Past exam of the physics B course of the University of Cambridge / 2017 / Paper 1 / Section B / B7

Inductance and interface conditions. For a linear coil, self-inductance is the ratio $L=\Lambda /I$ of its own magnetic flux linkage $\Lambda =N\Phi$ to current. Its induced electromotive force is $-LdI/dt$ for fixed $L$. Across an interface with unit normal $\mathbf{n}$ from medium 1 to 2,These electromagnetic boundary conditions follow from Gauss's law for magnetism and Ampère's law. Here ${\mathbf{K}}_f$ is free surface current. At the iron–air faces there is no free surface current, so normal magnetic flux density and tangential magnetic field intensity are continuous. In each isotropic linear medium, $\mathbf{B}={\mu }_0{\mu }_r\mathbf{H}$.

Complete core. A slender toroid has approximately uniform $H$ along mean path length $\ell$. Ampère's law gives $H\ell =NI$, so $B=\mu {\mu }_{0}NI/\ell$. The flux per turn is $\Phi =BA$, yielding the inductance of a toroidal winding,This uses constant relative magnetic permeability $\mu$ and neglects leakage, fringing and saturation.

Why the gap lowers inductance. The gap replaces an easy magnetic path in iron with air. Maintaining the same flux now requires a much larger magnetic field intensity in part of the path and therefore more ampere-turns. Equivalently, magnetic reluctance increases, so the flux linkage for a fixed current and hence self-inductance decrease. A narrow gap can matter greatly because its permeability is smaller by the factor $\mu$.

Oblique-gap calculation. In the original diagram $t$ is the perpendicular separation of the cut faces. Let $\mathbf{s}$ point along the core, and let $\mathbf{n},\mathbf{q}$ be normal and tangential to the gap faces. With the face at angle $\theta$ to the core direction, $\mathbf{s}=\sin \theta \mathbf{n}+\cos \theta \mathbf{q}$. Write the core flux density as $B\mathbf{s}$. The boundary conditions givesoThe gap area normal to its nearly normal field is $A/\sin \theta$, not $A$. Its leading reluctance is consequently $t\sin \theta /({\mu }_{0}A)$. Adding the core reluctance gives the inductance of a toroid with an oblique narrow air gap,Thus at $\theta =45^{\circ }$,The approximation retains the possibly order-one ratio $\mu t/\ell$ while neglecting $t/\ell$, fringing and the small tangential gap contribution. More precisely, a local uniform-field path along the core, with missing iron length $t/\sin \theta$ subtracted, gives denominator $\ell /\mu +t\sin \theta (1-1/\mu )$. Its correction is beyond the stipulated large-$\mu$, narrow-gap accuracy; simply neglecting $\mu t$ would not be justified.

Field in the slot. The component expression above givesFor the $45^{\circ }$ gap and $\mu \gg 1$,Its units are $\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$. The field is almost perpendicular to the cut faces, rather than following the iron direction straight across the cut. Its small angle away from the face normal satisfies $\tan \alpha =1/\mu$ at $45^{\circ }$; the sense reverses if the current reverses.