Analysis of flux leakage in novel permanent magnet type eddy current retarder for vehicle applications

As vehicle speed increases, a more powerful brake system is required to ensure vehicle safety and its reliability. Much attention is presently focused upon the permanent magnet type eddy current retarder. In order to reduction of flux leakage for performance improvement of permanent magnet type eddy current retarder during the brake off. Firstly, flux leakage coefficient is obtained for the conventional permanent magnet type eddy current retarder. Then, a novel permanent magnet type eddy current retarder is introduced. Finally, its flux leakage is analyzed by experiments, including the influence of different air gap, the height and the surface area of permanent magnet respectively on magnetic field, which could help optimum design of retarder in future applications.