Grumman Aerospace Corporation

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Michael Proise

Richard J Gran

Swarn S Kalsi

A superconducting electromagnet arrangement includes a high temperature superconducting (HTS) coil surrounding a multiple-pole iron core for levitating and propelling a MAGLEV transport vehicle along a guideway. The HTS coil operates in the DC mode at approximately liquid nitrogen temperature of 77 K to induce in the iron core magnetic forces of attraction to levitate the transport vehicle a desired distance above a set of guideway rails. A preferred embodiment includes a Bi 2223 HTS coil surrounding a C-shaped iron core. The coil is constructed from a layer of pancake coils, the windings of which are fabricated from short lengths of commercially available conductor tape. The field strength in the core and the windings of the HTS coil are respectively approximately 1.8 T and approximately 0.3 T. To ensure vehicle stability, control coils are placed around the core legs to maintain the desired air gap length. The control coils may be copper coils, or may themselves be HTS superconducting coils operating in the AC mode at 77 K (nominal). A variation of the preferred embodiment includes three HTS coils surrounding respectively the three legs of a W-shaped iron core.

Superconducting electromagnet arrangement for a magnetic levitation

An active vibration damping arrangement which is adapted to improve passenger ride comfort in various types and categories of transport vehicles; especially such as, but not limited to railroads, buses, automotive devices, maglev (magnetic levitation) vehicles, trains and people mover devices in general. In essence, pursuant to specific physical applications and uses, the active motion and vibration damping arrangement is intended to provide a suitable supplemental damping system installed in addition to currently employed so-called passive vibration dampers which are widely employed in connection with such vehicles, transportation devices, vibration-susceptive machinery and the like. The active motion and vibration damping arrangement includes a pair of actuators which; for example, may be constituted from hydraulic cylinder piston units or the like, each of which has respectively one end thereof connected, for instance, to a railroad car body, and the opposite end to the compartment floor of a passenger compartment which is subjected to vibrations and/or swaying and heaving motions encountered by the car body transmitted thereto due to varying road bed or rail conditions or irregularities transmitted through the wheel, truck, car body and, in essence, the normally installed passive vibration damping arrangement, towards the compartment floor.

Active vibration damping arrangement for transportation vehicles

Electromagnetic coils of laminated, foil construction are suitable for use in guideways of magnetically-levitated-vehicle systems. The coils are each constructed by applying a double-sided adhesive tape of insulating material to both surfaces of a continuous ribbon of conductive foil to form a tri-layer laminate or matrix. Then, the tri-layer matrix is shaped into a coil of a desired configuration. The coil loops or turns are formed by folding the tri-layer matrix along diagonal fold lines in selected bend regions so as to transpose the top and bottom surfaces of the laminate on either side of the folds, and bring the surface interior of the folds into contact. The insulating material in the laminate is omitted from the interior bend regions, so that, after folds have been made, the interior surfaces in those regions are exposed foil which electrically contact one-another. With this construction, each turn of the coil is separated electrically from adjacent turns by two layers of insulation covering a single layer of foil, except in the bend regions, where two layers of foil are present on the interior of the folds, along with two layers of insulation along the exterior the folds. Alternative constructions in the bend regions avoid unsightly bulging in that area.

Guideway coil of laminated foil construction for magnetically levitated

A magnetically levitated vehicle adapted for movement along a guideway, comprising a passenger compartment, at least first and second primary magnets and a plurality of confining magnets. The first and second primary magnets are secured on the vehicle to produce a magnetic field having a magnetic flux density extending outward from the primary magnets, to support the vehicle spaced from and to move the vehicle along the guideway. The plurality of confining magnets are disposed on the vehicle to confine the magnetic flux extending outward from the primary magnets and to reduce the strength of the primary magnetic field in the passenger compartment. Preferably, the confining magnets maintain the strength of the magnetic field in the passenger compartment below 5 gauss; and even more preferably, those magnets are used to maintain the strength of the primary magnetic field in the passenger compartment below 1 gauss. The confining magnets attenuate both the dc and ac fields in the passenger compartment, and also actually improve the concentration of magnetic flux available for levitation.

Magnetic field confinement for magnetically levitated vehicles

Movable aerodynamic control surfaces are mounted to a MAGLEV vehicle. They operate in combination with magnetically actuated coils that are located in the vehicle and cooperate with coils or metallic sheets located along the vehicle guideway. Sensors provide clearance information concerning the vehicle relative to the guideway as well as translational speed and vehicle rotational measurements. Based on input from these sensors, a computer positions the control surfaces and energizes the magnetic coils so as to unload dynamic forces and stresses imposed by the vehicle while providing smoother vehicle movement indicative of superior passenger comfort.

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Garden City, NY, United States of America

Michael Proise