Force characteristic of a magnetic actuator for separable electric connector based on conical airgap

This article presents a magnetic actuator for use in a separable electric connector based on conical airgap. The magnetic flux lines in conical airgap are almost vertical to the edge face of the yoke and armature, showing that the actual flux length in conical airgap is smaller than the axial stroke, which reduces magnetic reluctance over large stroke. Parameter improvement is analyzed based on modeling, and optimal results of the magnetic actuator are adopted to improve the rate of force to volume. The experimental results show that there is friction force of 10–12 N existing in the moving armature of the prototype, and the nominal value is in accordance with the simulation one. The results show that the design of conical airgap in the magnetic actuator is available to improve the initial force and reliability of the separating process and has the advantages of compact structure, short transmission, high reliability, large force with 50 N at the initial displacement of 2.5 mm, and fast response with 16.5 ms over the traditional actuator.