Electromagnetism 2 min
Magnetic Saturation: Why Iron Gives Up (and Transformers Hum)
An iron core multiplies the field of a coil, until it can't. Past the knee of the curve the iron is saturated, the inductance collapses, and the current runs away. This is why transformers hum and why inductors have current ratings.
The video shows the magnetic domains lining up, the B–H curve bending over, and what happens to a circuit when its core saturates.
In this video
- How an iron core multiplies the field
- Domains aligning and the knee of the curve
- What saturation does to inductance and current
- Air gaps and core sizing