Theoretical optimization and experimental verification of a non-contact damper for high temperature superconducting Maglev systems

Abstract

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev has excellent potential in high-speed transportation due to its capability of passive stabilization levitation. However, in applications, the vibration of maglev vehicle with a large amplitude will be triggered for some external incentives or interference owing to its weak damping characteristics. Hence, it is preferable and necessary to find a way to reduce the vibration without mechanical contact. In terms of mechanical structure, the HTS maglev system mainly consists of HTS bulks and permanent magnets guideway (PMG). Utilizing the magnetic field provided by PMG, we designed and assessed an electromagnetic shunt damper (EMSD) for the HTS maglev system, by which the vibrations can be attenuated without contact. At first, the parameters of EMSD were theoretically optimized, respectively. Second, according to the structure of the Halbach PMG, the experimental EMSD was presented. In this damper, two groups of coils in reverse series were set above the two magnetic poles of the PMG to get a large induced electromotive force. Eventually, the experimental results show that the vibrations of the HTS maglev model vehicle can be attenuated more than 80% in the resonance region when the designed EMSD was employed in the system. Namely, this non-contacting damper will highly enhance the dynamic characteristics of HTS maglev systems.