Application of the finite element method to the design of permanent magnets

A new method of determining the lengths of magnets in a magnetic circuit by using the finite element method has been developed. This method has the advantage that the lengths of magnets which produce the prescribed flux distribution can be directly calculated. In this paper, the error of this method is discussed at first, and then an example of application determining the shape of a magnet is shown. This method is effective for the design of magnetic circuits consisting of several permanent magnets and the determination of the shapes of magnets.