How to Use Ferrite Cores? - Cautions and Warnings
Ferrite cores are small components that form a part of power inductors and transformers, broadband transformers, and more. Irrespective of the size, they play a big role in the functioning of these appliances. Ferrite cores are basically composed of non-conductive ceramic materials that contain various oxides with iron oxide as their primary constituent. Incorrect usage of ferrite cores can affect the mechanism of application, leading to malfunctions and/or reduced performance.
In this article, we are mentioning some precautions and warnings to keep in mind while using ferrite cores.
Mechanical Stress
Mechanical Stress is the amount of internal resistance released by a material upon applying some external force. It affects the magnetic properties of the ferrite material and the performance of the inductive component.
The cores are made with ceramic materials and, like any other material, behave differently when under mechanical load. Also, ferrites are fragile to shock so they can break quite easily and their temperature changes fast. High cooling rates and high static and cyclic loads can lead to failure of the ferrite cores. All these things need to be dealt with care.
Warm-Up
When ferrites operate at higher flux densities and higher frequencies, they become very hot. Two factors can cause them to heat up are:
- Resistive losses in the winding wire of transformers as an effect of primary and secondary currents
- Core losses owing to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis
Depending on their cause of heat, you need to use a high-quality or big-size core with huge wires in its windings.
Impact of Cores on Initial Permeability
The stress state of ferrite cores has a direct impact on not only its mechanical but also magnetic properties like AL value. If there are higher stresses in the cores, the initial permeability will be much lower. So, the embedding medium of the cores should be elastic.
Winding Process
While using Ferrite Cores, the initial winding needs to be soft to prevent the flanges from destruction. If the winding forces are very strong, they may cause a fire in the flanges. Alternatively, it can affect the size of the tube so the ferrite cores can’t be mounted any more. Compatibility of Ferrite Accessories
Ferrite accessories are unique to a type of Ferrite Core and not universal. To try unusual combinations, the user needs to do testing first at their own risk. You need to be very careful with the testing as ferrites are sensitive to shock.
Conclusion
Keeping in mind the above cautions and warnings, you can use ferrite cores for various applications. This will not only help you to avoid risks but significantly improves the performance of your equipment. For more queries, you can feel free to contact us and our customer support team will get back to you shortly.