Characteristics of Levitation Force Using Magnetic Shielding Effect of YBCO Bulks

A magnetic levitation system using a magnetic shielding effect of a HTS bulk is numerically studied. The system is constructed by permanent magnets, zero-fleld-cooled superconducting bulks and ferromagnetic rails. And lift-force stability is obtained from magnetic field that is generated by the permanent magnet and is shaped by the superconducting bulks. In our previous studies, we showed the characteristics of the lift force and stability on a basic configuration which had a small permanent magnet made of ferrite, the YBCO bulk superconductors and a short ferromagnetic bar. In this study, extending the basic configuration, we propose some new configurations which have better characteristics of the lift force than the basic configuration by numerical analysis using the 3D Integral Element Method. The first configuration is that a ferromagnetic plate is inserted between the superconductors and the permanent magnet. The second configuration is that more than two basic configurations are placed parallel. The third configuration is a combination of the first and second configurations. The paper presents the details of the basic and three configurations, the numerical analysis for the evaluation of the levitation characteristic and those results.