DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF A MODEL MAGLEV VEHICLE
Ali Suat Yıldız Selim Sivrioğlu Sinan Başaran Fevzi Çakmak Bolat Eren Kepenek
AbstractMagnetic levitation (Maglev) technology has potentials to create extensive changes, especially in railway transportation. One of the great advantages of this technology is the possibility of mechanically noncontact and high-speed operation. Maglev applications basically can be electromagnetic or superconducting levitation base. After high temperature superconductors (HTS) which become superconducting state inside liquid nitrogen were discovered in eighties, superconducting magnetic levitation became economically applicable in engineering systems. Superconducting magnetic levitation has potentials to be developed compared to electromagnetic levitation. Although superconducting levitation has an advantage of passive characteristic, it occurs at cryogenic temperatures and it has low levitation stiffness therefore load carrying capacity is lower compared to electromagnetic levitation. In this study, a cryostat which cool the superconductors for a long period of time and carry the load was designed to increase stiffness or load capacity of the superconducting magnetic levitation in Maglev vehicles. Also, a conceptual design was tested in a simulation environment by using a laboratory scale single seater Maglev vehicle having a three-surface levitation structure. In conventional permanent magnet (PM) guideway structures there is only one levitation surface (floor surface) with HTS element. A new type of permanent magnet guideway which has three PM surfaces for levitation with HTS will be developed to increase the load carrying capacity of the Maglev vehicle.