most simple design of a permanent magnet motor. what are the odds?

[e2matrix]

Mu-metal can shield magnetic fields.  However this type of setup has been tried by many and has been found to be difficult to achieve rotation.   Most will say it's impossible but I think there are some complex configurations that would work.  Just my opinion...

[kelloggs]

Mu-metal can shield magnetic fields.  However this type of setup has been tried by many and has been found to be difficult to achieve rotation.   Most will say it's impossible but I think there are some complex configurations that would work.  Just my opinion...

with shielding too? most videos i see on youtube have only magnets but no shielding and the design doesnt seem complex at all.

[TinselKoala]

Sure, mu-metal "shields" magnetic fields. It does so by sucking up all available field lines into itself. In other words... .it is strongly attracted to magnets. This property makes it useless as a shield in any magnet motor design I have ever seen.

What is needed is a magnetic shielding material that is neither attracted to nor repelled by the field it's shielding. Unfortunately at this time, this requires superconducting YBCO type ceramic materials held at temperatures below 70 Kelvin. And even these materials "pin" flux lines rather than simply "shielding", so even though your magnet isn't attracted or repelled, it can be pinned in place, not a good thing for a magnet motor, I think.

[kelloggs]

i dont see a problem that the mu-metal is attracted. the only job i should do is to weaken the magnetic field (by rerouting field lines through itself) on one side of the magnet while two poles approach each other. look at my second picture where they should be located. when the poles passed each other the full magnetic force is applied because field lines on the other side of the magnet are not affected by the mu-metal.

[Liberty]

i dont see a problem that the mu-metal is attracted. the only job i should do is to weaken the magnetic field (by rerouting field lines through itself) on one side of the magnet while two poles approach each other. look at my second picture where they should be located. when the poles passed each other the full magnetic force is applied because field lines on the other side of the magnet are not affected by the mu-metal.

I have a suggestion:

In order to correctly analyze the functionality of any magnet motor, imagine in your mind, like magnetic fields (repel) as half of a sphere or a cup shape upside down.  (Like half a bubble or "^").  Then for attraction, imagine the opposite fields like the same cup right side up or the inside shape of a bubble. Or a ("V"). 

Attraction of two magnets will act like one "V" fitting inside the other "V" when locked in attraction.  The same magnetic fields will bounce off of one another like two  "^"s.  But remember, the magnetic fields are 3 dimensional and is more spherical in shape.

Now when you run your motor in your mind, you will see bubble fields hitting each other for repel, and you will see if the cup shape will lock with another cup shape (V within a V).  Attract fields will slide past one another a little ways, and then pull back to center the lock position.

If you want a better idea, take two magnets in repel and bring them close to each others fields and you can see how far the field extends by the repel field and what shape it is.  To understand attract fields, just imagine the sphere upside down or opposite of a repel field, for both fields.

Hope this helps you with your design.

Liberty