Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----
Are There Non-Metallic Magnetic Shields?
Q. I have been searching the internet to try and find out if it is possible to have a non-metallic magnetic shield?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Joe Treblinka- Naples, New York
2001
A. Joe,
To be terse. succinct and horribly brief
NO, NO, NO. ...although surely there must be some doubting Thomases around who will want, in vain, to give an affirmative.
Magnetism has to do, I believe, with ferrous metals, IRON. Eg. the compass needle ... no plastics could be magnetic unless one added some iron to the matrix which would sure screw up their properties!
I don't know if rust, i.e., ferric oxide, is magnetic. Try it out but I'd imagine even that is magnetic.
Why in the heck do you want to know that anyway?
Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).
2001
Q. I am looking for similar information- something to shield magnet made of rare earth metals. I am researching few inventions in the field of water treatment, and that could be one of the venue.
Leonid Goikhman- Brooklyn, New York
2001
Q. I am looking for a material that is non metallic and will shield or block a magnetic field also,
D Nich- Plainville Connecticut
March 22, 2010
A. Sorry, D, but I think there is no such thing as a magnetic field blocker at all, let alone a non-metallic one. Maxwell's equations seem to prove that it is impossible to block magnetism; rather, what you can do is provide the magnetism a more favorable path. Magnetic "shielding" doesn't actually "block" magnetism, it draws it towards an easier path, so I don't see how you could have a non-metallic "shield". But good luck, and maybe I'm wrong.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March , 2010
A. The little round tubular data filters on high end data cables on your computer are ferrite cores. They are magnetic material with no particular pattern. They can decrease the magnetic field of the nearby magnet by dispersing it. Sadly, magnets stick to them due to their contents and will be of no use in your project.
Will Larsen- Ocala, Florida
September 19, 2012
Q, A, or Comment on THIS thread -or- Start a NEW Thread