Tests on a Superconductor Linear Magnetic Bearing of a Full-Scale MagLev Vehicle

A full-scale MagLev vehicle prototype has been developed by the team of the Laboratory for Applied Superconductivity from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. This vehicle is named MagLev-Cobra (cobra means snake in Portuguese), because it is composed by several modules and its motion in curves resembles the movement of a snake. The suspension technology proposed for this vehicle is the levitation of bulk superconductors above a rail made with Nd-Fe-B magnets and steel. The main advantages of the MagLev-Cobra vehicle are low energy consumption, negligible noise emission, curvature radius of 45 meters and capability to ascend ramps of 15%. These properties allow the vehicle to be perfectly adjusted to big cities layout and to be constructed along roads and rivers. One of the most important parts of this project is the superconductor linear magnetic bearing (SLMB) development for the MagLev. In this work, some new results of the SLMB are presented. Measurements of the vertical levitation force of the SLMB and the effect of the flux creep on this force are presented. Also, some tests were made to investigate the influence of the load variation on the levitation force and the SLMB levitation gap. Finally, some tests were made to measure the levitation force and torque in the cryostat for an angular displacement between it and the magnetic guideway. These tests simulate the vehicle operation in real conditions.