MAGLEV An introduction to Magnetic Levitation and its applications

Problem Current land transportation is slow Land is limited by friction Flying is expensive Air and land travel takes up a lot of fuel

Solution Reduce friction for land travel “Hover” just over the railroad tracks Process is simpler than making a plane fly Staying on land is safer

Implementation Strong magnets on moving car Magnetic forces hold car in position –Vertically Inclining or declining track Weight distribution changing –Horizontally Wind forces Turning

Superconducting Magnets Superconducting magnets on train induce current on conducting sheet Induced currents generate magnetic repulsive force In conducting sheet guideway there are power losses in sheet Slightly corrected by making small conducting loops Still significant losses…

A Better Design James Powell, and Gordon Danby invented the “Null-Flux” system When the vehicle is at the symmetry point of the loop, the net magnetic flux through the loop circuit is zero

Forward Propulsion No connection with track Linear Synchronous Motor used AC current in windings in the guideway Speed in controlled by frequency of the AC power High efficiency because only the section of track that the train is on needs current

The MagLifter

Conclusion There’s definitely a better way to travel Currently test tracks are being built in America Maglev transportation has a questionable future