Working of Electromagnetic Eddy Current Brake!

The certainty of having to stop at some point when going anywhere fast is one of its downsides. The basic principle of friction that you slow to a stop when two surfaces rub together is the only thing standing between a safe stop and disaster in an emergency when you need to brake quickly. The value of friction brakes has now been amply demonstrated by their widespread use in automobiles, aircraft, and most factory equipment. Yet they also have a significant disadvantage: because they depreciate slightly with each usage, they are relatively pricey. What is the substitute? One possibility is to use an electromagnetic eddy current brake instead of friction to slow down motion.  

  

How does Friction Brake Work?

Moving objects have kinetic energy, which must be released in some way if you want to stop them. You can simply put your feet down, so they drag on the ground if you're riding a bicycle slowly. Your feet's bottoms serve as brakes. You slow down due to friction between the rough surface and the grip on your soles, which changes your kinetic energy into heat energy.

   

Even if you use incredibly strong and durable materials to create brakes, they will eventually wear out. Vehicle brakes operate similarly, using "shoes" to force rubber pads against discs attached to the wheels. Friction brakes do, however, have additional issues. 

They have to work harder and deteriorate more quickly the faster they move because of the kinetic energy they generate. Use your brakes too often, and you may suffer a brake fade issue when heat builds up too much in the brakes or the hydraulic system that operates them, and the brakes can no longer function effectively.   

  

How Are Eddy Current Made?

 

What happens if the conductor you use to move through the magnetic field isn't a wire that allows the electricity to discharge efficiently? 

Electric currents are still present, but they now swirl around inside the material rather than going to another location. We refer to these as eddy currents. These are electric currents produced by a magnetic field inside a conductor, but because they can't escape, they swirl around and lose their energy as heat. Eddy currents are interesting because they are not entirely random. They move in a specific direction to halt whatever creates them. This is an illustration of Lenz's law, another aspect of electromagnetic.  

  

Working of Electromagnetic Eddy Current Brake 

Suppose we have a railroad train that is a massive solid block of copper mounted on wheels. Let's say it's running along at high speed, and we want to stop it. But how? We could apply friction brakes to the wheels or stop it with electromagnetic eddy current brake. 

 

What if we apply a huge magnet next to the track, so the vehicle had to pass nearby? As the copper approached the magnet, eddy currents would be generated inside it, producing their own magnetic field. Eddy currents in distinct areas of the copper perform differently. As the train’s front part approached the magnet, electromagnetic eddy currents in that bit of the copper can produce a repulsive magnetic field. As the front part passed by, slowing down, the currents start producing an attractive magnetic field that tried to bring in the train back again. The copper would heat up as the eddy currents circulated inside it, acquiring the kinetic energy lost by the vehicle as it slowed down. It might sound like an unusual way to halt a train, but it does work.