Electronic – Electromagnet is acting perpetual… why

electromagnetism

Here's what I have – I made it as to be as classical of a electromagnet as possible:

a) Soft iron "U" shaped round bar-stock, ends machined to be flat & parallel. Spool of copper wire slid over one leg of this "U" shape iron.

b) Soft iron flat "keeper" bar to go across the ends of part "a" above

Momentarily connect the wire across a battery: the flat bar jumps to, and becomes firmly attached to the electromagnet.

Remove battery.

Flat bar stays firmly attached…

as long as I don't pull it off…

…for months without losing strength.

Why?

Yet, when I do remove it, there is no remaining "pull" that attracts the flat bar back to the U shape rod… so it's not becoming "permanently magnetized"… which is why soft iron was used.

Also, if a flashlight bulb is connected across the ends of the wire before removing the "keeper" bar, the bulb flashes. (in this case, the "keeper" is quickly smacked with a screwdriver handle in order to get high detachment speed.

This happens no matter how long it's been sitting on my shelf… or even hanging upside-down by the "keeper" bar… with the weight of the electromagnet hanging by the keeper bar.

Best Answer

The soft iron indeed got magnetized. Your closed soft iron loop has a flux running in it as soon you magnetized it and connected with that is a mechanical force to minimize the magnetic resistance in the loop. That's why the bar is stuck to the U.

Removing the bar from the U inserts an air gap, which has a large magnetic resistance and will dissolve all the flux previously running in the core. That's why you cannot get the bar stuck again.