Material Selection and Performance Evaluation of Modern Solenoids Using ANSYS

Abstract

The efficiency and performance of solenoid actuators are highly dependent on material selection, which influences key electromagnetic properties such as force generation, Solenoids play a critical role in various engineering applications, including automotive systems, electromagnetic actuators, industrial automation, and magnetic flux density, and energy efficiency. This study evaluates the impact of different core materials on solenoid performance using finite element analysis (FEA). A solenoid actuator model is developed in ANSYS Maxwell, where six soft magnetic materials—Cast Iron, Hyperco50, Iron, Steel 1008, Steel 1010, and NO20—are analyzed under identical operating conditions. The study investigates magnetic field distribution, force output using the finite element method (FEM) to simulate transient electromagnetic behavior.