Modeling and Optimizing Ultra-fast Thomson-type Actuators for Electrical Switches

In order to obtain an ultra-fast actuator functionality in mechanical switching mechanisms, Thomson-type coils (TC) can be a suitable choice to be employed, with the ability to exert massive forces in short time. In this Master thesis, a practical Thomson coil was designed and simulated with finite element methods to present features and the performance of TC-type actuators, primarily from the mechanical aspects. In view of the fact that some attributes of TC have dynamic mechanical behavior, transient and time-dependent simulation plays a very significant role in modeling such an actuator. Once the proper model was approached, a prototype was built to verify the accuracy of simulated models. As illustrated in the results, modeled TC can forecast characteristic behavior in an actual applications. Sensitivity analysis was carried out in order to optimize the TC's performance with respect to maximum speed, exploring the order of influence of variables with parameters. Consequently, multi-objective optimization techniques were employed to find optimum design for all parts of a TC. Various conductive materials were investigated for the moving armature in order to fulfill the electrical requirements, as well as the mechanical