Magnetic levitation with controlled permanentic excitation

This paper deals with a field system composed of controlled permanent magnets. It is preferably conceived for synchronously operated transportation systems, where the functions of propulsion, suspension and possibly even guidance are integrated. The permanent magnets generate lift forces as high as the vehicle weight with zero control MMF, so that a very small amount of energy is necessary to stabilize the levitation. Predicted and measured characteristics of an experimental model with ferrite magnets are presented. They are compared with those of field systems designed with rare earth-cobalt magnets.