Halbach arrays are a type of specialized and interesting arrangement of permanent magnet which invented by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1979. The array was originally designed by Klaus Halbach to help particle accelerators to focus beams. Magnetization direction of two adjacent magnets in halbach arrays differs on a certain angle, thus caused asymmetrical distribution of the magnetic field. Halbach array mainly can be mainly divided to straight type and circular type base on geometry. Circular type can be further classified to O.D. iteration and I.D. iteration based on the arrangement of the permanent magnet. Different directions and strength will be yielded by different magnet configuration.
Characteristics of Halbach Arrays
- Halbach arrays can generate large and uniform magnetic field in a certain area, and magnetic field can even exceed the remanence of the magnetic material itself.
- Enhance magnetic field on one side and keeping the field of other side to very low level at the same time.
- Halbach arrays have excellent performance when exist a gap.
- Magnetic field exhibit sine distribution and can also drastically reduces harmonic waves.
- Significantly increase power.
- Excellent magnetic shielding effect.
Classification of Halbach Arrays
Halbach arrays can be mainly divided to straight type and circular type base on geometry. Circular type can be further classified to O.D. iteration and I.D. iteration based on the arrangement of the permanent magnet. Different directions and strength will be yielded by different magnet configuration.
Applications of Halbach Arrays
- Simple fixture and holding application.
- Rotors for DC motor, linear motor, servo motor, magnetic coupling, and power generator.
- Magnetic levitations.
- High energy physics area, such as the particle accelerator, free-electron laser device, synchrotron radiation facility, and magnetic lens.
- Medical.
