Overview of Physics for Electromechanical Systems

Abstract

In this chapter, an overview of physics is provided for electromechanical systems concerned with electronic components, low frequency magnetic components, higher radio frequency (RF) components, and motors and actuators. Several relevant physical scales exist when considering electromechanical systems ranging from the material or device level to the component, subsystem, or fully assembled system level. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which refer to devices of size less than 1 mm but greater than 1 $\upmu$m, are multiphysics by nature and fall within the broader category of electromechanical systems. However, several authoritative texts related to the design/optimization of MEMS currently exist, and this topic is not extensively covered here. The majority of the numerical examples presented in this book are focused on design optimization at the component or sub-component level. Thus, in the context of these somewhat larger scales, the coupling of several physical phenomena may be defined, and this chapter is focussed on interactions that engineers must consider when designing such electromechanical systems. More specifics are provided on the multiple physical interactions encountered for electronic system components in Sect. 2.1. From there, the physics involved in the simulation of low frequency magnetic components including inductors and transformers are outlined in Sect. 2.2, where operating frequencies in the kHz–MHz range are generally considered. Radio frequency (RF) components operating in the MHz–GHz frequency range are subsequently described in Sect. 2.3 followed by motors and actuators in Sect. 2.4.