for use at RF frequencies.
Audio transformer - A transformer used
with audio signals. They are used for
impedance matching.
Hybrid coil - a specialized audio
transformer with 3 windings used
in telephony circuits to convert between two-wire and four-wire circuits

3.4

Transducer coils

REFERENCES

Recording head - a coil which is used

to create a magnetic eld to write data
to a magnetic storage medium, such as
magnetic tape, or a hard disk. Conversely
it is also used to read the data in the
form of changing magnetic elds in the
medium.
Induction heating coil - an AC coil used
to heat an object by inducing eddy currents in it, a process called induction heating.
Loop antenna - a coil which serves as a
radio antenna, to convert radio waves to
electric currents.
Rogowski coil - a toroidal coil used as an
AC measuring device
Musical instrument pickup - a coil used
to produce the output audio signal in an
electric guitar or electric bass.
Flux gate - a sensor coil used in a
magnetometer
Magnetic phonograph cartridge - a sensor
in a record player that uses a coil to translate vibration of a needle to an audio signal in playing vinyl phonograph records.
There are also types of coil which don't t into these categories.

4 References
[1] Stauer, H. Brooke (2005). NFPAs Pocket Dictionary of
Electrical Terms. Jones and Bartlett Learning. p. 36.
ISBN 0877655995.
[2] Laplante, Phillip A. (1999). Comprehensive Dictionary of
Electrical Engineering. Springer. pp. 114115. ISBN
3540648356.
[3] Arun, P. (2006). Electronics. Alpha Sciences International Ltd. pp. 7377. ISBN 1842652176.
[4] Newnes 2002, p. 129
[5] Stauer 2005, p. 273
The sensor coil of a metal detector.

These are coils used to translate time-varying magnetic

elds to electric signals, and vice versa. A few types:

[6] Amos, S W; Roger Amos (2002). Newnes Dictionary of

Electronics. Newnes. p. 191. ISBN 0080524052.
[7] Laplante 1999, p. 633
[8] Stauer 2005, p. 29

Sensor or pickup coils - these are used

to detect external time-varying magnetic
elds

[10] Newnes 2002, p. 326

Inductive sensor - a coil which senses

when a magnet or iron object passes near
it

[11] Laplante, Phillip A. (1998). Comprehensive Dictionary

of Electrical Engineering. Springer. p. 143. ISBN
3540648356.

[9] Newnes 2002, p. 167

[12] Laplante 1999, p. 346

[13] Laplante 1999, p. 243
[14] Laplante 1999, p. 19
[15] Newnes 2002, p. 113

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 rsum 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".
Winding Association.

International Coil

Chandler, R. H., "Coil coating review, 197076".

Braintree, R. H. Chandler Ltd, 1977.

External links
R. Clarke, "Producing wound components". Surrey.ac.uk, 2005 October 9

7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

Electromagnetic coil Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic%20coil?oldid=643051360 Contributors: Bryan Derksen,

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7.2

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