Magnetic levitation is a new model of transportation whereby the moving vehicles has no contact with the ground. This technology employs the use of magnets and electromagnets that create both lift and propulsion. The moving vehicles float over the guideway using the principle of electromagnetism which creates a phenomenon known as an electromagnetic suspension (Sharma et at, 1).
Some differences worth noting between magnetic levitation (maglev) and the regular train is the existence of an engine. In its place, the rails of the train are replaced with the electromagnetic coils that power the magnets which lift the vehicle and also pushes the car forward. There are three types of electromagnetic levitation methods. …show more content…
Electromagnetic coils heat up quickly and therefore they require a particular type of cooling. This makes the use of this type of coils to be more expensive and power consuming. Indutrack involves the use of super strong magnets on the track that replaces the use electrical energy to magnetize the coils. It uses the passive nature whereby magnets embedded on the vehicle creates power which magnetizes these coils. The magnets are arranged in a unique form called Halbach array. When the car is at rest, there is no levitation provided by the magnets. As soon as the car starts moving, and it reaches a speed of about 1 or 2 kilometers per hour, where the energy is provided an external source which could be a motor, the array induces current in the track’s inductive coils thereby levitating the train few millimeters above (Sharma et al., …show more content…
Also, it is evident that electric propulsion has been used by magnetic levitation as its key source of power; it is undeniable that passengers are disclosed to electromagnetic fields. Despite the fact that the risk connected with the electromagnetic field is not well comprehended, it is clear that DC field of high intensities is dangerous to the human health (Ma et al. 5). Overall, it has been discovered that the idea of electromagnetic, as regards to transportation, is a scientific notion that is here to