Superconducting maglev tests

An outline of the superconducting levitation project in Japan will be reported with emphasis on the description and results of tests being conducted at the Miyazaki Test Center. A test vehicle 13.5 × 3.72 × 2.9m (length × width × height) and weighing 10 t has been tested up to 347 km/h on a linear test track which is presently 4.7 km long and is now being extended to 7 km. A total of 16 superconducting magnets are installed on board the vehicle, 4 poles each in 2 rows for levitation and LSM propulsion, respectively. The car runs over a guideway on which are laid an array of normal conductor (Al) coils for levitation and LSM propulsion. Description of the main facilities, representative test results and some remarks on future developments are given.