Note: The views expressed herein may or may not represent the position of Joseph Newman and, as informational material, are provided here from
submissions by other individuals interested in the technology

Abstract.

The author has made numerous measurements on the Energy Machines developed by Joseph Newman. The machines are large, air core, permanent magnet motors. [Note: Other designs have been constructed as well.] The most important design rule specified by the inventor is that the length of wire in the motor coil be very long; preferably long enough so that the switching time between current reversals is shorter than the time required for propagation of the current wavefront through the coil. Various models contain up to 55 miles of wire, with air core coil inductances of up to 20,000 Henries. The permanent magnet armatures have very large magnetic moments. Thus the motors exhibit high torque with low current inputs. The motors generate large back current spikes consisting of pulsed rf in the 10-20 MHz frequency range. These spikes provide large mechanical impulses to the rotor, energize fluorescent tubes placed across the motor, and tend to charge the dry cell battery pack. The total generated energy ---- consisting of mechanical work, mechanical friction, ohmic heating, and light ---- is many times larger than the battery input energy.

Newman's theories and machines will be described. Measurements indicating net energy gain from the devices will be presented. A phenomenological mathematical description of the motor will also be presented. Finally, the author will present his personal impressions of Newman's work.

Newman's Theory.

Joseph Newman became interested in electromagnetic energy some 35 years ago, and began a self-study program. After searching standard texts for a mechanical description of electromagnetic interactions, he concluded that no such description existed. Newman decided that he would have to generate his own mechanical theory of electromagnetism, and over the following several years he evolved his gyroscopic particle theory. This theory, or model, states that all matter and energy is composed of a single elementary spinning particle which always moves at the speed of light.

The gyroscopic particle has mass, and it can neither be created or destroyed. All energy conversions, in this theory, involve an exchange of gyroscopic particles. E = mc^2 is the expression of this concept, and simply represents an accounting of gyroscopic particles during an energy conversion.

Electric and magnetic fields consist of gyroscopic particles flowing at the speed of light along the field lines. When an electric or magnetic field is created, the particles initially come from the materials which energized the field. For example, when a battery is connected to a wire, gyroscopic particles flow at the speed of light down the wire, and they tend to align the gyroscopic particle flow fields of the electrons in the wire. The electric gyroscopic particle flow field extends outside the wire creating the circumferential magnetic field of the wire. The energy in the magnetic field is Nmc^2, where N is the number of particles in the field, and m is the mass of an individual particle. This energy, or these particles, came from the electrons of the copper.

Thus, Newman considers the current flowing in the wire to be a catalyst which energy to emanate from the atoms of the wire. He claims that he has developed a mechanism whereby field energy can be pumped out of the copper atoms in the wire, thereby reducing their mass without consuming the voltage source which has supplied the catalytic current flow. Since the mass is consumed totally, there is no pollution in this process. One gram mass, if totally consumed, could supply enough energy to power a home for one thousand years. Newman describes his theory and its applications in his book, THE ENERGY MACHINE OF JOSEPH NEWMAN [1].

Description of Newman Motors.

Newman's motors may be described as two-pole, single phase, permanent magnet armature, DC motors. That is, the armature consists of a single permanent magnet which either rotates or reciprocates within a single coil of copper wire. The coil is energized with a bank of dry cell, carbon zinc batteries. In the rotating models, which will be emphasized in this paper, the battery voltage to the coil is reversed each half cycle of rotation by a mechanical commutator attached to the shaft of the rotating armature. Motor operation is sensitive to the angle at which the voltage is switched, and this is optimized experimentally. On some models, the commutator also interrupts the voltage several times per cycle, creating a pulsed input to the coil.

The coils are constructed with a very large number of turns of copper wire. In all models, the coil inductive reactance is much larger than the coil resistance at operating speed. However, the coil resistance is large enough so that even in the locked rotor condition, very little current flows through the coil. The motors typically draw less than ten milliampere so that small capacity batteries (e.g., 9 volt transistor batteries) can be used in series for the power supply. Self resonant frequencies (frequency at which the coil inductive reactance equals the coil distributed capacitive reactance) are typically on the order of the armature rotation frequency. The permanent magnet armature is very strong, and TIGHT COUPLING TO THE COIL is emphasized in Newman's later models [emphasis added]. His early models used up to 700 pounds of ceramic magnets, while later models used smaller armatures made with powerful neodymium-boron-iron magnets. The commutator is protected by fluorescent tubes placed across the motor. Enough tubes are placed in series so that the battery voltage will not break them down. When the coil is switched, the tubes are lit by the resulting high voltage, minimizing arcing across the commutator.

Newman's Motors exhibit the following extraordinary characteristics:

1) High torque is realized with very little input current and very little input power. The battery input power is typically several times smaller than the measured frictional power losses occurring when the armature rotates at its operating speed. His motors are at least ten times more efficient than commercial electric motors (perform the same work with one tenth the input power.)

2) The batteries last much longer than would be expected for the current input. It has been demonstrated that "dead" dry cell batteries will charge up while operating a Newman Motor, and subsequently be able to deliver significant power to normal loads (e.g., lights). The batteries fail by internal shorting rather than by depletion of their internal energy.

3) Significant rf power is generated by the motor (primarily in the ten to twenty megahertz range). The rf is a high voltage relative to ground, and will light fluorescent or neon tubes placed between the motor and ground in addition to lighting the tubes placed across the motor coil. The rf current flows through the entire system, and has been measured calorimetrically to have an rms value many times larger than the battery input current.

EXPERIMENTAL DATA

A large amount of data has been collected by many individuals on the various Newman Motors. While Newman's more recent prototypes are perhaps the most interesting because of their reduced volume, I will present data on his original prototype large machine which has been more extensively investigated. Measured motor parameters are listed below:

COIL PARAMETERS:

Weight .................................... 9,000 pounds
Copper Wire Length ............. 55 miles
Coil Inductance ..................... 1,100 Henries
Coil Resistance ...................... 770 Ohms
Coil Inside Diameter ............. 4 feet
Coil Height ............................. 4 feet

ROTOR PARAMETERS:

Rotor Weight ......................... 700 lbs. ceramic magnets
Rotor Length ......................... 4 feet
Moment of Inertia ................. 40 Kg-sq.m.
Magnetic Moment ................. 100 Tesla-cu.in

BATTERY PARAMETERS:

Battery Type ......................... 6 Volt Ray-O-Vac Lantern
Total Series Voltage ............ 590 Volts

DYNAMIC PARAMETERS:

Torque Constant ................. 15,400 oz. in./amp
Drag Coefficient .................. 0.005 Watts/sq.rpm.
Q at 200 rpm ........................ 30
Power Factor, 200 rpm ........ 0.03

The torque constant was measured at DC and agrees with calculations. The drag coefficient was measured by plotting the motor speed versus time after disconnecting the batteries. It was found that the decay is exponential with the drag torque being proportional to the angular speed. With the motor operating at 200 rpm, the following measurements and calculations were obtained:

RESULTS: 200 RPM at 590 VOLTS

Battery Input Current ............. 10 milliampere
Battery Input Power ................ 6 Watts
Rotor Frictional Losses .......... 200 Watts
RF Current (rms) .................... 500 milliampere
RF Ohmic Losses in Coil ........ 190 Watts
Additional Loads ..................... Fluorescent Tubes, Incandescent Bulbs, Fan (belt driven)

The frictional losses are computed from the measured drag coefficient. The ohmic losses are computed from the coil resistance. Without considering the additional loads, it is seen that the output energy of the machine exceeded the input by a factor of 65!

Oscillograph photos show that the current waveform is dominated by the very large spike which occurs when the magnetic field of the coil collapses. The leading edge of this spike is shown in Figure 1. The staircase current rise is typical of the Newman Motors, with the width of the stairs in all cases being approximately equal to the length of the coil winding divided by the speed of light. Although the average current in the spike is at DC, the actual current waveform under the stairs is pulsing at a frequency of about 13 megahertz. The time average current in the waveform agrees with the calorimeter measurement of the rf current.

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Figures 1A-C. Reproduction of oscillographs showing Newman Motor switching current spike. Spike leading edge is shown with the magnified time base in second and third oscillograph. Rotor speed was 120 rpm.

PHENOMENOLOGICAL THEORY

A phenomenological theory of operation is suggested here, which involves the following sequence of events:

1) The battery is switched across the coil and a current wavefront (gyroscopic particles) propagates into the coil at a speed determined by the coil's propagation time constant.

2) Before the wavefront completes its journey through the coil, the battery voltage is switched open. At this point the coil contains a charge equal to the current times the on-time.

3) When the switch is opened, all of this charge leaves the coil in a very short time, creating a very large current pulse in the coil.

4) The magnetic field generated by this current pulse (gyroscopic particle flow) propagates out to the permanent magnet armature, and gives it an impulsive torque.

5) The magnet accelerates, and the resulting magnetic field disturbance of the permanent magnet is propagated back to the coil, creating a back-emf. However, by the time this occurs, the switch is open so that the back emf does not impede the current flowing in the battery circuit.

These notions agree qualitatively with the measured waveforms. After one-half cycle of rotation, a charge on the order of 0.01 Coulombs will be contained within the coil. From the oscillograph this is seen to be dumped in a few milliseconds, creating a current of several amps. This current continues to flow for some ten milliseconds before decaying to zero.

Newman's Motor can be described by the following set of equations:

(1) JÒ + F(Ò) = K(sub t)I sin (Ò)

(2) LI = RI = V(Ò) - K(sub i)Ò sin (Ò)

where:

J = Rotor Moment of Inertia
F = Friction and Load Torque
K(sub t) = Torque Constant
I = Coil Current
L = Coil Inductance
V = Applied Voltage
K(sub i) = Induction Constant
Ò = Rotation Angle

The first equation is Newton's second law applied to the rotating magnet, the second is the coil current circuit equation. The voltage is the value applied to the coil within the commutator. If the first equation is multiplied by Ò and the 2nd equation is multiplied by I, and both equations are averaged over one cycle, the sum of the resulting equations gives:

(3) <IV> = <ÒF> + <I^2R> + (K(sub i) - K(sub t) <ÒIsin )

where the brackets indicate a time average over one cycle of rotation.

The term on the left is the power input. The first two terms on the right represent the mechanical power output (combined frictional losses & load power), and the ohmic heating in the coil windings. The last term is zero if the torque constant is equal to the induction constant, as would be the case in a conventional motor. However, as postulated above, if the induction constant is smaller than the torque constant, the last term supplies the negative power.

To view this another way, assume that the input voltage, through the commutator action varies as V = V(sub o)sin (Ò). If we also assume that the rotor angular speed, Ò, is nearly a constant, w, the following expression applies for the motor efficiency:

...............<wF> .......K(sub t)w<Isin Ò> m K(sub t)w
(4) E = ______ = __________________ = ___________
...............<IV> .. .....V(sub o)<Isin Ò> m.... V (sub o)

The following two equations can now be solved for the presumed constant motor speed:

(5) LI + RI = (V(sub o) - K(sub i)w)sin(wt)

(6) <F(w)> = K(sub t)<I sin(wt)>

The solution depends upon the details of the mechanical load function, F(w). If, however, the torque constant and voltage are both very large (as they are in the Newman Motor), then the angular speed is approximately [2]:

.................V(sub o)
w apr. = __________
..................K(sub i)

and the expression for the efficiency becomes:

.................K(sub t)
E apr. = __________
..................K(sub i)

If the torque and induction constants are equal,the motor is nearly one hundred percent efficient. If the torque constant exceeds the induction constant, the efficiency* exceeds 100%.

[*Note: the PRODUCTION efficiency can exceed 100%; the CONVERSION efficiency cannot exceed 100%]

CONCLUSIONS:

Joseph Newman has demonstrated that his Theory is a useful tool by which predictions of circuit function can be made without mathematics. For example, his gyroscopic particles interact as spinning particles (through the cross product of their spins), and this qualitatively describes magnetic induction.

In complicated electromagnetic systems, exact solutions to Maxwell's equations may be difficult or impossible to obtain, while a phenomenological mechanical picture can be visualized to give qualitatively correct results. Mechanical models of electromagnetic interactions were considered essential by scientists of the 19th century. Maxwell originally derived his famous equations by using a mechanical model of the electromagnetic field, and stated the following [3]:

"The theory I propose may therefore be called a theory of the electromagnetic field because it has to do with the space in the neighborhood of the electric or magnetic bodies, and it may be called a dynamical theory because it assumes that in that space there is MATTER IN MOTION, by which the observed electromagnetic phenomena are produced ...... In speaking of the energy of the field, I wish to be understood literally: ALL ENERGY IS THE SAME AS MECHANICAL ENERGY..." [Emphasis added.]

Regarding Joseph Newman's Motor, I have no doubt about its performance or about the profound importance of its future applications.

AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT THE FIRST APPLICATIONS WILL BE REPLACEMENTS FOR EXISTING ELECTRIC MOTORS. [Emphasis added.]

Regarding a rigorous mathematical description of the underlying phenomena, it is clear that much effort, both theoretical and experimental, will be required to achieve this end.

REFERENCES:

[1] THE ENERGY MACHINE OF JOSEPH NEWMAN, Joseph W. Newman author; Evan Soule', editor. Joseph Newman Publishing Company, Order/Processing Dept., 3725 South Division Street, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49548 [1st Edition originally published in 1984.]

[2] The precise condition for this approximation to be valid is that the locked rotor torque be much larger than the applied mechanical torque at speed multiplied by one plus the square of the ratio of inductive reactance and resistance. This condition applied to some of Newman's Motors, and in particular to the most recent small volume devices. In the larger motors the voltage is applied with a phase shift chosen to optimize efficiency, and it can be shown that Equation 8 still applies in the limit of large inductance.

[3] A DYNAMICAL THEORY OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD. James Clerk Maxwell, T. F. Torrance, ed., Scottish Academic Press Ltd., Edinburgh (1982). [From Maxwell's Presentation to the Royal Society, 1864).

The above was written by Dr. Roger Hastings, Ph.D., for a presentation before a National Conference of the International Tesla Society.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dr. Roger Hastings has a Ph.D. in Physics, University of Minnesota, 1975; MS in Physics, University of Denver, 1971; BS in Physics, University of Denver, 1969.

Dr. Hastings was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Virginia, 1977-77 with research in organic superconductors and the physical properties of solutions of macroions and viruses. Currently, Dr. Hastings is a Principal Physicist with the UNISYS Corporation. As a consultant, Dr. Hastings also designs electric motors for other corporations.

Note: The above article was written several years ago. The principles described above are generally applicable "across the breadth of the technology." However, considerable improvements to the commutator design have been made in the recent past. Those improvements are intended to actually reduce the intensity of the sparking by distributing the physical connections over a wider area. The reader should bear in mind that within the context of this discussion there are TWO totally different design systems (but many sub-configurations within each basic design): there is one commutator design when the energy machine is intended to function as a GENERATOR and a totally different commutator design when the energy machine is intended to function as a MOTOR. The latest design improvements to the commutator system apply to the machine operating as a MOTOR. Subsequent torque can be utilized for mechanical systems or can be used in conjunction with a conventional generator. In general, there are many possible designs using the pioneering technology innovated by Joseph Newman.