A

SEMINAR REPORT
ON

MAGLEV TRAIN

Submitted by:-

Hemant Kumar

in partial fulfillment for the reward of the degree

of
BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

(2018-2019)
 INDEX

S NO. TOPIC PAGE NO.

ABSTRACT i

1. INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 HISTORY OF MAGLEV 1
1.2 Basic Principle of Maglev Trains 2

2. MAGNETIC LEVITATION SYSTEM 3

2.1 How Does It Works? 3
2.2 The Levitation System 3
2.3 The Propulsion System 5
2.4 The Lateral Guidance System 6

3. THE MAGLEV TRACK 7

4. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MAGLEV 8

4.1 Advantages of Maglev 8
4.2 Disadvantages of Maglev 8

5. CONCLUSION 9

6. BIBLOGRAPHY 10
 ABSTRACT

For decades, conventional trains, a major source of land transportation, have served
people around the world. But the issue is that conventional trains create too much noise and
pollution. Also the world is becoming a smaller place for business. As such, people travel
longer distances, more often, and so there are longer travel times. This leads to too much
fossil fuel consumption and that rate is increasing. That is why some people say, in the next
50 years, that the fossil fuel resource is going to run out. Faster fuel consumption also leads
to increased pollution in the environment. So in short, we need travel times to be made
shorter and we need a renewable energy source which is clean. But how do we get all this
done in one shot? This is where the Magnetic Levitating train comes in.
 1. INTRODUCTION

Imagine you are in a train and to your surprise; the train creates no noise, no pollution and
has no wheels! As the train gets going, it goes faster and faster. You think you are going to
crash. “But is the train going to really crash, or is it just “floating” and running along the
track at high speeds on magnets?” Well, you’re right, that’s the concept behind the
Magnetic Levitating train. Levitation means to rise or “float” in the air especially in
seeming defiance of gravity. Using principles of magnetism to float in the air against
gravity is called Magnetic Levitation.
The concept of magnetically levitated or maglev trains is of very much interesting. The
conventional trains with wheels and guide rails turn to be uneconomical beyond 200 km/hr
because at this high speed, air resistance and hence the drag force increases. Therefore,
they are very much expensive and require intensive maintenance. Maglev trains avoid these
disadvantages and prove highly beneficial.
It is based on the three principles viz. electro dynamic suspension, electromagnetic
suspension and propulsion by LSM principle. Its various elements are carefully designed.
The Maglev trains are proved very much useful by the environmental consideration.

1.1 History Of Maglev

The fundamental ideas behind maglev technology can be traced back to the early 20th
century. Much work went into laying the groundwork for these trains, including the
development of electric motors and research in magnetism. A few scientists, namely Robert
Goddard and Emile Bachelet, even dared to propose a vehicle that would float using
magnets (Yadav, 2013). In 1934, a German man by the name of Hermann Kemper was
given a patent for the first concept of a magnetic, levitating train (Yadav, 2013). It wasn’t
until the 1960s that the idea really began to manifest. At this time, Germany and Japan
began researching the potential of maglev. During the 70s and 80s, both countries made
great progress in developing these trains. Germany built and tested a string of prototype
maglev systems and called their design the Transrapid. The trains achieved speeds of over
250 mph (402 kph) on the test track (Luu, 2005). Japan also tested two series of their own
designs, called the ML-500 and later the MLU. Their trains were able to exceed 300 mph
(483 kph) (Luu, 2005).
Figure 1. Transrapid on testing centre in Germany near Bremen

1.2 Basic Principle Of Maglev Trains

The basic principles of Maglev trains is magnetic repulsion. Maglev trains have to perform
the following functions to operate in high speeds.
1. Levitation
2. Propulsion
3. Lateral Guidance
 2. MAGNETIC LEVITATION SYSTEM

Magnetic levitation means “to rise and float in air”. The Maglev system is made possible by
the use of electromagnets and magnetic fields. The basic principle behind Maglev is that if
you put two magnets together in a certain way there will be a strong magnetic attraction
and the two magnets will clamp together. This is called "attraction". If one of those magnets
is flipped over then there will be a strong magnetic repulsion and the magnets will push
each other apart. This is called "repulsion". Now imagine a long line of magnets
alternatively placed along a track. A line of alternatively placed magnets on the bottom of
the train. If these magnets are properly controlled the trains will lift of the ground by the
magnetic repulsion or magnetic attraction.

2.1 How Does It Works?

Maglev trains do not have wheels or rails. As shown in Figure 3, they have guideways, and
they float down these guideways without ever touching them.

There are three essential parts to achieving maglev functionality: levitation, propulsion and
guidance

2.2 The Levitation System

Levitation is the ability for the train to stay suspended above the track. There are two
important types of levitation technology:
• Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS): EMS uses the attractive force of electromagnets
placed on the guideway and on the train to achieve levitation. The benefits of this
method are that it is simpler to implement than Electrodynamic Suspension (discussed
below), and that it maintains levitation at zero speed. The drawbacks are that the system
is inherently unstable. At high speeds, it becomes difficult to maintain the correct
distance between train and guideway. If this distance cannot be kept, the train will fail
to levitate and come grinding to a halt. To account for this, EMS requires complex
feedback-control systems to ensure the train is always stable (Lee, 2006).

• Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS): EDS uses the repulsive force of

(superconducting) magnets placed on the guideway and on the train to achieve
levitation. The magnets move past each other while the train is running and generate
the repulsive force. The benefits of this method are that it is incredibly stable at high
speeds. Maintaining correct distance between train and guideway is not a concern (Lee,
2006). The drawbacks are that sufficient speed needs to be built up in order for the train
to levitate at all. Additionally, this system is much more complex and costly to
implement.
• Inductrack : A power supply is used to accelerate the train until it levitates and if the
power fails is can safely slow down on its auxiliary wheels. The magnets are arranged
in a Halbach array, concentrating the magnetic field above it. The track is an array of
short-circuited wires which create a magnetic field and repels the magnets allowing the
train to levitate. There are three designs: Inductrack I, which is optimized for high
speed operation, Inductrack II, which is more efficient at lower speeds, and Inductrack
III, which is intended for heavy loads at low speed.

2.3 Propulsion System

Propulsion is the force that drives the train forward. Maglev uses an electric linear
motor to achieve propulsion. A normal electric rotary motor uses magnetism to create
torque and spin an axle. It has a stationary piece, the stator, which surrounds a rotating
piece, the rotor. The stator is used to generate a rotating magnetic field. This field
induces a rotational force on the rotor, which causes it to spin. A linear motor is simply
an unrolled version of this (see Figure 4). The stator is laid flat and the rotor rests
above it. Instead of a rotating magnetic field, the stator generates a field that travels
down its length. Similarly, instead of a rotating force, the rotor experiences a linear
force that pulls it down the stator. Thus, an electric linear motor directly produces
motion in a straight line. However, this motor can only produce a force while the rotor
is above the stator. Once the rotor has reached the end, it stops moving.

Figure 4. Rotary motor versus linear motor.

2.4 Lateral Guidance System
The lateral guidance system control the train’s ability to actually stay on the track. It
stabilized the movement of the train from moving left and right of the train track by
using the system of electromagnets found in the undercarriage of Maglev train. For
high-speed maglev, repulsive magnetic forces are used to achieve this (Figure 5). In the
Transrapid, there are two electromagnetic rails placed on the train facing either side of
the guideway. These rails keep the train from moving too far off course (Lee, 2006). In
the MLX, guidance is coupled with the levitation system. The levitation rails on either
side of the train are connected to each other. Through this connection, when the train
moves closer to one side a restoring force is induced which pushes it back towards the
center. Thus the MLX is both levitated and guided at the same time (Lee, 2006).

Figure 5. Guidance system of Transrapid and MLX. Both use repulsive magnets.
3. The Maglev Track

The magnetized coil running along the track, called a guideway, repels the large
magnets on the train's undercarriage, allowing the train to levitate between 0.39 and
3.93 inches (1 to 10 centimeters) above the guideway. Once the train is levitated, power
is supplied to the coils within the guideway walls to create a unique system of magnetic
fields that pull and push the train along the guideway. The electric current supplied to
the coils in the guideway walls is constantly alternating to change the polarity of the
magnetized coils. This change in polarity causes the magnetic field in front of the train
to pull the vehicle forward, while the magnetic field behind the train adds more forward
thrust.
 4. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF MAGLEV

4.1 Advantages Of Maglev

1) The foremost advantage of maglev trains is the fact that it doesn't have moving parts
as conventional trains do, and therefore, the wear and tear of parts is minimal, and that
reduces the maintenance cost by a significant extent.

2) More importantly, there is no physical contact between the train and track, so there
is no rolling resistance. While electromagnetic drag and air friction do exist, that
doesn't hinder their ability to clock a speed in excess of 200 mph.

3) Absence of wheels also comes as a boon, as you don't have to deal with deafening
noise that is likely to come with them.

4) Maglevs also boast of being environment friendly, as they don't resort to internal
combustion engines.

5)These trains are weather proof, which means rain, snow, or severe cold don't really
hamper their performance.

6)Maglev systems are energy efficient. For long distance travel they use about half the
energy per passenger as a typical commercial aircraft.

4.2 Disadvantages Of Maglev

1)Cost - While the advantages of Maglev Train System may seem quite promising in
themselves, they are not enough to overshadow the biggest problem with the maglev
trains: the high cost incurred on the initial setup. While the fast conventional trains that
have been introduced of late, work fine on tracks which were meant for slow trains,
maglev trains require an all new set up right from the scratch. As the present railway
infrastructure is of no use for maglevs, it will either have to be replaced with the
Maglev System or an entirely new set up will have to be created―both of which will
cost a decent amount in terms of initial investment. Even though inexpensive as
compared to EDS, it is still expensive compared to other modes.

2)Impact - Although the tracks could be elevated, there would still be the addition of
guideways crossing great amounts of land.

3)Energy Consumption - Larger train cars are tougher to levitate and require quite a
bit more energy, making them less efficient.

4)Safety - While the MagLev can be safer overall, any infrequent accidents that do
occur are likely to be more catastrophic due to the elevated guideways and incredible
speeds..
 5. CONCLUSION

These trains consume very less energy compared to conventional trains. They require
no large engine kind of stuff as they run using linear motors . They Move a lot faster
than normal trains because they are not affected by ground friction ; they would only
have air resistance or drag resistance . They are incompatible with existing rail lines
because they need aseperate track to levitate , unlike the traditional high-speed
trains.Initially the cost is very high but it may decrease in near future .
 6. BIBLOGRAPHY

https://www.google.com/

https://www.wikipedia.org/

https://www.wired.com/

https://www.bwmaglev.info/