Question

Two windings are cut away from a failed transformer, exposing its iron core. The core is made up of several metal laminations held together with many placed around its outside perimeter. Why are metal laminations used to make the core?

a. To reduce eddy currents in the core
b. To slightly offset hysteresis losses
c. It's easier to stamp laminations than machine a steel
d. It makes the transformer easier to handle by reducing its mass

Answer 1

Metal laminations in transformer cores are used to reduce eddy currents, which minimizes energy losses and prevents excessive heating.

Step-by-step explanation:

Metal laminations are used in transformer cores to reduce eddy currents. An eddy current is a loop of electric current induced within the conductor by a changing magnetic field, which can cause energy loss and undesirable heating within the transformer's core. By constructing the core from thin insulated sheets, the resistance to these currents is increased, thereby minimizing energy losses and heating. This is why option (a) To reduce eddy currents in the core is the correct answer to the question of why metal laminations are used in the transformer core.