Inductance of a winding on a core
What inductance do these turns have on this core?
- L
- Inductance, mH
- N
- Turns
- μ
- Relative permeability
- A
- Core cross-section, cm²
- l
- Magnetic path length, cm
LaTeX
L = \frac{\mu_0 \cdot μ \cdot N^{2} \cdot A}{l}
Method
- Convert the area to square metres and the path length to metres.
- Multiply μ₀ (4π × 10⁻⁷ H/m) by the relative permeability, by the turns squared, by the area, and divide by the path length. The result is in henries.
- The core's A_L value is the same expression with N = 1: the inductance one turn would have. It is how a datasheet describes a core without committing to a winding.
Assumptions
- All the flux stays in the core and the core is not gapped. A gapped core has a much lower effective permeability than its material, and a datasheet A_L value already accounts for the gap — prefer it where there is one.
- The permeability is the initial, small-signal figure. It falls as the core is driven harder and collapses at saturation; a VIC choke carrying a resonant current may be well past small-signal.
- For an air-cored winding this is the long-solenoid formula, and it overstates the inductance of a short fat coil. The Wheeler calculation handles that geometry.