Magnetic damping force in electrodynamically suspended trains

A magnetic levitation system utilizing superconducting magnets is now being developed for a high speed ground vehicle. From a view point of ride quality, a damping force for the mechanical oscillation of a levitated vehicle is one of the most important problems in this levitation system. This paper presents the analysis of the magnetic damping force in a loop track magnetic levitaion system; the magnetic damping force is caused by track loops. It is theoretically pointed out that the magnetic damping force is "negative" except in an extremely low velocity range. The theory is applied to the estimation of the magnetic damping force in a train model of practical interest. The results of the estimation suggest that the negative magnetic damping force is considerably large in a median velocity range (100 ∼ 200 km/h). Passive damping has been also investigated; it is found that damper loops installed in the levitation cryostat is effective even in persistent mode operation. It is concluded that rather good ride quality will be obtained by use of the passive damping method.