Towards an optimized magnet-superconductor configuration in actual maglev devices

There is an intense research in maglev technology for providing convenient and safe transportation. In particular, several projects are being carried out worldwide-particularly in Germany, Brazil, and China-for constructing full-scale maglev trains. They are based on the levitation of superconducting pellets over magnetic guideways. The optimization of their geometrical parameters and the properties of both superconducting and magnetic parts become very important. Theoretical simulations capturing the essential physics of the superconducting levitation become a very useful tool for understanding and improving the devices. In this work, we extend previous numerical models to incorporate new features in order to simulate closer to actual maglev designs. In particular,we analyse how the levitation and guidance forces are modified when the superconducting part is composed of several superconductors as compared with a single one. © 2010 IEEE.