Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010

To study the phenomena of Hysteresis in

Ferromagnetic Substances
Harsh Purwar (07MS-76)
Amit Nag (07MS-19)
VI th Semester, Integrated M.S.
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata

Experiment No.: 3
Condensed Matter Physics Lab (PH – 324)

Objectives of the experiment:

• To study the phenomena of Hysteresis in ferromagnetic substances (in our case Nickel) using
Hysteresis Loop Tracer (HLT-111).
• To study
−  loop characteristics using an oscilloscope and determine the values of coercivity,
saturation magnetization & retentivity for the given Ni sample (free ends).

Theory:
When a cylindrical sample is placed coaxially in a periodically varying magnetic field produced by the
solenoid, the magnetization in the sample also undergoes a periodic variation. This variation is picked up
by a pick-up coil which is placed coaxially with the sample.
For the uniform field  produced by the solenoid, the effective field  acting on the cylindrical sample
will be,
 =  − 
where  is the magnetisation, or


 =  − … … … … 1

where  is the normalised demagnetisation factor including 4 and
is the magnetic polarization
defined by,
 =
 +

with  =  or
 +  as magnetic induction. The signal corresponding to the applied field,
 , can be written as,
 =   … … … … 2
where  is a constant.
Further the flux linked with the pick-up coil of area  due to the sample of area  will be
 =
 −    +  
Here   is the magnetic field, in the free from sample area of the pickup coil, will be different from  and
the difference will be determined by the magnitude of the demagnetizing field. However, when the ratio of
the length of the sample rod to the diameter of the pickup coil is more than 10, the difference between 
and   is too small, so we have
 =
 −   +  
=
  +   −

⇒  =
  + 
… … … … 3
The signal  induced in the pick-up coil will be proportional to ⁄ . After integration the signal " 
will, therefore be
" = "  = "
  + " 
… … … … 4

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
Solving equations 1, 2 and 4 for
and  gives

 "  # − (
=  " −
"   … … … … 5.1

  "
 "  # − (  = "   − … … … … 5.2


In case the
he sample contains a number of magnetically different constituents, the loop obtained is the
algebraic sum of individual loops of different phases. The separation of these is not easy in a
−  loop,
time  
⁄  , the identification can be made very clear.
while in a second derivative of
with respect to time,
Now the aim is to produce electrical signals corresponding to
and  as defined above by Equations 5.1
and 5.2 so that they can be displayed on the CRO (cathode ray oscilloscope). Moreover, it should
s be able
to display ⁄ and   ⁄  as a function of  or usual time base of the CRO.

Figure 1:: Showing Hysteresis loop tracer (center), solenoid (right) and the pick-up
pick coil (left)

The magnetic field is obtained with a multilayered solenoid driven by the AC mains at 50 Hz and is supplied
by a variable transformer arrangement. The instantaneous current producing the field is passed through a
resistor & in series with the solenoid.
solenoid
The signal  corresponding to the rate of change of flux is obtained from a pickup coil wound on a non- non
conducting tube. Necessary arrangements have been made to place the sample coaxially with the pick-up pick
winding and in uniform magnetic field.
The signals  and " are added and its output which is proportional to
is applied to )-input of the CRO.
Fractions of these signals corresponding to the demagnetization
demagnetization factor and area ratio are added, amplified
and the output is fed to the '-input whi gives .
input of CRO which
The selector switch can change the )-input of CRO to
, 
⁄ , or  
⁄  . The 
⁄ signal is directly
taken from the pick-up coil while  
⁄  is obtained through a differentiator.
Now the magnetic field at the centre of the solenoid for current * flowing through it will be,
 = +* or  = & *
&
⇒  = 
+
Further, when the sample is placed in a pickup coil of . turns

 = . # (

Substituting  from Equation 3 above we get,
 

 = .
 # ( + . # (
 
Now as mentioned earlier integrating  gives " . So,

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
" = / 0  
= / .
  − / .

where / is the gain of the integrator and phase shifter combination. Again as mentioned above
out of phase signals  and −" are added and after suitable amplification /1 , becomes,
1 = −/1  − " 


= −/1   − / .
  +  − / .

If we adjust  = / .
 , then

1 = /1 / . # − (
… … … … 6

Fraction 3 and 4 of  and −" respectively, are added together and amplified (let us say by the factor /5 )
for the '-input. So we get,
5 = /5  − " 

= −/5 / .
  + /5 / . # −  (


After substituting  = / .
 ,
is eliminated from the right hand side and by adjusting 3 and 4 such
that

3= , 4=

we get,

5 = /5 / .
 # − (  … … … … 7

Equations 6 and 7 can be written as,
5
 = /
… … … … 8.1

8 − 9


/5 1

= … … … … 8.2

/1 8 − 9

where,
1
/
=
/5 / .

Equations 8.1 and 8.2 define the physical quantities  and
in terms of electrical signals 5 and 1
respectively.

Methodology:
The full experiment can be divided into two parts involving calibration and recording data in the form of
images from a cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO).

CALIBRATION
An empty pickup coil was placed in the field of the solenoid due to which the signal  will only be due to
the flux linked with the coil area  . In this case
= 0, 3 =  ⁄ = 1 and  = 0 so that  =  and
Equations 6 and 7 yield,

1 = 0, 5 =
/

That is to say that on CRO only a horizontal straight line representing the magnetic field  will be
observed. This is achieved by adjusting the  and DC balance knobs and also the phase. From known
values of  and the corresponding magnitude of 5 , /
can be determined as is determined in
Observations/Calculations section below.
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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
The dimensions of a given sample define the values of demagnetization factor and the area ratio pertaining
to the pick-up coil. The demagnetization factor was obtained from the supplied Appendix/Users manual.
These values were adjusted with the value of 10 turn helipots provided for this purpose. The value of the
area ratio can be adjusted up to three decimal places whereas that of  upto four. The sample is now
placed in the pickup coil. The plots of
, 
⁄ and  
⁄  against H are obtained using the selector
switch and were saved in the form of images as displayed on the CRO screen with the help of a flash drive.
Since eddy currents are present in conducting ferromagnetic materials, the resulting
−  loop has a small
loop in the saturation portion due to the difference in phases for the forward paths.
The values of loop width, intercept on the
– axis and saturation position are determined in terms of volts
for different applied fields. Plots of these against magnetic field were then used to extract the value of
coercivity, retentivity and saturation magnetic polarization. The first corresponds to the intercept of the
width against currents straight line on the Y-axis and it is essentially the measure of the width under no
shielding effects. On the other hand, the remaining two parameters are derived from asymptotic
extensions of the corresponding plots because these refer to the situation when shielding effects are
insignificant. The geometrically obtained values of potentials are, in turn, used to find the corresponding
magnetic parameters through equations 8.1 and 8.2.

Observations/Calculations:
From the supplied Users manual we know that the diameter of pick-up coil used is 3.21 mm. Also the
overall gain of the signals 5 and 1 denoted by /5 and /1 respectively is,
/5 = 100, /1 = 1
Sample Used: Thin cylindrical rod made of Commercial Nickel
Length of the sample: 39 mm
Diameter of sample: 1.17 mm
Therefore, Area ratio 3
1.17 
 8 9 × 39 1.17 
3=# (= 2 =# ( = 0.133
 3.21  3.21
 8 2 9 × 39
Also demagnetization factor  as found from the Appendix given in the supplied manual is,
4 =  = 0.0029
CALIBRATION:
Settings:
• No sample in the pick-up coil.
• H balance, DC balance and Phase adjusted for horizontal line in the centre.
• Demagnetization  at zero.
• Area Ratio  ⁄  at 0.399.
• Root mean square value of applied magnetic field   is 209 Gauss.

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
Observations:

Figure 2: Horizontal Line for area ratio >? ⁄>@  = 0.399 and Demagnetization A = 0.

Observed value of 5 :
5 = 7 volts

Since, the area ratio for the given sample is so small the signal 5 was enhanced by multiplying 3 and 4 by
three. The finally obtained value of the intercept (below) is divided by this same factor, 3, to give the
correct value of coercivity.
Similarly for calculating /
we set Area ratio  ⁄  to 1.000 and other settings remain as calibrated, the
signal 5 obtained is,
5 = 18 volts
Now as mentioned above /
can be calculated using the relation,

5 =
/

 209
⇒ /
rms = = = 11.61 /GHII⁄JKL
5 18
Therefore,
/
peak to peak = 4.105 /GHII⁄JKL

Figure 3: Horizontal Line for area ratio >? ⁄>@  = 1.000 and Demagnetization (N) = 0.

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
Table 1: For calculation of Coercivity for the given Ni sample from the loop width of Hysteresis J-H loop.
Obs. No. Magnetic Field (Gauss) Loop Width (Volt)
1 27 3.41
2 58 4.84
3 98 5.81
4 135 6.81
5 177 7.73
6 224 8.92
7 260 9.54
8 308 10.4
9 338 10.8

Q = 0.0189R + 4.54

Figure 4: Loop width of the Hysteresis loop versus Magnetic field.

Table 2: For calculation of saturation magnetization for the given Ni sample from the tip to tip height of the
Hysteresis J-H loop.
Obs. No. Magnetic Field (Gauss) Tip to Tip Height (V)
1 27 1.64
2 58 2.80
3 98 3.60
4 135 4.12
5 177 4.46
6 224 4.66
7 260 4.86
8 308 4.98
9 338 5.02

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010

Figure 5: Tip to tip height of the Hysteresis loop versus Magnetic field.

Table 3: For calculation of Retentivity for the given Ni sample from the positive intercept to negative intercept
distance of the Hysteresis J-H loop.
Positive Intercept to
Obs. No. Magnetic Field (Gauss)
Negative Intercept Distance (V)
1 27 0.56
2 58 0.94
3 98 1.12
4 135 1.27
5 177 1.38
6 224 1.49
7 260 1.61
8 308 1.66
9 338 1.72

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010

Figure 6: Separation between positive and negative intecepts of the Hysteresis loop versus Magnetic field.

From the above graphs we have,

• Loop Width (From Figure 4)
4.54
SKKT U* ℎ = = 1.51 XKL
3⋆
⋆ Divided by 3 because earlier we have multiplied area ratio and demagnetization by 3.
• Tip to tip height (From Figure 5)
Y*T K Y*T *Zℎ = 5.10 XKL
• Intercept (From Figure 6)
[. \]T = 1.80 XKL
Now since we have,
1 1.51
5 = × SKKT ^* ℎ = = 0.757 XKL
2 2
So, coercivity can be calculated from Equation 8.1 as,
/
5 4.105 × 0.757
= = = 23.9 _
 0.133 − 0.0029
8 − 9

Similarly, saturation magnetization


 =
4
And since,
1
`1 a = × Y*T K Y*T *Zℎ
2
5.10
= = 2.55 JKL
2
Now using Equation 8.2,
/

/5 `1 a
 =

4/1 8 − 9


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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
4.105 × 1 × 100 × 2.55
 = = 640.27 /GHII
1 × 0.133 − 0.0029 × 4
Also for retentivity we have,

b
b =
4
1 1.80
`1 a = × [. \]T = = 0.9 JKL
b 2 2
Again from Equation 8.2
/

/5 `1 a
b
b =

4/1 8 − 9

4.105 × 1 × 100 × 0.9
b = = 225.98 /GHII
1 × 0.133 − 0.0029 × 4

Some Obtained Loops:

Following are some of the observed loops/curves for Nickel sample at magnetic field = 224 Gauss, area
ratio = 0.399 and demagnetization = 0.0087.

Figure 8: cd⁄ce versus e showing a single magnetic

Figure 7: J-H loop
phase in the sample

Figure 9: cf d⁄cef versus e showing two magnetic phases

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Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata 17th Feb – 3rd Mar 2010
Inferences/Conclusions:
• The obtained value of the coercivity for the given Nickel sample is 23.9 Oe.
• Also the obtained value of Saturation magnetization and Retentivity is 640.3 Gauss and 226.0 Gauss
respectively.

References:
• Supplied Users Manual for Hysteresis Loop Tracer (Model: HLT-111)
• Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org)

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