MAGNETIC LEVITATION TECHNOLOGY

Authors :

Ravishek Kumar (SAE id-no.-7044902018)

e-mail:ravishek2003@yahoo.co.in

Abhishek Kumar (SAE id-no.-7044902012 )

e-mail:gianindra@rediffmail.com
G.. H. Raisoni College of Engineering,
Nagpur – 440016
(India)

1) INTRODUCTION

Magnetic levitation (Maglev) is an

advanced train technology in which magnetic
forces lift, propel, and guide a vehicle over a
guideway. Utilizing state-of-the-art electric
power and control systems, this configuration
eliminates contact between vehicle and
guideway and permits cruising speeds of up to
267 mph (430 km/h) Because of its high
speed, Maglev offers competitive trip-time
savings compared to aviation in travel markets
up to 600 miles long - an attractive travel
option for the 21st century. While maglev
transportation was first proposed more than
a century ago, the first commercial maglev
train made its test debut in Shanghai,
China, in 2002, using the train developed by
German company Transrapid International.
Although maglevs don't use steel wheel on
steel rail usually associated with trains, the
dictionary definition of a train is a long line of
vehicles travelling in the same direction - it is a
train.
2) PRINCIPLE OF MAGNETIC LEVITATION

The levitation coils are installed on the

sidewalls of the guideway. When the on-board
superconducting magnets pass at a high speed
about several centimeters below the center of
these coils, an electric current is induced within
the coils, which then act as electromagnets
temporarily. As a result, there are forces which
push the superconducting magnet upwards Fig.-2 Principle of lateral guidance
and ones which pull them upwards
simultaneously, thereby levitating the Maglev
4) PRINCIPLE OF PROPULSION
vehicle.
A repulsive force and an attractive
force induced between the magnets are used
to propel the vehicle (superconducting
magnet). The propulsion coils located on the
sidewalls on both sides of the guideway are
energized by a three-phase alternating current
from a substation, creating a shifting magnetic
field on the guideway. The on-board
superconducting magnets are attracted and
pushed by the shifting field, propelling the
Maglev vehicle

Fig.- 1 Principle of magnetic levitation

3) PRINCIPLE OF LATERAL GUIDANCE

The levitation coils facing each other

are connected under the guideway, constituting
a loop. When a running Maglev vehicle, that is Fig.- 3 Principle of propulsion
a superconducting magnet, displaces laterally,
an electric current is induced in the loop,
resulting in a repulsive force acting on the
levitation coils of the side near the car and an
attractive force acting on the levitation coils of 5) THE MAGNETIC LEVITATION SYSTEM
the side farther apart from the car. Thus, a
running car is always located at the center of
Electronically controlled support
the guideway.
magnets located on both sides along the entire
length of the vehicle pull the vehicle up to the
ferromagnetic stator packs mounted to the
underside of the guideway.
Fig.-4 Guidance Magnet Arrangement
Guidance magnets located on both sides
along the entire length of the vehicle keep the
vehicle laterally on the track. Electronic
systems guarantee that the clearance remains
constant (nominally 10 mm). To hover, the
MAGLEV requires less power than its air
conditioning equipment. The levitation system
is supplied from on-board batteries and thus
independent of the propulsion system. The
vehicle is capable of hovering up to 30 minutes
without external energy. While travelling, the
on-board batteries are recharged by linear
generators integrated into the support magnets
6) LEVITATION BY ATTRACTION
Common knowledge of magnetism shows that
opposite magnetic poles repel each other. This
basic principle is how this type of Maglev train
appears to float closely to the track. In order for
the train to float, there must be two coils. The
top coil is installed in the train and the bottom
coil is placed in the track. Attraction is caused
by having the currents within each of the
circuits traveling in the same direction. It is
important to note that with attractive forces
created between the train and the track, that
there are coils located under the car and on an
extension that wraps under the track.
Fig.-5 Cross Section of Train & Track
7) ELECTROMAGNETIC PROPULSION
If you've ever played with magnets, you
know that opposite poles attract and like poles
repel each other. This is the basic principle
behind electromagnetic propulsion.
Electromagnets are similar to other magnets in
that they attract metal objects, but the magnetic
pull is temporary. You can easily create a small
electromagnet yourself by connecting the ends
of a copper wire to the positive and negative
ends of an AA, C or D-cell battery. This creates
a small magnetic field. If you disconnect either
end of the wire from the battery, the magnetic
field is taken away.
The magnetic field created in this wire-and-
battery experiment is the simple idea behind a
maglev train rail system. There are three
components to this system (Fig.-1):
• A large electrical power source
• Metal coils lining a guideway or
track
• Large guidance magnets attached
to the underside of the train.
Fig.-6 Track of maglev train

The big difference between a Maglev

train and a conventional train is that Maglev
trains do not have an engine -- at least not the
kind of engine used to pull typical train cars
along steel tracks. The engine for maglev trains Fig :- 8 (a) Elevated guideway
is rather inconspicuous. Instead of using fossil
fuels, the magnetic field created by the
electrified coils in the guideway walls and the
track combine to propel the train

Fig.-7 Conventional view of maglev track

8) THE MAGLEV GUIDEWAY SYSTEMS
The maglev hovers over a single or
double track guideway. It can be mounted
either at-grade or elevated on slim columns
and consists of individual steel or concrete
beams up to 62 m in length. To change tracks,
bendable switches are used which consist of a
continuous steel beam which is elastically bent
by means of electro-mechanical setting drives.
Low speed switches, approx. 78 m long, are
used to change tracks near stations and can be
passed over in the turnout direction at 100
km/h (in the straight direction at full operating
speed).
Fig.-8(b) Guideway system
High speed switches, approx. 150 m long, are
used where higher turnout speeds are required
(200 km/h turnout speed and in the straight
direction at full operating speed.
The magnetized coil running along the
track, called a guideway, repels the large
magnets on the train's undercarriage, allowing
the train to levitate between 0.39 and 3.93
inches (1 to 10 cm) above the guideway. Once
the train is levitated, power is supplied to the
coils within the guideway walls to create a
unique system of magnetic fields that pull and
push the train along the guideway. The electric
current supplied to the coils in the guideway
walls is constantly alternating to change the
polarity of the magnetized coils. This change in
polarity causes the magnetic field in front of the
train to pull the vehicle forward, while the
magnetic field behind the train adds more
forward thrust.

Maglev trains float on a cushion of air,

eliminating friction. This lack of friction and the
trains' aerodynamic designs allow these trains
to reach unprecedented ground transportation
speeds of more than 310 mph (500 kph), or
twice as fast as Amtrak's fastest commuter
train. In comparison, a Boeing-777 commercial
airplane used for long-range flights can reach a
top speed of about 562 mph (905 kph).
Developers say that maglev trains will
eventually link cities that are up to 1,000 miles
(1,609 km) apart. At 310 mph, you could travel
from Paris to Rome in just over two hours.
9) HIGH-SPEED (TRAVERSER) TYPE
Fig.-10 Sidewall-shifting track
The sidewall-shifting type is employed at
terminals where the line starts and ends; and
where low-speed wheel runs takes place on
the straight main line and curved branch line.
In this type the route is formed by merely
shifting the sidewalls, instead of the girder,
vertically or laterally. The front and rear ends
permit the sidewalls to be moved laterally,
while the midpart permits the sidewalls to be
moved vertically.

11) ISSUES RELATED TO MAGNETIC

LEVITATING TRAINS

11.1 Magnetic Fields

Intensity of magnetic field

effects of Maglev is extremely
Fig.-9 Traverser track. low (below everyday
household devices)
A traverser is installed to switch routes
between the straight main line where the Hair dryer, toaster, or sewing
vehicle runs levitated at high speed and the machine produce stronger
curved branch line where the vehicle runs on magnetic fields
wheels at low speed.
In the high-speed (traverser) type, the 11.2 Energy Consumption
guideway is divided into several laterally
movable beams, which shift to switch routes.
• Maglev uses 30% less
On the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, two shift-
energy than a high speed train
drive systems, electrical and hydraulic, are
traveling at the same speed.
tested.
(1/3 more power for the same
amount of energy)
10) LOW-SPEED (SIDEWALL-SHIFTING)
TYPE

Speed ICE Train Maglev Train

200 km/hr 32 Wh/km 32 Wh/km
250 km/hr 44 Wh/km 37 Wh/km
300 km/hr 71 Wh/km 47 Wh/km
400 km/hr - 71 Wh/km
11.3 Noise Levels
• No noise caused by
wheel rolling or engine
• Maglev noise is lost
among general ambient noise
• At 100m - Maglev
produces noise at 69 dB
• At 100m - Typical city
center road traffic is 80 dB
11.4 Vibrations
Just below human threshold of
perception
11.5 Power Supply
110kV lines fed separately via
two substations
11.6 Power Failure
Batteries on board
automatically are activated to
bring car to next station
Batteries charged continuously
11.7 Fire Resistance Of Vehicles
Latest non-PVC material used
that is non-combustible and
poor transmitter of heat.
Maglev vehicle carries no fuel
to increase fire hazard.
11.8 Safety
• 20 times safer than an
airplane
• 250 times safer than
other conventional railways
• 700 times safer than
travel by road
• Collision is impossible
because only sections of the track are
activated as needed. The vehicles
always travel in
• Synchronization and at
the same speed, further reducing the
chances of a crash.
11.9 Operation Costs
• Virtually no wear. Main cause
of mechanical wear is friction. Magnetic
levitation requires no contact, and
hence no friction.
• Components normally
subjected to mechanical wear are on
the whole replaced by electronic
comonents which do not suffer any
wear
• Specific energy consumption is
less than all other comparable means
of transportation.
• Faster train turnaround time
means fewer vehicles.
12)FUTURE SCOPE
magnetic levitation is a promising technology
for future space transportation as we build the
highway to space," said Garry Lyles, manager
of the Advanced Space Transportation
Program. The most expensive part of any
mission to low-Earth orbit is the first few
seconds - getting off the ground. Maglev is a
low-cost alternative for space transportation
because it leaves the first-stage propulsion
system on the ground. High-strength magnets
are already used to lift and propel high-speed
trains and roller coasters a couple of inches
above a guideway. A maglev launch-assist
system would be used to drive a space vehicle
down a track in a similar way, but at speeds of
600mph. A rocket engine would then take over
to enable spacecraft to reach orbit. A maglev
system is virtually maintenance-free because it
has no moving parts and there's no contact. It
could help launch a spacecraft from a typical
airport runway to low-Earth orbit every 90
minutes.

Launching Rockets

Last October, negotiations were completed on

a three-year contract with NASA to build a new
Inductrack model at Lawrence Livermore to
demonstrate the concept at speeds up to Mach
0.5 (170 meters per second). NASA is
interested in maglev technology to help launch
rockets at sharply reduced costs. As
conceived, a track would use a reusable
launcher to propel a rocket up a ramp to almost
Mach 1 speeds before the rocket's main
engines fire. According to Smith, the
technology should be able to save about 30%
of the weight of the launch vehicle. "Rocket
engines are not fuel-efficient at low speed," he
points out.

13)REFERENCES

www.calmaglev.com

www.llnl.govt

www.nasa.govt

richardj@hlyw.com

www.gole.com

www.sify.com