Assigning Boundaries and Excitations for 3D Designs

For every project, you need to assign boundaries and excitations. For 3D designs, you can use the Maxwell 3D menu or the project tree to do the following:

Each field solver requires you to specify excitations of electric or magnetic fields and references for computing these fields.

You must specify at least one of the boundary conditions or excitations listed in these sections, so that the simulator can compute accurate values for fields and parameters.

Depending on the problem to be solved, you must also define the current flowing through the conducting domain faces touching the domain boundaries (ports) by assigning them excitations or setting their current to zero by defining insulating boundary conditions. If no constraint is applied to that boundary, the current will flow freely through these ports, which may lead to undesired but still physical results.

Case 1: Conducting faces without boundary conditions (BCs) applied (green lines). The current flows freely through these faces.

Illustration of current flowing freely in conductors without boundary conditions

Case 2: Insulating boundary conditions applied (blue lines). No current is allowed to flow through these faces.

Illustration of current flowing in conductors with insulating boundary conditions

Related Topics:  

Specifying the Solver Type