Electro-Magnets Attracting?

[Spen]

Hi

 

1st Post

 

I am trying something with an small electro-magnet.

 

I was hoping it would attract steel but it doesnt, if it comes in contact with the steel it will hold it so hard I could swing from it ,but it doesnt attract? Do attracting electro-magnets exist on a small scale, is there anything I can do to make the one I have attract strongly from around 2 inches away? Is there another magnet available, I just need it to attract, and release when current is cut.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Banks]

Maybe it has something to do with electrons or just charges aren't right.

[Spen]

Thanks for the reply, Its a 12v electromagnet I just connected it to 12v, you get a few mm away and you can feel it attracting but its week? But once it makes contact it is unseperable with all my strenth, but how can I get it to attract from a few inches away, like a large standard magnet?

[Externet]

Attach your metal pieces to be attracted to a string as a pendulum and you will notice they do move at some distance.

 

The force of attraction is much greater in close proximity as the formula has squared distance in the denominator, and when they come into contact the distance is near zero. A longer electromagnet will show a better response to your experiment as the distance upon contact will not be that small.

[rktpro]

Steel contains iron+carbon. Maybe, your electromagnet is weak. Trying using battery of higher volts and increase the number of turn of wire around the electromagnet.

[swansont]

Some species of stainless steel are nominally nonmagnetic.

[ewmon]

To expand on what Externet said, the dimensions of the coil affect the dimensions of the magnet field it produces, and thus, its affect at a distance in a particular direction.

[DrRocket]

Hi

 

1st Post

 

I am trying something with an small electro-magnet.

 

I was hoping it would attract steel but it doesnt, if it comes in contact with the steel it will hold it so hard I could swing from it ,but it doesnt attract? Do attracting electro-magnets exist on a small scale, is there anything I can do to make the one I have attract strongly from around 2 inches away? Is there another magnet available, I just need it to attract, and release when current is cut.

 

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

1.. As swansont said, many stainless steels are non-magnetic. Be sure that what you are trying to attract is ferromagnetic. Test it with a permanent magnet.

 

2. Your electromagnetic will work a bit better if it has a magnetic core than if you merely have a solenoidal coil. Try inserting a carbon steel bolt or rod in the center, or just wind your coil around it.

 

3. You may be having a problem with resistive heating of your coil, reducing current draw from your battery. The strength of the magnetic field is dependent on two things -- the amperage of the current and then number of turns in the coil. You might try wiinding many more turns, which would provide a stronger field for the same current draw or less current draw for the same field or a combination of the two effects. Alternately you might use a larger battery, but beware of overheating and melting your coil.

 

3.. Two inches is a significant distance for a small magnet, particularly if the target is at all massive.

 

4. You can also use AC to power your electromagnet. A small transformer of the sort used to control model trains would be ideal and let you control the current somewhat. If you have many turns on the coil (and you should) inductive impedance will help to limit current draw.