Abstract. The electromagnetic force between two parallel current conductors of rectangular cross section is considered. It is assumed that the current flows on the surface of the conductors (due to the skin effect).

Analysis of the Maxwell stress tensor enables the force to be presented as the difference of two forces: the force between two conductors connected in parallel and the force exerted on conductors forming a go-and-return loop. To calculate the forces, conformal mapping is used, where Schwartz constants are evaluated by a numerical method.

The interaction between arbitrary currents in the conductors is considered. This involves the case in which there is no current in one of the conductors except eddy currents.

It is established that in the conductors connected in parallel, eddy currents lessen the force. But if the conductors form a go-and-return loop, then eddy currents can increase or reduce the force on the conductors depending on the shape of the conductors and the distance between them.

Print publication: Issue 9 (7 May 1999)
Received 30 October 1998