Maxwell’s equations and the analysis of electromagnetic devices

Abstract

Maxwell’s equations provide the mathematical foundation for analyzing a broad range of devices including electronic components, solid-state devices, wave guides, integrated circuits, energy conversion devices, and electrooptic devices. On May 27, 1994 Edward P. Furlani from Eastman Kodak Company gave a brief overview of the Maxwell equations with emphasis on common applications and a survey of various solution methods. He then described a specific application to the prediction of the transient behavior of electromechanical devices. These devices are used for controlled movement and positioning, and their behavior is typically governed by a coupled system of nonlinear differential equations with coefficients and forcing terms which depend on the electromagnetic field. Furlani’s approach, carried out in [1], [2], [3], is first to perform field analysis in order to express the field-dependent terms in a “closed” form, and then to proceed by numerically integrating the dynamical system.