A Seminar Report on MAGLEV by ROHAN SHARMA

CONTENTS

SR. NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

1 Introduction 2
2 Historical Background 5
3 Maglev Methods 8
4 Working of Maglev vehicle 9
5 Propulsion Force 9
6 Linear Motor Principle 10
7 Propulsion of Maglev 12
8 Levitating Force 13
9 Lateral Guiding Force 18
10 Braking & Control 19
11 Varying Maglev Speed 20
12 Maglev in INDIA 21
13 Conclusion 22
14 References 23

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 A Seminar Report on MAGLEV by ROHAN SHARMA

INTRODUCTION

Magnetic levitation, maglev, or magnetic suspension is a

method by which an object is suspended above another
object with no support other than magnetic field .The
electromagnetic force is used to counteract the effects of the
gravitational force.
A substance which is diamagnetic repels a magnetic field.
Earnshaw's theorem does not apply to diamagnets; they
behave in the opposite manner of a typical magnet due to
their relative permeability of µr < 1. All materials have
diamagnetic properties, but the effect is very weak, and
usually overcome by the
object's paramagnetic or
ferromagnetic properties,
which act in the opposite
manner. Any material in which
the diamagnetic component is
strongest will be repelled by a
magnet, though this force is
not usually very large. Diamagnetic levitation can be used to
levitate very light pieces of pyrolytic graphite or bismuth
above a moderately strong permanent magnet. As water is
predominantly diamagnetic, this technique has been used to

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 A Seminar Report on MAGLEV by ROHAN SHARMA

levitate water droplets and even live animals, such as a

grasshopper and a frog.

The minimum criteria for diamagnetic levitation is

Where:

• χ is the magnetic susceptibility

• ρ is the density of the material
• g is the local gravitational acceleration (-9.8
m/s2 on Earth)
• µ0 is the permeability of free space
• B is the magnetic field

• is the rate of change of the magnetic field

along the vertical axis.

Assuming ideal conditions along the z-direction of solenoid

magnet:

• Water levitates at

• Graphite at

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 A Seminar Report on MAGLEV by ROHAN SHARMA

A live frog levitating inside a 32 mm diameter vertical

bore in a magnetic field of about 16 Tesla at the
Nijmegen High Field Magnet Laboratory

Levitating Pyrolytic Carbon

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HISTORICAL
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Approximately 25 years ago, scientists became interested in
developing a train that would combine high-speed with a
smooth ride and quiet operation. They developed the
"Maglev", or magnetic levitation train. This vehicle rides on a
cushion created by the electromagnetic repulsion between a
series of on-board magnets and another embedded in the
trackway below the train. Thus, this train does not run on
wheels. As a result, the ride is very smooth and there is no
metal-to-metal contact to generate noise and steel dust.
Keeping this kind of Maglev train airborne and in smooth
motion requires advanced, extremely accurate feedback
circuits and very strict engineering tolerances. The other
type of Maglev uses super-conducting coils embedded in the
guideway and electromagnets in the train cars to establish
the levitation.

Two American scientists at Lawrence Livermore National

Laboratories have developed a new system called Indutrack
which employs the use of passive permanent magnets, just
like the ones on your kitchen refrigerator, only larger. In
preliminary tests, Indutrack trains have higher lifting
efficiency. Another big advantage of Indutrack is that it does
not require the incorporation of superconductive coils in the
guideway or in the bottom of the car. These coils require an

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extremely expensive, high maintenance, ultra-low

temperature helium cooling systems. The new system
consists of a series of passive magnets, called Halbach
arrays, attached under the vehicle. The guide-way, which
replaces the track or conventional subway and railroad
trains, has metallic magnetic-inductive coils embedded in its
surface. For each pound of the Halbach passive magnets, 50
pounds of vehicle/payload can be lifted.

There are two types of Maglev's: ones that use like magnets
which repel each other and ones that use opposing magnets
that attract with each other. Ones that use repelling
magnets' are called Superconducting Maglev's. The magnets
allow the train to float. Electromagnetic Maglevs use
opposing magnets.

Superconducting Maglevs use very cold temperature

magnets in order to make electricity without any opposition.
The magnets are then put on the bottom of the train. When
the train moves, it forms currents from the magnets in the
aluminum sheets placed in the guideway. Because of the
repelling force, the vehicle rises. Also in the guideway,
separate electric currents pass through which push the train
forward.

Electromagnetic Maglev's go under the guideway. They use

opposing magnets that attract with each other. This allows
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the Maglev to pull upward towards the guideway. Like the

superconducting Maglev's, separate currents make magnetic
fields shift which allows the train to move forward. These
Maglev's travel about 3/8's of an inch away from the
guideway. In order for the magnets from not hitting the
guideway, the lifting current must keep being fixed.

The main parts of the Maglev:

Guide way and guide rails - keep the train to on track

Landing wheels; levitation coils - run along the base of the

guide way (used in superconducting maglevs)

Emergency landing wheel; superconducting magnets and

propulsion coils - run along the base of guide way (used in
electromagnetic maglev's), and a linear induction motor -
moves and brakes the vehicle on the track.
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MAGLEV METHODS

• Repulsion between like poles of permanent magnets or

electromagnets.
• Repulsion between a magnet and a metallic conductor
induced by relative motion.
• Repulsion between a metallic conductor and an AC
electromagnet.
• Repulsion between a magnetic field and a diamagnetic
substance.
• Repulsion between a magnet and a superconductor.
• Attraction between unlike poles of permanent magnets or
electromagnets.
• Attraction between the open core of an electromagnetic
solenoid and a piece of iron or a magnet.
• Attraction between a permanent magnet or electromagnet
and a piece of iron.
• Attraction between an electromagnet and a piece of iron or a
magnet, with sensors and active control of the current to the
electromagnet used to maintain some distance between
them.
• Repulsion between an electromagnet and a magnet, with
sensors and active control of the current to the
electromagnet used to maintain some distance between
them.

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WORKING OF
OF MAGLEV VEHICLE
Basically the construction depends on
3 different working forces.

PROPULSION FORCE

LEVITATING FORCE

LATERAL GUIDING FORCE

1. PROPULSION FORCE
This is a horizontal force which causes the movement of
train. It requires 3 parameters.

• Large electric power supply

• Metal coil lining, a guide way or track.
• Large magnet attached under the vehicle.

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PRINCIPLE OF LINEAR MOTOR

Its principle is similar to induction motor having linear stator

and flat rotor. The 3-phase supply applied to the stator
produces a constant speed magnetic wave, which further
produces a repulsive force.

A linear motor or linear induction motor is essentially a

multi-phase alternating current (AC) electric motor that has
had its stator "unrolled" so that instead of producing a
torque (rotation) it produces a linear force along its length.
The most common mode of operation is as a Lorentz-type
actuator, in which the applied force is linearly proportional to
the current and the magnetic field (F = qv × B).

Many designs have been put forward for linear motors,

falling into two major categories, low-acceleration and high-

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acceleration linear motors. Low-acceleration linear motors

are suitable for maglev trains and other ground-based
transportation applications. High-acceleration linear motors
are normally quite short, and are designed to accelerate an
object up to a very high speed and then release the object,
like roller coasters. They are usually used for studies of
hypervelocity collisions, as weapons, or as mass drivers for
spacecraft propulsion. The high-acceleration motors are
usually of the linear induction design (LIM) with an active
three-phase winding on one side of the air-gap and a
passive conductor plate on the other side. The low-
acceleration, high speed and high power motors are usually
of the linear synchronous design (LSM), with an active
winding on one side of the air-gap and an array of alternate-
pole magnets on the other side. These magnets can be
permanent magnets or energized magnets. The Transrapid
Shanghai motor is an LSM.

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Maglev vehicles are propelled primarily by one of

the following three options:

1.A linear synchronous motor (LSM) in which coils in the

guideway are excited by a three phase winding to produce a
traveling wave at the speed desired; Trans Rapid in
Germany employs such a system.

2. A Linear Induction Motor (LIM) in which an electromagnet

underneath the vehicle induces current in an aluminum
sheet on the guideway.

3. A reluctance motor is employed in which active coils on

the vehicle are pulsed at the proper time to realize thrust.

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2. LEVITATING FORCE

The levitating force is the upward thrust which lifts the

vehicle in the air.

There are 3 types of levitating systems

1. EDS system

2. EMS system

3. INDUCTRACK system

Levitating force is produced due to the eddy current in the

conducting ladder by the electromagnetic interaction. At low
speed the force due to induced poles cancel each other. At
high speed a repulsive force is taken place as the magnet is
shifted over a particular pole.

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I. EDS SYSTEM:

In EDS both the rail and the train exert a magnetic field, and
the train is levitated by the repulsive force between these
magnetic fields.
At slow speeds, the current induced in these coils and the
resultant magnetic flux is not large enough to support the
weight of the train. For this reason the train must have
wheels or some other form of landing gear to support the
train until it reaches a speed that can sustain levitation.

Onboard magnets and large margin between rail and train

enable highest recorded train speeds (581 km/h).This
system is inherently stable. Magnetic shielding for
suppression of strong magnetic fields and wheels for travel
at low speed are required. It can’t produce the propulsion
force. So, LIM system is required.

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II. EMS SYSTEM:

Maglev concepts using electro -magnetic suspension employ
attractive forces. Magnetic fields inside and outside the
vehicle are insignificant; proven, commercially available
technology that can attain very high speeds (500 km/h); no
wheels or secondary propulsion system needed.

The separation between the vehicle and the guideway must

be constantly monitored and corrected by computer systems
to avoid collision due to the unstable nature of
electromagnetic attraction.

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III. INDUCTRACK SYSTEM:

The inductrack guide way would contain two rows of tightly
packed levitation coils, which would act as the rails. Each of
these “rails” would be lined by two Halbach arrays carried
underneath the maglev vehicle: one positioned directly
above the “rail” and one along the inner side of the “rail”.
The Halbach arrays above the coils would provide levitation
while the Halbach arrays on the sides would provide lateral
guidance that keeps the train in a fixed position on the
track.

The track is actually an array of electrically-shorted circuits

containing insulated wire. In one design, these circuits are
aligned like rungs in a ladder. As the train moves, a
magnetic field repels the magnets, causing the train to
levitate.

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There are two inductrack designs, Inductrack I and II.

Inductrack I is designed for high speeds, while inductrack II
is suited for slow speeds. Inductrack trains could levitate
higher with greater stability. As long as it’s moving a few
miles per hour, an inductrack train will levitate nearly an
inch above the track. A greater gap above the track means
that the train would not require complex sensingsystems to
maintain stability. Permanent magnets had not been used
before because scientists thought that they would not create
enough levitating force. The inductrack design bypasses this
problem by arranging the magnets in a Halbach array. The
magnets are configured so that the intensity of the magnetic
field concentrates above the array instead of below it which
generates higher magnetic field.
The inductrack II design incorporates two Halbach arrays to
generate a stronger magnetic field at lower speeds. Dr.
Richard post at the Livermore National Laboratory in
California came up with this concept in response to safety
and cost concerns. The prototype tests caught the attention
of NASA, which awarded a contract to Dr.post and his team
to explore the possibility of using the inductrack system to
launch satellites into orbit.

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3. LATERAL GUIDING FORCE

Guidance or steering refers to the
sideward forces that are required to
make the vehicle follow the
guideway. The necessary forces are
supplied in an exactly analogous
fashion to the suspension forces,
either attractive or repulsive. The
same magnets on board the vehicle,
which supply lift, can be used
concurrently for guidance or separate
guidance magnets can be used.
It requires the following arrangements:
• Guideway levitating coil
• Moving magnet

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BRAKING & CONTROL OF MAGLEV TRAINS

GENERALY TWO TYPES OF BREAKING ARE USED

• AERODYNOMIC BREAKING
• ELECTOMAGNETIC BREAKING

Yamanashi Superconducting Magnet

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Varying Maglev Speed

The Maglev’s speed can vary from standstill to full operating

speed by simply adjusting the frequency of the alternating
current. To bring the train to a full stop, the direction of the
travelling field is reversed. Even during braking, there isn't
any mechanical contact between the stator and the rotor.

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MAGLEV in INDIA

Mumbai – Delhi: A maglev line project was presented to

India's railways minister Lalu Prasad Yadav by an American
company. If approved, this line would serve between the
cities of Mumbai and Delhi, the Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh said that if the line project is successful the Indian
government would build lines between other cities and also
between Mumbai centre and Chattrapati Shivaji
International Airport.

Maharashtra has also approved feasibility study for Maglev

train between Mumbai, which is commercial capital of India
and state govt capital and Nagpur, which is second capital of
the state and about 1000 km away. It plans to connect
developed area of Mumbai and Pune with Nagpur via
underdeveloped hinterland via Ahmednagar, Beed, Latur,
Nanded and Yavatmal.

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CONCLUSION
It’s no longer science fiction, maglev trains are the new way
of transportation in the near future, just some obstacles are
in the way, but with some researches nothing is impossible.
With no engine, no wheels, no pollution, new source of
energy, floating on air, the concept has token tens of years
to develop, just recently it’s true capacities has been
realized. Competing planes with speed, boats with efficiency,
traditional trains with safety, and cars with comfort, it seems
like it isn't a fair fight....

Advantages
1. Quicker and efficient transport
2. No noise
3. Comfortable, smooth ride due to very little friction
4. Safe and cost-effective
5. Less consumption of natural resources
6. Environment-friendly as no gas is emitted

Disadvantage
1. Highly Expensive
2. Complex control system
3. No overlap or junction can done

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REFERENCES

• Principles of Electrical Machines

• www.wikipedia.org
• www.howstuffworks.com
• www.google.co.in

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