Force and Stiffness Calculations in Magnetic Bearings - Comparison between Finite Element Method and Network Theory

The paper presents two general modelling techniques for radial magnetic bearings whicll allow to consider the noncentered rotor position and the unsymmetric flux pattern. Both a finite element model and an enhanced net~ work model are used to evaluate important bearing parameters for different rotor positions and control currents. The calculation results will be shown for a typical design of commercially available radial magnetic bearing actuators with four polepairs.