Regular Article

Multiphysics analysis of a hybrid suspension system for middle-low-speed maglev trains^★

¹ School of Electrical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, P.R. China
² Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

^* e-mail: xiaosong@home.swjtu.edu.cn

Received: 23 January 2020
Received in final form: 3 April 2020
Accepted: 27 April 2020
Published online: 11 June 2020

Abstract

The suspension force − a critical factor in the operation of middle-low-speed maglev trains − is provided by electromagnets. However, the eddy current effect produced by the relative motion between electromagnets and the steel track causes a reduction of the suspension force, especially under high speed. A novel type of permanent-electro-magnetic suspension system is proposed to improve performance by considering the variation of material characteristics with temperature. A 3D dynamic finite element model of this hybrid system − accounting for the influence of temperature − has been created to study the variation of magnetic flux distribution, suspension force and guiding force under different operational speeds of the train, in comparison with the electromagnetic version. Verified by simulations, the hybrid system has superior performance offering a powerful suspension force and a reliable guidance force even at high speeds of the train.