Levitation force analysis of medium and low speed maglev vehicles

The rule of levitation force variation with different structure and electromagnetic parameters provides a basis for electromagnet design of electromagnetic suspension （EMS） medium and low speed maglev vehicles. In order to acquire accurate calculation results of levitation force, different calculation methods, including analytical method, 2D FEM （finite element method）, and 3D FEM, are applied to investigate the impact of various structural parameters, such as excitation current, air gap, lateral offset, and pole width, on levitation force. The analytical analysis is based on the classic mathematical model of levitation force between electromagnet and rail and performed with MATLAB. In the 2D and 3D FEMs, the numerical calculation of the levitation force is conducted with Ansoft by taking the magnetic saturation into account. In addition, the longitudinal end effect on the levitation force calculation is considered in the 3D FEM. The results show that the 3D FEM is the most accurate among the above three methods for calculating the levitation force, and the analytical method can only work for small current and/or large air gap conditions. A lateral- offset between vehicle and rail will reduce the levitation force; the levitation force descends sharply once the lateral offset exceeds the threshold, i.e., 8% of the pole width for U-shaped electromagnets. The maximum lift-to-weight ratio emerges when the pole width ratio of F type rail to electromagnet is 6：7. This may offer a reference for EMS maglev vehicle design and application.

Effective method to control the levitation force and levitation height in a superconducting maglev system

The influence of the width of the middle magnet in the permanent magnet guideways （PMGs） on the levitation force and the levitation height of single-domain yttrium barium copper oxide （YBCO） bulks has been investigated at 77 K under the zero field cooled （ZFC） state. It is found that the largest levitation force can be obtained in the system with the width of the middle magnet of the PMG equal to the size of the YBCO bulk when the gap between the YBCO bulk and PMG is small. Both larger levitation force and higher levitation height can be obtained in the system with the width of the middle magnet of the PMG larger than the size of the YBCO bulk. The stiffness of the levitation force between the PMG and the YBCO bulk is higher in the system with a smaller width of the middle magnet in the PMG. These results provide an effective way to control the levitation force and the levitation height for the superconducting maglev design and applications.

Levitation and lateral forces between a point magnetic dipole and a superconducting sphere

The dipole–dipole interaction model is employed to investigate the angular dependence of the levitation and lateral forces acting on a small magnet in an anti-symmetric magnet/superconducting sphere system. Breaking the symmetry of the system enables us to study the lateral force which is important in the stability of the magnet above a superconducting sphere in the Meissner state. Under the assumption that the lateral displacement of the magnet is small compared to the physical dimensions of our proposed system, analytical expressions are obtained for the levitation and lateral forces as a function of the geometrical parameters of the superconductor as well as the height, the lateral displacement, and the orientation of the magnetic moment of the magnet. The dependence of the levitation force on the height of the levitating magnet is similar to that in the symmetric magnet/superconducting sphere system within the range of proposed lateral displacements. It is found that the levitation force is linearly dependent on the lateral displacement whereas the lateral force is independent of this displacement. A sinusoidal variation of both forces as a function of the polar and azimuthal angles specifying the orientation of the magnetic moment is observed. The relationship between the stability and the orientation of the magnetic moment is discussed for different orientations.

Magnetic levitation performance of high-temperature superconductor over three magnetic hills of permanent magnet guideway with iron shims of different thicknesses

Superconducting magnetic levitation performance, including levitation force and guidance force, is important for the application of high-temperature super- conducting maglev. Both of them are not only affected by different arrays of superconductors and magnets, but also by the thickness of the iron shim between permanent magnets. In order to obtain the best levitation performance, the magnetic field distribution, levitation force, and guidance force of a new type of three magnetic hills of permanent magnet guideway with iron shim of different thicknesses （4, 6, and 8 mm） are discussed in this paper. Simulation analysis and experiment results show that the guideway with iron shim of 8 mm thickness possesses the strongest magnetic field and levitation performance when the suspension gap is larger than 10 mm. However, with the decreasing of suspension gap, the guideway with iron shim of 4 mm thickness possesses the best levitation performance. The phenomena can be attributed to the density distribution of flux and magnetization of iron shim.

Effect of thickness on magnetic properties of single domain GdBCO bulk superconductors

To study the influence of thickness on the magnetic properties of ReBCO(Re = Y, Gd, Sm, Nd, etc.) bulk superconductors, a single domain gadolinium barium copper oxide(GdBCO) bulk superconductor fabricated by the Re + 011 top seeded infiltration growth(Re + 011 TSIG) method was continuously sliced along the bottom to obtain samples of different thickness. The levitation force and attractive force of these samples were tested at 77 K in the zero-field-cooled(ZFC)state. It is found that as the sample thickness decreases, the levitation force decreases gradually whereas the attractive force increases. This is related to the varied ability to resist the penetration of magnetic field occasioned by varying sample thickness, which are deeply revealed by combining with the characteristics of the non-ideal type-II superconductor. Further,the levitation force exhibits a trend of slow initial change followed by rapid change, which may be attributed to the growth of the sample. Measurement of the trapped field shows that a similar distribution of trapped field at the top and bottom surfaces can be achieved by removing some materials from the bottom of the bulk. These results provide a reference for meeting the actual requirements of ReBCO bulks of different thicknesses and greatly contribute to practical designs and applications.

Design consideration of a super-high speed high temperature superconductor maglev evacuated tube transport (I)

The super-high speed high temperature superconductor （HTS） maglev evacuated tube transport （ETT） is a promising transport mode for the future. As a key component of the HTS maglev vehicle, the permanent magnet guide- ways （PMGs） with different geometrical configurations and iron yoke widths are analyzed by finite element method （FEM）. The levitation force of a single onboard HTS maglev device over the designed PMG at different field cooling heights （FCH） is measured by magnetic levitation measurement system. Based on the designed PMG and experimental results, a preliminary scheme of subterranean super-high speed HTS maglev ETT is described in this paper. The HTS maglev ETT is mainly composed of an evacuated tube, HTS maglev vehicle, PMG, propulsion system, station, emergency rescue system, etc. In addition, a subterranean tube that consists of foundation tube and vacuum airproof layer is introduced. In order to convert the stress caused by the air pressure difference between inside and outside of the vehicle, a multi-circular vehicle body is designed. The vehicle is driven by a linear motor propulsion system under the control of a ground controlling system. The scheme of long-distance super-high speed passenger transportation is accomplished by the connection of different vehicles.

Fabrication and Maglev Properties of Large Bulk Melt－Texture－Growth YBCO Superconductor

The fabrication of large bulk high temperature superconducting YBCO samples was accomplished by melt-texture-growth(MTG) process with a seeding technique.The microstructure of the samples was observed by a polarization microscope.The observation shows that the samples have controlled orientation and large domains.The magnetic repulsion measurements as a function of distance were carried out.The maximum repulsion between the YBCO sample(29 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick) and a Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet with 0.5T surface magnetic field was 4.8 N/cm2 at 77K.The magnetic levitation on the samples exhibits anisotropic behaviour.