Originally, the Preisach model of hysteresis generalized magnetic
hysteresis
Hysteresis is the dependence of the state of a system on its history. For example, a magnet may have more than one possible magnetic moment in a given magnetic field, depending on how the field changed in the past. Plots of a single component of ...
as the relationship between the magnetic field and magnetization of a magnetic material as the parallel connection of independent relay ''hysterons''. It was first suggested in 1935 by
Ferenc (Franz) Preisach in the German academic journal ''Zeitschrift für Physik''. In the field of
ferromagnetism
Ferromagnetism is a property of certain materials (such as iron) which results in a large observed magnetic permeability, and in many cases a large magnetic coercivity allowing the material to form a permanent magnet. Ferromagnetic materials a ...
, the Preisach model is sometimes thought to describe a ferromagnetic material as a network of small independently acting
domains, each
magnetized to a value of either
or
. A sample of
iron
Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...
, for example, may have evenly distributed magnetic domains, resulting in a net
magnetic moment of zero.
Mathematically similar model seems to have been independently developed in other fields of science and engineering. One notable example is the model of capillary hysteresis in porous materials developed by Everett and co-workers. Since then, following the work of people like M. Krasnoselkii, A. Pokrovskii, A. Visintin, and I.D. Mayergoyz, the model has become widely accepted as a general mathematical tool for the description of hysteresis phenomena of different kinds.
Nonideal relay
The relay hysteron is the fundamental building block of the Preisach model. It is described as a two-valued
operator
Operator may refer to:
Mathematics
* A symbol indicating a mathematical operation
* Logical operator or logical connective in mathematical logic
* Operator (mathematics), mapping that acts on elements of a space to produce elements of another ...
denoted by
. Its I/O map takes the form of a loop, as shown:
Above, a relay of magnitude 1,
defines the "switch-off" threshold, and
defines the "switch-on" threshold.
Graphically, if
is less than
, the output
is "low" or "off." As we increase
, the output remains low until
reaches
—at which point the output switches "on." Further increasing
has no change. Decreasing
,
does not go low until
reaches
again. It is apparent that the relay operator
takes the path of a loop, and its next state depends on its past state.
Mathematically, the output of
is expressed as: