INDUCTION COILS

DY CHARLES R. UNDERHILL GENERAL 119. Induction colla may be divided into two clalses: tbose witb a primary winding only, and those witb both primary and eecondary windings. The former are used extensively in connection with the ignition of internal-combustion motors. Tbe function of both types is to respond to very sudden fluctuations of the e .m.f . in tbe primary circuit. For t.hia reason, tbey bave open magnetic circuits, wbicb partly accounts for tbeir generally low efficiency. In telepbony, tbe function of tbe induction coi! is to accurately transform tbe complex waves of e .m.f. and current correeponding to tbe sound waves produced by articulate speech. It is, tberefore, in this particular case, simply a transformer with an open magnetic circuit. Induction coils of the secondary type are also used in radio telegraphy, internal-combustion motor ignition, etc.; tbey operate on tbe principle of tbe gradual or pro gressive storage of energy , which is tben suddenly discharged, and tbc cycle repeated . The performance of tbe primary type of induction coi! bas an important bearing OD the bebavior of secondary-type coils of the [um p-spark type and, for this reason, the primary-type coi! is treated first and separately . PRIMARY-TYPE INDUCTION COILS 120. Deftnition. A primary-type coiI is a reactor (Sec. 6) designed to receive electrical energy, tben convert it into magnetic energy, storin~ as mucb of tbe latter as feasible, and finally to reconvert it suddenly mto electrical energy. Tbe ultimate object is to utilize tbe beat of the resulting spark, wben tbe circuit is suddenly broken . Tbe rupture of the circuit usually takes place in tbe cylinder of an internal-combustion engine or motor. , 121. Theory . As commonly made, tbe primary-type induction coil consiste of relatively few layers of coarse magnet wrre wound over a core consisting of a hundie of soft-iron wires. Wben the circuit is closed tbrougb a battery, current flows tbrougb the coil and magnetizes tbe core; tbe countere.m.f. generated by tbe magnetic flux cutting the turns of wire in the coil opposes the e.m .f. of the battery, so that a definite time interval is required to fully charge tbe iron core with magnetic energy. The break is iesigned to have a snap-action wbicb causes the circuit to be opened very rapidly, as BOon as the flux in the core attains its most efficient value; tbereupon the current and the flux decreaae at a very rapid rate, and at the same rate, to zero. This sudden rate of change in tbe flux inducee a high e.m.f. in the eoil, propoetional to N/iJl, in tbe sa me direction as tbe battery e.m.f ., tending to retard the decrease of the current, and tbua prevent tbe eudden collapse of the magnetic field. Hence, at tbe point of rupture, or break, there results a brigbt spark or are, usually varying from iJ in. to Ir in. in length, tbe energy of which is tbe equivalent (barring Iossee) of tbe magnetic energy previouaiy etored in tbe core. Tbe value of tbe current at the instant tbat the metallic circuit is broken is given in Par. 30, Eq . 6, under Magnete." 122. Stond magnetic energy. Tbe magnetic energy, in joules, etored in time I is w= (joules) (50)

ii2

wbere L is the inductance in henrys and i is tbe value of the current in amperes at the end of time I in seconde. This is tbe energy of the Bpark (less losses) . 123. The inductance of the coil is expressed by L = 80N'd10- 1 (henrye) approximately, fot oores having ratios of length to diameter bet ween 10 and 15, where N is the numberof turns in the ooil, and d is tbe diameter of the core in centimeters. * Tbe time, I, required for the current to attain 63 per cent. of ita final value is the time constant (Sec. 2) of the circuit; it is numerically equal to L/R. By assuming tb at the rate of current increase , is nearly uniform between 0 andL/R seconds, which is approximately correct, the value of tbe current strengtb may be estimated for any corresponding time af ter closing tbe circuit . Armagnat, H. "Induction Coils " (Translated from the French by Kenyon); New York, McGraw-H ill Book Co ., 1908. O. A.

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