Magnetic Levitation

By Bhoomika Mewada
Magnetic levitation
Magnetic Levitation is a technology in which an object as a whole is lifted up from
the ground by inducing some magnetic force which counteracts the gravitational
force or any kind of acceleration. It can also be termed as Maglev or even
magnetic suspension. In this magnetic levitation technology, the body remains
stable after elevating from the ground and do not slip or slide back on the parent
platform. The technology involves two primary techniques.

Traditional Systems
The transportation system in the United States has been much admired around
the world. Our extensive highway and air systems have facilitated business and
leisure travel and contributed to a high quality of life for many Americans. In
1990, 429 million passengers traveled 342 billion passenger miles on commercial
airlines. Americans traveled 2 trillion passenger miles my car, truck, bus, and
public transit, and 6.1 billion passenger miles on Amtrak. As population have
grown and shifted, however, the traditional systems have become stressed.
Congestion on highways and at airports, especially since September 11, not only
wastes time and fuel increases, but also constrains mobility to the extent that
economic growth and productivity are adversely affected. Some of the current
concerns are the rising costs. Land is costly and becoming more scarce. Adding
more highway lanes and building new airports in or near our larger cities is
becoming increasingly difficult. Environmental issues are associated with building
and operating air and highway systems (such as air and noise pollution) have
become a major problem in expansion. The last one is increased oil dependence.
Current transportation technologies are petroleum dependent, accounting for 64
percent of total petroleum use. Without transportation alternatives that reduce
dependency, transportation petroleum use is expected to remain high. Due to
this, it is possible that this situation will contribute to the U.S. trade deficit and
dependence on oil imports, possibly creating a national security problem. Lets
look at how the technology of magnetic levitation, or Maglev, may decrease these
current problems.

Basic Principles of Physics

Magnetism is a phenomenon that occurs when a moving charge exerts a force on
other moving charges. The magnetic force caused by this moving charge sets up a
field which in turn exerts a moving force on other moving charges. The magnetic
field is found to be perpendicular to the velocity of the current.
Maglev History Timeline

1900 - Robert Goddard and Emile Bachelet conceived the concept of frictionless
trains.
1930 - German scientist Hermann Kemper studied the use of magnetic fields in
conjunction with airplanes and trains
1969 - American scientists James R. Powell and Gordan T. Danby patented the
first design for magnetic levitational trains
1970 - Germans and Japanese start research and development towards their
versions of maglev technology

1990 - U.S. Federal Government with FRA begins to support maglev technology
and implements the National Maglev Imitative (NMI).
1991 - Germany's government certifies operation of first maglev train for the
public
1998 - Hamburg to Berlin route will be complete
2005 - Tokyo-Osaka route scheduled to be finished
Magnetic Suspension or lifting technology applied on the object.
Stability in suspension which allows the object to stay in air without slipping
down.
Theory behind Magnetic Levitation technology:
When we confront with such a technology, we are always keen to learn the
mechanism which persists behind this Magnetic Levitation advancement. While
discussing about the technology involving this mechanism we need to have a wide
understanding of the techniques involved in both lifting as well as maintaining
stability.
1. Magnetic rise:
We know that magnetic materials attract or repel each other depending on the
amount of magnetic field created around them and the area of the materials. If
two dipole magnets are placed facing their like poles, then a repelling force will
act between them. This dipole magnet technology is used to move lifts. For
magnetic levitation various kind of magnets are used which comprises of
Electromagnetism
Permanent magnets
Diamagnetism
Ferromagnetism
High conducting magnets
Magnets with induced current in conductors
Whichever magnetic technology is used for the purpose of suspension,
before conducting the experiment, developers firstly calculate the magnetic
pressure required for lifting the object.
For calculating the magnetic pressure of a highly conducting magnet, following
representation is considered
Pmag = B2 / 2 0
In the above formula Pmag represents the magnetic pressure in Pascals, B is the
magnetic field in Teslas and 0 = 4107 NA2 which is the premeability of
vacuum.
2. Stability:
Suspension of the object is controlled by various magnetic fields, but the stability
after suspension of the object in air cannot be eventually controlled by using any
kind of magnetism. Only servomechanism technique can result to a positive
result. This technology is initiated by conducting Eddy Currents through any kind
of magnetic material. Sometimes load is used for stable suspension of the object.
This technology is called pseudo-levitation. Stability acquired after rising from the
ground level consists of two categories.
Static Stability where any kind of slight displacement on the suspended object
will create a repulsive force which will bring it back to its equilibrium position.
Dynamic stability is the condition derived by a levitated object when it can easily
face the vibrations or movements of the body by using damping technology. This
helps the body to keep-up its motion and allow it to leave its position of
equilibrium even in the mode of suspension.
Magnetic Levitation-Future application levels:
Floating Cities: The Magnetic Levitation Technology has been taken to
consideration in order to create cities at a level far above the earth. This thinking
has been initiated due to decreasing availability of ground on earth. Also,
Magnetic Levitation technology can allow us to stay in an island floating on
atmosphere quite far above the ground where the air is free from any kind of
pollution or impurity. This architecture incorporated with Maglev technology or
Magnetic Levitation Technology has been proposed by a Chinese architect named
Wei Zhao who was an honorable winner in Skyscraper Competition in eVolos
2012. This concept was named as Heaven and Earth. Magnetic field generated,
repels the gravitational force created by earth and allows the floating island to
remain suspended in air. The island will keep rotating or spinning its platform
which in turn will be responsible to generate energy required to maintain stability
while on suspension. The entire concept is based on theoretical assumption.
Practical application has not been initiated till date. But with the pace at which
technology is advancing we will surely find a floating city on earth in near future.
Experiments are conducted on atmospheric conditions of other planets to initiate
building suspended islands. The ground atmosphere of these planets may not be
suitable for life to persist. But the atmosphere above the ground may have
enough potential for life to survive.

Personal Rapid Transit: This is an idea which is being derived form old era where
they wanted transportation system within small circle at a considerable speed. To
serve the purpose, a linear motor was designed which used to move without
creating any contact with the track. It used a single motor which lifted it above
the ground and forced for forward movement. The first linear motor was
designed as a single coop shuttle which ran from Birmingham airport to
Birmingham Railway station at a very low speed of 26 mph. It was later closed
because it had some reliability issues. Later with further researches and
technological enlightenment, the Magnetic Levitation Technology was improvised
to create long trains and moving vehicles within cities which accommodated huge
numbers of passengers. These high speed automated Magnetic Levitation
Technology vehicles / Maglev Trains were frictionless, free from any bump or
vibration and even noiseless.

Future Application:
Thinking about the future and collaborating with the Maglev technology,
researchers will enforce new ideas in the field of transportation. Automated
moving vehicles can be constructed with advanced technology and varied possible
way so that it can carry huge number of passengers at a speed higher than 360
km/h. So high speed-efficient transportation facility provided in the future is one
of the primary aim of the Maglev technology.

Review - Advantages and disadvantages of Magnetic Levitation Technology

/ Maglev Technology:
Technological developments have both advantages as well as disadvantages.
Advantages of Magnetic Levitation / Maglev Technology:
Maglev transportation with high speed technology is used in the automated
magnetic levitated vehicles for efficiency. Magnetic Levitation Technology will
provide noise free environment. All the systems of these Maglev automated
machines do not require any control station because they are controlled with the
help of computers. Maglev vehicles are mainly light weight machines with its
weight evenly distributed throughout the vehicle creating an easier mechanism.
Maglev vehicles have very low maintenance cost.
Disadvantages of Magnetic Levitation Technology / Maglev Technology:
The speed of a Maglev vehicle or train cannot be related to the speed of an
aircraft. Though the maximum speed level has reached to 360 km/h which is far
more than the traditional trains with tracks, yet the speed does not exceed the
speed of an aeroplane.
Maglev vehicles have low level gradient and they are suitable for direct routing.
Unlike traditional trains, Maglev trains are not adjustable to any weather
condition like snow or rain because of its no-contact mechanism.

Modi Effect: Bullet And Maglev Trains To Zoom In India

Bullet trains will soon become a reality in India. (Photo credit: Wikimedia.org)
It was during Narendra Modis chief ministerial tenure in Gujarat that his trips to
other countries gave him the opportunity to ride on high-speed trains. Now that
he is the Prime Minister, its no surprise that he is keen on introducing bullet
trains in India. His governments first Railway Budget introduced the Diamond
Quadrangle Project and made it a point to start high-speed bullet train services in
India.
Diamond Quadrangle Project
The Diamond Quadrilateral Project plans to connect the four major cities,
i.e., Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, with high-speed bullet trains. However,
the first bullet train project is set to start in Gujarat, the home state of the Prime
Minister.
Some of the major proposed routes are:
DelhiAgra
DelhiChennai
AhmedabadMumbai
Mysore-BangaloreChennai
MumbaiGoa
HyderabadSecunderabad
Bullet trains and Maglev
The railway sector has a huge impact on the countrys economy. But compared to
the rail connectivity in countries like Japan and China, India lags far behind. The
Prime Minister is greatly inspired by the efficiency of Japans rail network system
and he thinks it would be better if Indian railways followed a similar model.
The first Shinkansen or bullet train was inaugurated in 1964 in Japan, but the
research work for it had started way back in the 1950s. During that time Japan
was recuperating from the devastation of World War II and had two major
problemsdense population and lack of good public transportation.
Consequently, in 1957, the Japanese bullet trains changed history. Initially, a
narrow gauge was in use in these trains, but after achieving a top speed of 145
km/h things changed for the trains. Engineers believed that a standard gauge
could provide more stability due to its width and reduced friction and thus attain
higher speeds. Thus standard gauge was incorporated. And, the first bullet train
service from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka started during the Olympic games of 1964.

High-speed trains in India will cut travel time by half. (Photo credit:
Wikimedia.org)
Another high speed train is called a Maglev (magnetic levitation). The first
commercial Maglev system was opened in Birmingham in 1984. It uses magnetic
levitation to move vehicles without touching the ground. Through this, the vehicle
will travel along a magnetic trail and because of the magnets, lift and propulsion is
created. This reduces friction and allows more speed. Recently, a Japanese
Maglev crossed the 600 km/h mark, thus becoming the fastest rail vehicle in the
world.
Transrapid 09, a German Maglev. (Photo credit: Wikimedia.org)
The construction of the Shanghai Maglev costs China $1.2 billion. Understandably,
the biggest challenge with the construction and setting up of Maglevs in India is
its cost. Along with the cost, a large land area is required to create tunnels for
Maglevs.
Current situation
The Indian Railways has set up the High Speed Rail Corporation of India Ltd.,
which is responsible for all high-speed rail projects in the country. The first high-
speed rail line is expected to connect Ahmedabad and Mumbai. It will cover the
distance of around 540 kilometers at an estimated cost of Rs. 60,000 crore. And
these high-speed trains will run at 320 km/h. Talks and negotiations have already
started with China on the construction of another corridor for high-speed rail line
from Delhi to Chennai. This corridor would cover 1,754 kilometers, making it the
worlds second largest bullet train line. Although the government has been
considering to set up Maglev systems, there are quite a few challenges to be
overcome before it becomes a reality.
Life after bullet trains
The first bullet train in India was proposed in the mid-1980s, but the project
could not take off because of the huge costs involved. But now we have finally
reached the stage where the proposal for bullet train has been accepted, it might
roll out soon.
Here are some ways in which bullet trains will change the present scheme of
things:
Overnight journeys would become a days travel.
We would be able to compete with other major economies, in terms of travel
time. It will raise the value of real estate in India.
It will reduce the time-cost, delays due to logistics and snags that are common in
Indian railways.
Weather conditions will not affect the schedules of the trains.
Bullet trains will take the passenger load off from the already over-crowded
trains.
Bullet trains will definitely contribute to the countrys economy and to Indian rail
network, which is one of the largest rail networks in the world. It will definitely
have a positive effect on the real estate sector in India as well.

China
Shanghai Hangzhou: China had planned to extend the worlds first commercial
Transrapid line between Pudong airport and the city of Shanghai initially by some
35 kilometers to Hong Qiao airport before theWorld Expo 2010 and then, in an
additional phase, by 200 kilometers to the city of Hangzhou (Shanghai-Hangzhou
Maglev Train), which would have been the first inter-city maglev rail line in
commercial service in the world. The line would have been an extension of
the Shanghai airport maglev line.
Talks with Germany and Transrapid Konsortium about the details of the
construction contracts took place. While the Chinese Minister of Transportation
was quoted by several Chinese and Western newspapers in 2006 as saying the
line was approved, a February 27, 2009 People's Daily Online article indicates that
the Shanghai municipal government is considering building the line underground
to allay the public's fear of electromagnetic pollution, and that any final decision
has to be approved by the National Development and Reform Commission. There
are no current plans to extend the line.

India
Pune (Pimple Saudagar) Mumbai (Panvel): The Indian Ministry was in the
process of reviewing a proposal to start a maglev train system in India.[13] It had
been estimated that the cost to complete this process would be over $30 billion.
The company who sent the proposals is based in the United States. There had
been feelers sent to Lalu Prasad, Railway Minister, in which the advantages of a
maglev train system were presented. If completed, the train travel time between
the two cities would have been reduced to half an hour, compared to the original
two hours. However, the plan was dropped in favor of Garib Rath (poor people's
cart) that promises transport at a very low cost. But now Mumbai is planning to
have its first maglev connecting to Pune, which will take 30 minutes along the
200 km stretch . This is planned near Hinjewadi IT park in an area called Pimple
Saudagar. Pune and Mumbai has a freeway(also called as expressway) where
approximately 14000 vehicles travel daily, making fuel consumption at .2 million
liters a day . The business proposal is to reduce the fuel consumption and
promote maglev by income from Carbon Credit Sales.
Mumbai Delhi
A maglev line project was presented to the then Indian railway minister (Mamata
Banerjee) by an American company. A line was proposed to serve between the
cities of Mumbai and Delhi, the Prime MinisterManmohan Singh said that if the
line project is successful the Indian government would build lines between other
cities and also between Mumbai Central and Chhatrapati Shivaji International
Airport.[14]
Mumbai - Nagpur
The State of Maharashtra has also approved a feasibility study for a maglev train
between Mumbai (the commercial capital of India as well as the State
government capital) and Nagpur (the second State capital) about 1,000 km
(620 mi) away. It plans to connect the regions of Mumbai and Pune with Nagpur
via less developed hinterland
(via Ahmednagar, Beed, Latur, Nanded and Yavatmal).[15]
Chennai - Bangalore - Mysore
Per Large and Medium Scale Industries Minister of Karnataka Mr. Murugesh
Nirani, a detailed report will be prepared and submitted by December 2012 and
the project is expected to cost $26 million per kilometer of railway track. The
speed of maglev will be 350 kmph and the Bangalore to Mysore portion would
take as little as 30 minutes.[16]
Kochi Metro
Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution K. V.
Thomas proposed that Kochi Metro can adopt same technology as present in
South Korea. [17]

Japan
Electrodynamic Suspension
Japanese engineers are developing a competing version of maglev trains that use
an electrodynamic suspension (EDS) system, which is based on the repelling force
of magnets and not the attracting force. The key difference between Japanese
and German maglev trains is that the Japanese trains use super-cooled
superconducting electromagnets. These electromagnets can conduct electricity
even after the power supply has been shut off. In the EMS system, which uses
standard electromagnets, the coils only conduct electricity when a power supply
is present. By chilling the coils at frigid temperatures, Japan's system saves more
energy.
The cylindrical unit at the top, is a tank holding liquefied helium and nitrogen. The
bottom unit is a SC coil alternately generating N poles and S poles. At one end of
the tank is the integrally-attached on-board refrigerator, which serves to re-
liquefy the helium gas once vaporized by regular heat absorption and external
disturbances during running.

contact, so it may be possible in the future to run speeds in excess of 500mph. All
Maglev investigated could reach speeds of 300mph.

Tokyo Osaka: On May 27, 2011, the Transport Minister of Japan approved
the Ch Shinkansen maglev line, connecting Tokyo to Osaka and expanding off of
the existing test track in Yamanashi prefecture. Construction is expected to begin
in 2014 with the first segment from Tokyo to Nagoya to be completed by 2027.
The second segment from Nagoya to Osaka is expected to be completed by 2045.
The 550 km-line will have a top operating speed of 600 km/h and a travel time
between Tokyo and Osaka of just 67 minutes
Conclusion

Magnetic levitation of trains offers many advantages for the public. With the
research conducted it shows that maglev is a cost-effective, environmentally
sound, alternative transportation system with significant public benefits. If the
U.S. wants to keep up with the newest means of transportation, we all may be
getting aboard a maglev in the years to come