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Electric Field Lines

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I am new to COMSOL, so to some this question may be trivial.

I have been playing with the software to see if it can model an electrode (I have tested Float Potential and Electric Potential) above two small spheres with a defined surface charge. These are placed above another extruded rectangle that is grounded.

It looks like:
___________electrode (extruded rectangle)
o +Q charge
o -Q charge
______________ground (extruded rectangle)

When I first applied the 3d volume plot with electric field lines, the field lines only appeared with the bases of the vectors attached somewhere to the extruded rectangles or spheres. I would like to generate a plot that shows the field lines in air also, so I added another extruded rectangle that encloses the entire set-up. I made the giant rectangular domain air, while the others remained gold (for the sake of this test).

Still, however, my electric field vectors only appear on the four smaller surfaces, and I would like to have them be continuous so that the electric field in the air is seen. I tried the normalization setting to make sure that the arrows weren't just too small to be seen, but they're still absent. Can anyone share any thoughts?

Thanks!

1 Reply Last Post 18 dic 2011, 05:24 GMT-5
Ivar KJELBERG COMSOL Multiphysics(r) fan, retired, former "Senior Expert" at CSEM SA (CH)

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Posted: 1 decade ago 18 dic 2011, 05:24 GMT-5
Hi

if it is in v4 you are working, check if you use 2D or 3D plot items, normally you can only get field lines in 2D cut plot sections, but you should be able to get filed area plots.

personally I would use 2D to start with, it solves so much quicker but perhaps you are already at step 2) testing 2D ideas in 3D ;)

--
Good luck
Ivar
Hi if it is in v4 you are working, check if you use 2D or 3D plot items, normally you can only get field lines in 2D cut plot sections, but you should be able to get filed area plots. personally I would use 2D to start with, it solves so much quicker but perhaps you are already at step 2) testing 2D ideas in 3D ;) -- Good luck Ivar

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