Magnetically-Levitated Steel-Plate Conveyance System Using Electromagnets and a Linear Induction Motor

This paper presents a noncontact steel-plate conveyance system using a novel thrust-force generation mechanism. The mechanism is to use a horizontal force generated from the magnetic interaction between an iron-core electromagnet and an inclined steel plate as a thrust force. This mechanism is applied for the conveyance system which is consisted of four electromagnets for levitation and a transverse-flux linear induction motor for conveyance to increase a total thrust force of a levitated steel plate. We explain the operating principle of the mechanism and present the experimental results of magnetic levitation and conveyance from the contactless steel-plate conveyance system.