The Application of Finite Element Computer Models to Predict EMC/EMI

Finite Element computer programs are widely used in structural analysis in the automotive industry. In recent years, they have been successfully applied for calculating magnetic fields and performance parameters in a wide variety of electromagnetic components, such as DC motors actuators, alternators, and horns. (1) Recently magnetic finite element programs have been applied to the analysis of EMI/EMC in automotive systems, such as the wiring harness, horn, and spark plug wires. (2) While finite element programs tend to require mainframe computer resources, recent improvements in microcomputers now allow numerically intensive activities, such as finite element analysis, to be effectively run on microcomputers. This paper will present an example of a two dimensional finite element analysis of a sparkplug using a microcomputer.