Arrangement of permanent magnets in a levitation system with indifferent or weakly unstable characteristics

According to the div B = 0 condition, permanent magnetic levitation along a track is possible with stable characteristics in only one dimension. Mostly, the vertical dimension will be preferred. Transverse stabilization is achieved by guide rollers and inductor combs of linear motors, respectively. If no high stability is required in the vertical dimension, e.g., because disturbing forces are small, the arrangement of magnets in the track can be designed in such a way that weak stability in the vertical direction results in weak instability in the direction transverse to the track. The lateral forces, which now have only weak destabilization effects, can be overcompensated by the centering forces of double comb linear induction motors. This weakly unstable characterristics of the levitation system entails major energy conservation as a result of lower ohmic losses in the reaction rails. A model exhibiting these weakly unstable characteristics has been investigated. Such levitation system can be made of two V-shaped grooves consisting of permanent magnetic dipole plates.