Simulation study of the magnetic coupling between radial magnetic gears

The torque of magnetic coupling with different magnetic poles has been investigated by theoretical computations with two dimensional modeling processes of finite element analysis. The torque is sensitive to the number of magnetic poles, the material of the magnetic gears, and the distance between the magnetic gears. For a 2 mm separation distance of two magnetic gears with 20 mm radius, the maximum torque occurs between 6 and 20 poles which is dependent on the thickness of the iron yoke inside the magnets, and on the magnetization configuration within a pole of the magnets. This is explained by analyzing the magnetic coupling strength of each pole. Finally, the computer calculation is tested using an experimental data taken from a sintered NdFeB magnetic gear.