A Hybrid Boundary Element Method-Reluctance Network Method for Open Boundary 3-D Nonlinear Problems

A scalar potential formulation coupling a hybrid boundary element method and a reluctance network method is presented to solve 3-D nonlinear magnetostatic problems. The computation times and the accuracy of this approach are compared with those of the finite element method in the context of force and torque evaluations. It is shown that this method could efficiently be used for the presizing of actuators. Discussion concerning the advantages of this approach compared to a pure reluctance network method is also presented.