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This paper presents a non-conforming finite element (FE) method with tetrahedral elements, which is applied to 3-D shape optimization. In the present method, continuity of magnetic flux is directly enforced on the interfaces of different domains in which FE meshes are independently generated. The slave unknowns in one side which are linearly dependent on the unknowns in the other side are eliminated. It is shown that the present method yields accurate solutions to 3-D nonlinear magnetostatic problems. Moreover, evolutional shape optimization of an inductor is shown to be successfully carried out using the present method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In parameter optimization using the finite element method (FEM), re-meshing with long computational time must be performed many times. Although voxel-based FEM is one of the effective techniques to avoid the re-meshing, it has less accuracy in comparison with the conventional FEM because of stair-shaped boundaries. In this work, to improve the computational accuracy in the voxel-based FEM, a new homogenization method is presented. In the present method, the effective reluctivity of finite elements at material interfaces is determined on the basis of magnetic circuit. The present method is successfully applied to three dimensional shape optimization of an inductor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents parameter and topology optimization of inductor shapes using evolutionary algorithms. The goal of the optimization is to reduce the size of inductors satisfying the specifications on inductance values under weak and strong bias-current conditions. The inductance values are computed from the finite-element (FE) method taking magnetic saturation into account. The result of the parameter optimization, which leads to significant reduction in the volume, is realized for test, and the dependence of inductance on bias currents is experimentally measured, which is shown to agree well with the computed values. Moreover, novel methods are introduced for topology optimization to obtain inductor shapes with homogeneous ferrite cores suitable for mass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]