Magnetic levitation (maglev) or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Magnetic force is used to counteract the effects of the gravitational force and any other forces.
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Maglevs incorporate a basic fact about magnetic forces?like magnetic poles repel each other, and opposite magnetic poles attract each other?to lift, propel, and guide a vehicle over a track (or guideway).
Maintaining correct distance between train and guideway is not a concern (Lee, 2006). The drawbacks are that sufficient speed needs to be built up in order for the train to levitate at all. Additionally, this system is much more complex and costly to implement.
The high cost of maglev systems results from the need for a stand-alone guideway construction featuring active magnetic coils embedded directly into the guideway or on the vehicle and, in the case of the Japanese design, the addition of very low temperature liquid cooled superconducting magnets.
Maglev trains require very straight and level tracks to maintain high speeds. This necessitates extensive viaducts and tunneling, making construction costly.
There are guidance magnets and levitation magnets. The guidance magnets are designed to maintain the car alignment, never letting any physical contact. Ther is transverse inclination of the rails too, which helps reducing the curve of the turn.
Hermann Kemper (* April 5, 1892 Nortrup, Germany, in the district of Osnabrueck, † July 13, 1977) was a German engineer and is considered by many the inventor of the basic maglev concept. In 1922, Hermann Kemper began his research about magnetic levitation.
The more weight on the train, the smaller the gap between the magnets. All of these examples float well enough to demonstrate the forces involved. Check out the video below to watch a few different trains we constructed with this test track.
Even if the power goes out, levitation forces keeps the train in the air while it is traveling at high speed. The vehicle comes safely to a stop rather than suddenly falling onto the track.
Cost: Maglev train technology is significantly more expensive than conventional high-speed rail. HS2 is already a highly expensive project, and adopting Maglev technology would further increase the cost.
In addition, the tracks, signals, rail cars and software made in the U.S. are costlier than imports, largely because the government has not funded rail the way European and Asian countries have, experts say.