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Suppose you put a varying magnetic field source on one side of a thin metal sheet. You would get eddy currents in the corresponding direction. Now you take another similar source and place it exactly opposite to the first source. This time the current induced would be in th opposite direction.

Would the eddy currents due to the opposing fields short out ?

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The degree of cancellation would depend on the thickness of the metal sheet and the frequency of the magnetic field.

Eddy currents weaken the impinging magnetic field and therefore the magnetic field and the eddy currents are strongest on the surface and decline with depth (skin effect). The higher the frequency, the faster the decline.

So, if a metal sheet is relatively thick and the frequency is relatively high, there won't be much cancellation. On the other hand, if a metal sheet is thin and the frequency is low, the cancellation would be more significant.

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  • $\begingroup$ Taking VF's case of thin sheet and low frequency to its limit, at which there will be complete cancellation, it's not really eddy currents that cancel. There are no currents in the first place; as the fields themselves cancel! $\endgroup$
    – Philip Wood
    Commented Jul 22, 2018 at 17:59

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