Edge effects on forces and magnetic fields produced by a conductor moving past a magnet

Experiments were performed to further understand the forces acting on magnets moving near the edge of a conducting strip and to produce a data set for the validation of analysis methods. Mapping the magnetic field gives information about the eddy currents induced in the conductor which agrees with numerical calculations. It is concluded that an FeBNd permanent magnet can be successfully used to study magnetic fields and forces near the edge of a conductor, in order to validate analytical methods for analyzing forces in a parallel-conductor maglev design. Agreement between the experimental results and those obtained by finite-element calculations using the ELECTRA computer code was acceptable