A New Magnetic Levitation System With an Increased Levitation Force

International audienceA conventional configuration for levitating a vehicle consists of a magnetic guideway on the ground and superconductors in a cryostat located below the vehicle, at a few millimetres from the guideway. A problem is the limitation of the levitating force by the amplitude of the magnetic field generated by the guideway and the size of the superconductors. In addition, the levitating force is transmitted to the vehicle via the cryostat. This results in a reinforced structure of the cryostat, generating thermic losses and an increased cryogen consumption. We present a new levitation system in which the levitation and the guidance forces are strongly increased, while the mechanical efforts acting on the casing of the cryostat are reduced. It consists of the guideway, the superconductors in the cryostat, and magnets or more generally a magnetic system fixed below the vehicle. In this configuration, the cryostat containing the superconductors is in stable magnetic levitation between the guideway and the magnetic system and all the efforts between the vehicle and the guideway are transmitted via magnetic forces. In this configuration, the superconductors act as a stabilizing device that maintains the magnetic system fixed below the vehicle in a stable position above the guideway