196

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-29, NO. 4, NOVEMBER 1986

Design of a Magnetic Levitation Control System

Undergraduate Project
T. H. WONG

Abstract-A magnetic levitation control system is built as a classroom demonstration device for systems and control courses. System
linearization and phase-lead compensation techniques are used to control the unstable nonlinear system.

INTRODUCTION
A CLASSROOM demonstration device is always very
helpful in teaching engineering courses particularly
for automatic control. The magnetic levitation control
system is considered an interesting and impressive device
for this purpose. In addition, the system is so simple and
small that is very convenient to be carried from class to
class.
There are, generally, two approaches for the design of
magnetic levitation. One way is by using the eddy current
magnetic repulsive force [1]. Another way is by using
electromagnetic attractive force [2]-[4]. This design project is based on the second method because it is more efficient than the first method in energy consumption [4].
The magnetic levitation system is an unstable nonlinear
system. The following is a detailed description of how to
design the controller to stabilize the system.

SYSTEm ANALYSIS
In Fig. 1, a ball bearing of mass m is placed underneath
the electromagnet at distance x. The current flowing into
the electromagnetic coil will generate electromagnetic
force to attract the ball bearing. The net force between the
electromagnetic force and gravitational force will induce
an up or down motion of the ball bearing. The photoresistor senses the variation of the position of the ball bearing
by the amount of shadow casted on its surface and feeds
back this signal to the control circuit and amplifier to
regulate the input current i. The ball bearing is kept in a
dynamic balance around its equilibrium point.
The system's dynamic equations can be obtained as (see
Appendix)

i 2

()

e= Ri+L

di

IEEE Log Number 8610515.

point

Col

pho to resils tor

ligght source
lih

sorc

Fig. 1. Magnetic levitation control system.

m

d2x

2 = mg - f

(3)

where
f
i
x
C
e
R
L

electromagnetic force
coil current
distance between electromagnet and ball bearing
constant
voltage across the coil
coil resistance
coil inductance

mass

of ball

bearing

gravitational acceleration.

The system dynamic equations are nonlinear. Before we

can apply the linear control theoty, the system dynamic

equations are linearized at an operating point. The linear-

ized equations describing the variations from the operating point are obtained by using only the linear terms from
the Taylor series expansion. If the variables of the operating point are expressed with subscript "0" and the variables at the neighborhood of the operating point are represented with subscript "1," then linearized equations are

fi=

200
2 i1
x0

M(1)

el=

Ri1

(2)

d 2x,
mdF2L = f

Manuscript received July 11, 1985; revised December 19, 1985.

The author is with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tulane

University, New Orleans, LA 70118.

electromagnet

controller amplifler

operating

where

li 2

x0

(4)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~di,
(5)

+ L

fo = mg = C

0018-9359/86/ 1100-0196$01.00 1986 IEEE

2Ci2

-2-I
3
d-

(6)

\Xo/

197

WONG: MAGNETIC LEVITATION CONTROL SYSTEM

disturbance

controller
+

70

electromagnet

E,

IE(S)l

bal
__________
l-bearingl_r

T(S)

X1(S)1I

IF (S)

m 7
/00

90

Fig. 2. Block diagram.

Fig. 3. System's dimensions (mm).

Laplace transformation of (4)-(6) yields

F1(S) = kLI,(S)

Im

Xl(S)]

--

(7)

E1(S) = (R + LS)11(S)

mS2X1(S)

(8)

(9)

-F1(S)

where

--

-58 -49.5

49.5

Re

k = 2C .

x2o

The block diagram of the magnetic levitation system is

shown in Fig. 2. The characteristic equation of the control
system can be obtained.
Q(S) = xoLmS3 + xoRmS2 -kioLS kioR + Gc(S)kXoB = 0.

Fig. 4. System root loci (constant amplifier gain).

TABLE I

(10)

From (10), we know that the system is unstable without

a proper controller.

xO
m
R

0.008 m
0.068 kg

28 Q
0.483 H

0.76 A
iOC
COMPENSATION TECHNIQUE
7.39 x i0-5 N .m2 /A2
k
1.756 N/A
In Fig. 3, the electromagnet is made of a 3600-turn coil
B
1.14 x 103 V/m
of gage 22 insulation wire closely wound around a low
carbon steel cylinder of diameter d = 25 mm and length
1 = 100 mm. The other measured parameters are listed in
Table I.
First, considering Gc(S) is a proportional controller (i.e.,
Equation (10) can be rearranged as
constant amplifier gain), the root loci of the system is

V(S)

I +

LGS3c+
R S2 kxB
xOLMS3 xORmS2 Q(S)

GC(S)kXOB

1 +

LS

kioLS

kioR
(11)

and
Q(S) = 1 +

GC(S)

ki0

mx0

kB

ML

Fki0

Substituting the parameters into (12), we get

Q(S)

1 +(S + 49.5)(S - 49.5)(S + 58) =

shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 indicates that system can never be stabilized by

simply adjusting the amplifier gain only. It is required to
shift the loci to the left of the S plane so that the system
can be stabilized by selecting the proper amplifier gain.
Since a lead network can serve this purpose, a phase-lead
controller is considered for Gc(s). The technique of the

phase-lead compensation design in this case is to place

=0. the zero of the compensator in between 0 and -49.5, and
close to -49.5, on the, real axis of the S plane, while the
>
S,<JV
pole
of the compensator is placed about 10 times the zero
L
position [7]. Hence, the phase-lead compensator is cho(12) sen as

G'(S. - K S + 4014
1)The characteristic equation of (13) becomes

198

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-29, NO. 4, NOVEMBER 1986

Im

s2 /
K'= 3.05 x

K'

4.702

106

10

(K = 50)

-400

-58

72g)j;tZ
40

~~~~~K'=1. 421

S1

106

49.5

Re

-4.5\

n 100
Fig. 5. System root loci (with phase-lead compensation).
+42 V

1000II h

110

-42 v_

(15)~ ~~~~0
outpu)lt

detection

disturbance
input

Fig. 6. Electronic circuit of the magnetic levitation system.

K' (S + 40)
Q(S) = 1 + (S + 49.5)(S - 49.5)(S + 58)(S + 400)

K' = 60990 K,
K: amplifier gain.
The root locus of (15) for K' changes from O
OD is
shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, for a stable system the minimum system gain is K' = 1.421 x 106 or K = 23 at point
Si and the maximum system gain is K' = 4.702 x 106 or
K = 77 at point S2 We select the medium amplifier gain
of K = 50. The control circuit for the magnetic levitation
system is shown in Fig. 6.

/-'9015

33t

<
3 3
233

-40 20AF
_l ______

]0

Fig. 7. Design layout (mm).

a feedback signal to control the position of the ball bearing. Since the photoresistor is very sensitive to the intenSYSTEM DESIGN AND EXPERIMENTS
The layout of the control demonstration device is shown sity of light on its surface, a black tube is used to cover
in Fig. 7. The deviation from the equilibrium position of the photoresistor and to block the disturbance effect from
the ball bearing casts a shadow on the photoresistor which outside light sources. In designing the system, the lead
will generate the varying voltage corresponding to the compensator is achieved by using a simple RC circuit as
changing position. Then, the changing voltage is used as in Fig. 8.

199

WONG: MAGNETIC LEVITATION CONTROL SYSTEM

From

photorRt2

Vl
2

phtresistor

R2

2RV

O
Fig. 8. Lead compensator.

To
amplifier

inpVt

frequency response. The demonstration device was

brought to the class twice for the course. First, a demonstration was conducted at the beginning of the semester
to explain the concept of feedback control systems. Students reacted with a great deal of curiosity and interest.
The second demonstration was given after the students
had learned the root locus compensation technique. In this
demonstration, the complete magnetic levitation control
system from system modeling, analysis, and synthesis was
used as a live control system design example. The students' responses were enthusiastic. Many questions were
asked about the technical details in the design of the control system.
In demonstrations, in order to enhance the effect, a
function generator was used to supply a sinusoidal waveforn of different frequencies at the disturbance input of
the circuit. Then, the ball bearing would oscillate at the

frequencies accordingly.

Actual levitated system.

Fig.
9.
Fig. 9.Actual levitated system.metr

Students' reaction to this course is very encouraging;

that can be observed from 58 percent of senior students
choosing this course as their one of the two career electives out of six courses offered by the department this semester.

(mm)

CONCLUSION

The magnetic levitation control system has proven successful for classroom demonstration of feedback control.
._It is very effective in teaching a control course using this
7.0 l/_,_,_,_,_,_
0.16
demonstration device as a live control system design ex0.08
Tlme (Second)
ample. It is also possible to include this device as part of
a control lab for compensator design with a different operating point or a different size of the ball bearing.
This paper presents the design details on how to use the
Fig. 10. System step response.
linear control theory to control a nonlinear unstable magThe most difficult part for this design work is to select netic levitation system.
RI and R2 such that the steady state value of V2 has the
APPENDIX
proper bias voltage to the power transistor which, in turn,
DERIVATION OF SYSTEM EQUATIONS
will supply the current for the coil to generate the electromagnetic force approximately equivalent to the weight of
The magnetic forcef exerted on the ball bearing is given
the ball bearing at the operating point. Several experiby the well known equation [21
mental trials are necessary.
'2 dL
Fig. 9 is the picture of display of the controlled system.
(Al)
f= -- In Fig. 10, the system's dynamic time response is ob2 dx
tained from HP 7015B X-Y recorder by applying a step
disturbance to the system. If the disturbance exceeds the The inductance L has its largest value when the ball bearlinearized range, the system will become unstable and loss ing is next to the coil and decreases to a constant value LI
of control. In the lab experiments, we found that the limit as the ball bearing is removed to x = oo. For the present
of allowable disturbance to the system is about + 1.0 mm purpose we assume that this dependence is
away from xo.
Loxo
8.5

L L + x
(A2)
DEMONSTRATIONS
The magnetic levitation system is intended to be used where Lo is a constant and xo is the operating levitation
as a classroom demonstration device for my control and gap. Substituting (A2) into (Al) we get
automation course which also includes six control labs
2
2
.
(A3)
consisting of instrumentations, dc-motor system paramef = 2 LoXo (' = C
2
ter identification, velocity control, position control, and

(D

IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. E-29, NO. 4. NOVEMBER 1986

200

The differential equation of the circuit is

d(Li)
e = Ri +
dt

(A4)

cloe neighborhood
neighbrhood of
ept around
aroud the close
x i alwayskept
Since x isSince
always
xo, L can be considered as a constant that will greatly simplify the system model without losing much accuracy.
Therefore, (A4) can be written as
di

(AS)
e =Ri +L-.
dt
The equation of motion of the mechanical system is
d 2x
m 2=mg-J
(A6)

a magnetic
[61 L. 0. Kehinde, "Analysis of limit cycle oscillations in Int.
J. Eng.
suspension system using the describing function method,"
Sci., vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 419-437, 1984.
17] J. J. D'azzo and C. H. Houpis. Linear Control System Analysis and

[8]

New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975.

H. H. Woodson and J. R. Melcher, Electromechanical Dvnamni cs:

Design, Conventional and Modern.

Part I Discrete Systems.

New York: Wiley. 1968.

19] G. H. Hostetter, C. J. Savant. Jr., and R. T. Stefani, Design of Feedback Control Systems. Ncw York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
1982.
110] R. H. Cannon, Dynamics of Physical Systems. New York: McGrawHill 1967.

The simplified system dynamic equations are (A3), (A5),

and (A6).
REFERENCES

11] E. R. Laithwaite, 'Electromagnetic levitation," Proc. IEE, vol. 112,

no. 12, pp. 2361-2375, 1965.

[2] B. V. Jayawant and D. P. Rea, "New electromagnetic suspension and
its stabilisation," Proc. IEE, vol. 115, no. 4, pp. 549-554, 1968.
13] B. V. Jayawant, P. K. Sinha, A. R. Wheeler, R. J. Whorlow, and J.
Willsher, "Developement of I-ton magnetically suspended vehicle
using controlled dc electromagnets," Proc. IEE, vol. 123, no. 9, pp.

941-948,e1976.

[4] F. Matsumura and S. Yamada, 'A control method of suspension control system by magnetic attractive force," Trans. I.E.E.J., (Japanese), vol. 94-B, no. 11, pp. 33-40, 1974.
15] R. Frazier, P. Gillinson, and G. Oberback, Magnetic and Electrical
Suspension. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1974.

_
_
REFERENCES

T. H. Wong received the B.S.M.E. degree from

Tatung Institute of Technology, Taiwan, in 1967,
the S.M. degree from the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, in 1974, and the

Ph.D. degree from the State University of New

York at Buffalo, in 1983.
From 1967 to 1968 hc served in the Chinese
army as an R.O.T.C. Officer. From 1968 to 1972
he was with Toung-Yuan Electrical Company and
Tatung Company, Taiwan. He joined the Mechanical Engineering Faculty of Tatung Institute
of Technology Taiwan from 1974 to 1980, and taught courses primarily in
the systems and controls areas. In 1983 he became an Assistant Professor
at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA. His research interests include system dynamics and control theory.