An analysis of electromagnetic characteristics and mechanical load characteristics of actuator for 4 pole MC

MC(Magnetic Contactor) is a widely used switch in power distribution systems for controlling electrical loads by making and breaking electric circuits using electromagnetic force of an actuator. MCs are classified as 3 and 4 pole MC according to the number of main contacts. 4 pole MC consists of 4 main contacts, which controls a three phase four wire system or two single phase systems. The type of the main contact affects not only the electric characteristics but also the mechanical load characteristics of the MC. In order to design the actuator for the 4 pole MC, it is important to analyze the mechanical load characteristics and the electromagnetic characteristics of the actuator precisely. In this paper, the analysis of mechanical load characteristics according to the formation types of main contacts is conducted and the electromagnetic characteristics are analyzed using 2-D FEM(Finite Element Method). Furthermore, the dynamic characteristics analysis of the actuator is conducted and its validity is verified by experiments.