Soft Magnetic Materials Are Key to Electric Aircraft

December 2, 2020

Soft magnetic materials manufactured at NASA Glenn Research Center will help develop the smaller, lighter components required for electric flight. (Credit: NASA)

NASA’s work in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion (EAP) is focused on the use of electric motors and generators to help power a plane’s flight. Key to any electric power system are magnets. How soft a magnet is refers to how easily it can be magnetized. For aircraft, new magnetic alloys can help reduce weight and improve efﬁciency.

NASA created flexible ribbons of specially designed material that can produce a one-mile-long, 5-millimeter-wide ribbon of soft magnetic alloy. These custom magnetic materials have properties that can be used in speciﬁc components including power converters, motors, and sensors.

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