Comparison of the Finite Element Method and High-Order Isogeometric Analysis for Modeling Magnetic Vector Hysteresis

This work presents a comparison between the finite element method and isogeometric analysis, when solving an electromagnetic problem with an included hysteresis model, for a high and low number of degrees of freedom respectively. The two methods are compared in terms of computational burden, i.e. time investment, for different refinement levels. Calculating the hysteresis effect is already taxing for two a dimensional problem, and even more so for three dimensions, up to the point where it can become impractical. Therefore, reducing the problem complexity is necessary to keep the valuable insight in machine performance, while also retaining practicality.