M.
Kuczmann / Journal of Advanced Research in Physics 1(1), 011003 (2010)
Dynamic Preisach hysteresis model
Miklós Kuczmann*
Laboratory of Electromagnetic Field, Department of Telecommunication, “Széchenyi István”
University, Egyetem tér 1. H-9026 Győr, Hungary
 parameter of soft magnetic materials, and it must be
Abstract — The paper presents a scalar hysteresis
measurement system which can be used to prepare measured
data for identifying the static Preisach hysteresis model as well
as the dynamic one. The model identification is based on the
Everett function and the measured concentric minor loops. A
fast and memory efficient implementation of the model will be
shown, which is very useful in numerical field analysis
techniques. The dynamic extension of the static model is based
on the loss separation formula, and the measured excess
magnetic field has been approximated by a feed-forward type
neural network. The developed model has been inserted into a
finite element procedure to simulate a specimen with toroidal
shape. The nonlinear problem, based on the magnetic vector
potential, has been solved iteratively by the fixed point method.
The comparisons between measured and simulated results
show the applicability of the developed model.
Keywords — Finite element methods, Magnetic hysteresis,
Magnetic losses, Neural networks.
I. INTRODUCTION
From electrical engineering point of view, the aim of
measuring the hysteresis characteristics of ferromagnetic
materials is to perform appropriate input data for numerical
implementation and identification of hysteresis models. The
realized models can be inserted into the electromagnetic
field simulation procedures based on the Finite Element
Method (FEM). The electrical devices (e.g. motors and
transformers) may have various shapes which can be
modeled efficiently by FEM, but the constitutive relation
between the magnetic field strength H and the
magnetization M or the magnetic flux density B must be
described accurately by hysteresis models. The connection
between FEM procedures and hysteresis models can be
realized by iterative techniques. One of them is the so-called
fixed point scheme [1-3].
The rate-independent hysteresis models, such as the
original scalar Preisach model, can simulate B-H
relationships at very low frequencies [1, 2]. It is known
from experiments that the enclosed area of the hysteresis
loop, which is the energy loss per cycle, is increasing
rapidly by the increase of the frequency of the exciting field
[4-8]. The energy loss is a very important technical
Manuscript received June 30, 2009.
*
Corresponding author (miklos.kuczmann@yahoo.com)
1
analyzed while developing or designing an electrical device.
Rate-independent models in FEM can not predict losses
accurately at higher frequencies. However Maxwell’s
equations contain the term of eddy currents and their
appropriate losses. These losses are smaller than the
measured ones. This is the reason why frequency
dependence must be taken into account in hysteresis models
applied in computer aided design applications.
The absent losses can be taken into consideration
according to the loss separation theory [6]. An extra
magnetic field strength term can be added to the one
simulated by the rate-independent model, and the loop area,
i.e. the loss can be increased as necessary [8]. According to
experiments, this extra magnetic field strength is depending
on the magnetic flux density B and its time variation
dB / dt . This complicated term, H ( B, dB / dt ) , can be
described efficiently by a feed-forward type neural network
[5, 9] with two inputs and one output, resulting a simple
rate-dependent model.
The paper presents a measurement system, containing a
toroidal shape core, which can be used to measure static and
dynamic scalar hysteresis loops, and a scalar Preisach model
to predict these curves as well as the losses. The developed
model has been inserted into a two dimensional FEM
procedure to analyze the measurement system.
II. MEASURING HYSTERESIS LOOPS
The block diagram of the measurement set up can be seen
in Fig. 1 [1]. The magnetic field strength inside the analyzed
toroidal shape core has been generated by the current i (t )
flowing in the primary coil with N p  170 turns. The
arbitrary waveform of current has been built up by applying
some LabVIEW functions. The time variation of the
magnetic field strength results in a time varying magnetic
flux    (t ) inside the specimen, which can be measured
by the secondary coil wound on the core. The secondary
coil has N s  182 turns, output of which is the induced
voltage u (t ) .
The magnetic field strength can be measured by the well
known formulation
2 M. Kuczmann / Journal of Advanced Research in Physics 1(1), 011003 (2010)
Fig. 1. The block diagram of the measurement system.
N p i(t )
H (t )  , (1)
2 r
where r is the mean radius of the toroidal shape core
( 2r  0.176 m ). The magnetic flux density can be
calculated by integrating the measured induced voltage, i.e.
t
 u( ) d  B
1
B (t )  0 .
NsS
0
Here B0 is an integration constant, and S  2  105 m 2 is
the cross section area of the specimen.
A Fourier transform based digital filtering technique, and
a feedback proportional controller has been used to
eliminate measurement noise, and to generate sinusoidal
magnetic flux inside the specimen, respectively [1]. The
waveform generation, the measurements and post
processing of measured signals have been worked out by
using LabVIEW functions. Current generation and
measurements are performed through the National
Instruments Data Acquisition Card, NI PCI-6251, installed
on the PC.
III. PREISACH MODEL OF STATIC HYSTERESIS
In the followings, xt  and y t  denote the input and the
output of the model. If xt   H t  and y t   Bt  , then the
model is called direct model, and it is referred to as inverse
model in the reverse fashion. Here the inverse one is used.
The output of the Preisach model can be calculated by a
double integral defined over the Preisach triangle [1, 2],
y t       ,    ,  , xt  d d .

where   ,   is the distribution function determined from
measurements, and   ,  , xt  is the characteristics of one
elementary hysteron. The variables  and  are called
switching fields of the rectangular hysteron.
The implementation of (3) results in a time consuming
algorithm because of the evaluation of the double integral.
A much faster method can be proposed using the Everett
function E  ,   , since it is the double integral of the
distribution function. According to this definition, the
output of the model can be calculated by a sum as [1, 2, 10]
(2)
Fig. 2. The measured concentric minor loops and the Everett function.
K
y t    E  0 ,  0   2  E  , 
k 1
k k 1   E  k ,  k  , (4)
where  k and  k are the increasing and the decreasing
sequences of the normalized magnetic field strength (or the
magnetic flux density) applied to the sample and stored by
using the staircase line Lt  . Moreover  0 and  0 denote
the first turning point in the first magnetization curve and K
is the number of stairs in the staircase line.
Another practical advantage of the Everett function is the
easy measurement of it [1, 10]. The Everett function is
usually obtained from the measured first order reversal
curves, however the concentric minor loops are applied
here. The Everett function can be calculated as

E  ,    y  y / 2 ,  (5)
where y is the reversal output value of the hysteresis
operator on the first magnetization curve, corresponding to
the input, value equal to  . The point  , y  defines the
peak value of the input as well as the output. The output
y is according to the input x   on the concentric
(3) minor loop, starting from the point  , y  . The Everett
function has been approximated by a tensor product
representation of piecewise cubic Hermite interpolating
splines [11]. The measured concentric minor loops and the
corresponding Everett function can be seen in Fig. 2.
The aim is to develop a fast Preisach model because of its
application in numerical field analysis. If the model is
inserted into an FEM code, than one model is assigned to
one finite element or to one Gaussian integration point of
the finite element. It can result in a huge number of Preisach
models to run simultaneously. The representation of the
 M. Kuczmann / Journal of Advanced Research in Physics 1(1), 011003 (2010)
staircase line is a key issue of memory requirements and
speed. Only the value of  of the turning points are stored,
and an appropriate sequence of them is used in (4).
Let us suppose that the input is increasing to the value of
x1 , then it is decreasing (the illustration is plotted in Fig. 3).
This generates the turning point 1. The input signal is
decreasing till the value x2 , then it is increased and then
decreasing until x3 and x4 , respectively. This input
sequence is resulting in the turning points 2, 3, and 4. This
generates the sequence L   2 ,  4 ,  3 , 1 . If the input is
decreasing further from point 4 and x  x2 , then the points
2 and 3 must be erased from the sequence, but  4 is not a
turning point, of course. However, if the input is increasing
from point 4 and x  x3 , then points 3 and 4 must be wiped
out from the staircase line. If the jump of input results in
x  x1 in one step, then all the four points must be cleared.
Finally, it can be concluded that even number of staircase
points must be cleared while a wiping out process. If the
input is increasing, the number of staircase points is an even
number, and if the input is decreasing then the number of
staircase points is an odd number. The sum in (4) can be
calculated in a fast and efficient way, moreover this
algorithm can be realized in a parallel mode using the
elementary functions of Matlab.
The static Preisach model can simulate the measured
curves accurately, as it is illustrated in Fig. 4.
Fig. 3. The representation of the staircase line.
3
Fig. 4. Comparison between measured and simulated curves of a C19
stainless steel.
IV. FREQUENCY DEPENDENT MODEL OF HYSTERESIS
The investigated frequency dependent scalar Preisach
model is based on the theory that the total loss under
sinusoidal magnetization can be decomposed into three
terms [5-8]: W total  W hysteresis  Wclassical  Wexcess , where
W hysteresis , Wclassical , and Wexcess are the hysteresis loss, the
classical eddy current loss, and the excess loss. The
hysteresis loss is the area of the hysteresis loop at very low
frequency and it is supposed to be independent of the
frequency, the classical eddy current loss is generated by the
eddy currents simulated by Maxwell’s equations, assuming
perfectly homogeneous conducting material. The second
term is proportional to the frequency. According to the
experiments, the total loss is usually larger than the sum of
these two loss terms. This is why an excess loss term must
be added to the sum of the hysteresis loss and the eddy
current loss. The last term is proportional to the square root
of the frequency, and it is depending on microstructural
features of the material. It can be very difficult to simulate
the excess loss term in a general mathematical way. The
total loss can be written as [5-8]
T dB

Wtotal  H dB  H
B 0 dt
dt . (6)
If the magnetic flux density is supposed to be sinusoidal,
then the magnetic field strength can be decomposed into
three terms as H  H hysteresis  H classical  H excess [5-8].
Here H hysteresis is the magnetic field strength calculated by
the static inverse Preisach hysteresis model. The second
term is the classical eddy current field according to the
quasi-static Maxwell’s equations, and the last term is the
absent magnetic field strength, which can be identified from
measurements. In numerical field analysis with static curve,
the first two terms are available, but their sum is usually
smaller than the measured one. The excess magnetic field is
used to eliminate this difference. The excess magnetic field
is depending on the magnetic flux density and the speed of
its variation, i.e. a function H excess  H B, dB / dt  must
be approximated and added to the sum of
H hysteresis  H classical .
4 M. Kuczmann / Journal of Advanced Research in Physics 1(1), 011003 (2010)

Fig. 5. The excess magnetic field term can be simulated by neural

networks.

The excess magnetic field term is a complicated function

as it is illustrated in Fig. 5. Here the excess magnetic field is
calculated from static and dynamic hysteresis curves
according to sinusoidal magnetic flux density with a peak
value of 1.4 T, and at the frequency of 1 Hz, 5 Hz, 10 Hz,
20 Hz, 50 Hz, 100 Hz, and 200 Hz.
The excess magnetic field is a function of the magnetic
flux density and the variation of the magnetic flux density,
which can be approximated efficiently by a feed-forward
type neural network with two inputs (B and dB/dt) and one
output H excess . The training sequence is a database with a
large number of measured data. It has been prepared by Fig. 6. The measured and simulated hysteresis curves at f=50Hz.
comparing measured static loops and measured dynamic
loops. The excess magnetic field term can be obtained from VI. CONCLUSION
these curves. The layers and the number of neurons in the
layers have been set after some trials. The neural network
which can approximate the excess magnetic field term A possible generalization of the static inverse Preisach
appropriately is a network with three layers containing ten model has been realized based on measurements. The absent
neurons in the first, ten in the second, and one in the output magnetic field term according to the excess loss has been
layer. approached by a neural network. It results in a general
solution, because the neural network can simply
V. SIMULATION OF THE TOROIDAL SHAPE CORE approximate measured data. The main advantage of this
generalization is that the direct hysteresis model can also be
The analyzed problem consists of a toroidal shape core, used, because the absent magnetic flux density term can be
which can be simulated as a two dimensional, axial calculated from measured data, and it can be simulated in
symmetry problem [1]. Here, the magnetic vector potential the same way.
with two components, Ar , z   Ar r , z er  Az r , z e z , has In the future, dynamic minor loops will be studied at
been used, from which the radial component of the magnetic different frequencies, and the applicability of this method in
flux density B r , z  can be calculated and the developed vector modeling.
inverse scalar hysteresis model can be applied,
 
H r , z   B B r , z  . The fixed point method has been ACKNOWLEDGMENT

used to solve the resulting system of nonlinear equations.
First, the static hysteresis model has been implemented in
the FEM procedure, but eddy currents have been taken into
account. The simulated hysteresis curves are much thinner
than the measured ones. It is significantly true when
increasing the frequency. The simulation results can be
improved by using the dynamic hysteresis model. Fig. 6
shows a comparison between measured and simulated
concentric minor loops. Taking the excess magnetic field
into account results in much better results.
This paper was supported by the János Bolyai Research
Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
(BO/00064/06), by “Széchenyi István” University (15-
3210-02), by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
(OTKA PD 73242), and by the Hungarian-Romanian
Bilateral partnership (RO-46/2007)
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