Application of Lorentz force to a magnetic levitation system for a non-magnetic thin plate

This paper proposes a new magnetic levitation system using both Lorentz force and Coulomb force for a non-magnetic thin plate. The eddy current induced in a conductive plate generates not only the repulsive force between an ac electromagnet and the plate but also the heat loss. To take a new levitation force different from that Coulomb force, electromagnets was arranged at just sides of the eddy current path. In this case, since the magnetic flux act as vector product to the eddy current, quasi-static Lorentz forces are generated to the plate effectively. First, for verifying the mechanism of the generation of quasi-static Lorentz forces, experimental equipment having three U-shape ac electromagnets was fabricated. As a result, new forces equivalent to the Lorentz forces, which was proportional to induced currents of additional electromagnets, was extracted. Further, the tendency of forces verified in that experiment was also verified by finite element analysis.