Round Layout Halbach Array using Cylinder Shaped Permanent Magnets

The purpose of the study was to examine the sliding performance of the magnetic field above a Halbach array constructed with cylindrical permanent magnets, and explore a variety of advanced layouts. Halbach arrays are effective in forming a strong magnetic field. However, the magnetic field in a conventional model is difficult to control because all the rectangular-shaped permanent magnets are strongly fixed. The proposed Halbach array was constructed with eleven cylinder-shaped permanent magnets magnetized in the radial direction. In the proto-model of a Halbach array using cylindrical permanent magnets and synchronized rotation in the same direction of all magnets, the slide of the magnetic field distribution was confirmed by quasi-static measurement and simulation of magnetic field. The slide performance of the magnetic field is believed to contribute to the high performance of magnetic actuation, and further, a novel layered or round layout Halbach array has led to the development of a new model actuator. In this paper, we present two round layout models having the characteristics of magnetic field control and constitutive flexibility and we show preliminary results by magnetic field analysis.