Insulated vs uninsulated wire in electromagnet

[mortega]

Hello!

My first post at Physics Forums!

Nice to meet you!

In an electromagnet, where the coil windings are not touching themselves (the coil is not touching itself), is there any difference on the magnet strength created depending on whether the wire is insulated or not (bare wire)? If the coil windings were touching I would understand that the current would just short cut kind of in a straight line over the coil but in this case they are not. It will be only a few windings and they are not touching (a relatively weak magnet). But would it make a difference in this case if the wire was bare or insulated?

Added comment: it is insulation between the core (iron) and the coil itself.

Thanks.

 

[mikeph]

I can't see why unless the insulator has some weird magnetic properties. If you were talking about insulated windings within the coil and a high voltage you can get parasitic capacitance where some impedance is produced from the dielectric response of the insulator in between windings at different potentials. Between the coil and the magnets ? Doubt it.

 

[mortega]

I can't see why unless the insulator has some weird magnetic properties. If you were talking about insulated windings within the coil and a high voltage you can get parasitic capacitance where some impedance is produced from the dielectric response of the insulator in between windings at different potentials. Between the coil and the magnets ? Doubt it.

It's low voltage, like 1.5 V. Not much more than 200 V at least.
Thanks for answer! I too would believe it has no noticeable difference, although I am not too sure.

In case others know of any difference it would be interesting to hear.

 

[mrspeedybob]

The insulation would act as thermal insulation as well as electrical insulation. If you use bare wire it will reject more heat and allow you to use higher current, which would allow you to make a stronger field. Not sure how relevant that would be to your application.

 

[sardar]

Hello and welcome to Physics Forums!

Great question about the use of insulated vs uninsulated wire in an electromagnet. In general, the insulation of the wire does not have a significant impact on the strength of the magnet. This is because the magnetic field is primarily generated by the flow of current through the wire, not the material of the wire itself.

However, there are a few factors to consider when choosing between insulated and uninsulated wire. Insulated wire may provide better protection against potential short circuits or damage to the wire, which could affect the functionality of the electromagnet. Additionally, if the insulation is thick enough, it could slightly decrease the overall diameter of the wire, allowing for more windings and potentially increasing the strength of the magnet.

In the case of the coil windings not touching each other, the impact of insulation becomes even less significant. As you mentioned, the current would not short circuit in this scenario, so the insulation would not play a role in directing the flow of electricity.

Overall, the choice between insulated and uninsulated wire may depend on the specific application and any potential safety concerns. In most cases, the insulation will not have a significant impact on the strength of the electromagnet. I hope this helps answer your question!