Exploring cogging free magnetic gears

TL;DR

This paper investigates the behavior of cogging free magnetic gears using experimental and theoretical methods, demonstrating their potential for small machines and educational demonstrations based on dipole-dipole interactions.

Contribution

It provides an experimental analysis and theoretical modeling of spherical magnetic couplings exhibiting cogging free motion, highlighting their practical and educational applications.

Findings

Successful experimental demonstration of cogging free coupling

Analytical solutions based on dipole-dipole interactions

Potential applications in small machines and teaching tools

Abstract

The coupling of two rotating spherical magnets is investigated experimentally, with particular emphasis on those motions where the driven magnet follows the driving one with a uniform angular speed, which is a feature of the so called cogging free couplings. The experiment makes use of standard equipment and digital image processing. The theory for these couplings is based on fundamental dipole-dipole interactions with analytically accessible solutions. Technical applications of this kind of coupling are foreseeable particularly for small machines, an advantage which also comes handy for classroom demonstrations of this feature of the fundamental concept of dipole-dipole coupling.