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Magnetic levitation transport, or maglev, is a form of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles via electromagnetic force. This method can be faster and more comfortable than wheeled mass transit systems. more...
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Maglevs could potentially reach velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft (500 to 580 km/h). Since much of a Maglev's propulsion system is in the track rather than the vehicle, Maglev trains are lighter and can ascend steeper slopes than conventional trains. They can be supported on lightweight elevated tracks. Maglevs have operated commercially since 1984. However, scientific and economic limitations have hindered the proliferation of the technology.
Maglev technology has minimal overlap with wheeled train technology and is not compatible with conventional railroad tracks. Because they cannot share existing infrastructure, maglevs must be designed as complete transportation systems. The term "maglev" refers not only to the vehicles, but to the vehicle/guideway interaction; each being a unique design element specifically tailored to the other to create and precisely control magnetic levitation and propulsion.
The world's first commercial application of a high-speed maglev line is the IOS (initial operating segment) demonstration line in Shanghai that transports people 30 km (18.6 miles) to the airport in just 7 minutes 20 seconds (top speed of 431 km/h or 268 mph, average speed 250 km/h or 150 mph). Other maglev projects worldwide are being studied for feasibility.
Technology
- See also fundamental technology elements in the JR-Maglev article, Technology in the Transrapid article, Magnetic levitation
There are two primary types of maglev technology:
electromagnetic suspension (EMS) uses the attractive magnetic force of a magnet beneath a rail to lift the train up.;
electrodynamic suspension (EDS) uses a repulsive force between two magnetic fields to push the train away from the rail.;
Electromagnetic suspension
In current EMS systems, the train levitates above a steel rail while electromagnets, attached to the train, are oriented toward the rail from below. The electromagnets use feedback control to maintain a train at a constant distance from a track.
Electrodynamic suspension
In Electrodynamic suspension (EDS), both the rail and the train exert a magnetic field, and the train is levitated by the repulsive force between these magnetic fields. The magnetic field in the train is produced by either superconducting electromagnets (as in JR-Maglev) or by an array of permanent magnets (as in Inductrack). The repulsive force in the track is created by an induced magnetic field in wires or other conducting strips in the track.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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