April 1984 – Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa died.
Kapitsa was a Soviet physicist who researched strong magnetic fields, low temperatures and cryogenics. He discovered the superfluidity of helium and developed new methods to liquefy gasses. These discoveries would earn him half the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Magnetic fields induce eddy currents into ferrous materials. Although this can cause very high temperatures, often it goes unnoticed.
Infrared Thermography can be used to identify eddy currents in industry. The left hand image illustrates the ferrous bolt holding wooden blocks that clamp the high voltage cables on a transformer.. The right hand image illustrates high voltage cables entering the connection box on a generator. Note the raised temperature on the support angle iron below the connection and that the highest temperatures (white) are seen in the connection plates rather than the cables
