A Preliminary Investigation of an Electrodynamic Wheel for Simultaneously Creating Levitation and Propulsion

摘要

The mechanical rotation of a radially positioned permanent magnet Halbach array above a conducting, non-magnetic, track creates a traveling time-varying magnetic field that can inductively create levitation and propulsion forces simultaneously. This 'Electrodynamic Wheel' (EDW), could be used to create a relatively cheap form of maglev transportation since the track would not need to be electrified and both the levitation and propulsion forces would be created by one mechanism. The various parameters that influence the performance of such a maglev system have been studied by using a 2D steady-state Finite Element Method. The effect of the pole number, magnet thickness, radius, track thickness, and track conductivity on the EDW performance were considered. Design guidelines and methods to further improve the EDW performance are suggested.