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Recent Trends in Electric Traction

Magnetic levitation uses magnetic fields to suspend objects without other physical support. It can be achieved through diamagnetism, where materials are repelled by magnetic fields, or through mechanical constraints with added stability. Magnetic levitation is used for maglev trains and other applications. Diamagnetic levitation directly opposes external magnetic fields and can levitate light materials like graphite in strong fields over 16 teslas.

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221 views2 pages

Recent Trends in Electric Traction

Magnetic levitation uses magnetic fields to suspend objects without other physical support. It can be achieved through diamagnetism, where materials are repelled by magnetic fields, or through mechanical constraints with added stability. Magnetic levitation is used for maglev trains and other applications. Diamagnetic levitation directly opposes external magnetic fields and can levitate light materials like graphite in strong fields over 16 teslas.

Uploaded by

SubhraJyotiBorah
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Recent Trends in Electric Traction

Magnetic levitation, maglev, or magnetic suspension is a method by which an object is


suspended with no support other than magnetic fields. Magnetic pressure is used to counteract
the effects of the gravitational and any other accelerations.

Earnshaw's theorem proves that using only static ferromagnetism it is impossible to stably
levitate against gravity, but servomechanisms, the use of diamagnetic materials,
superconduction, or systems involving eddy currents permit this to occur.

In some cases the lifting force is provided by magnetic levitation, but there is a mechanical
support bearing little load that provides stability. This is termed pseudo-levitation.

Magnetic levitation is used for maglev trains, magnetic bearings and for product display
purposes.

Mechanical constraint (pseudo-levitation):

With a small amount of mechanical constraint for stability, pseudo-levitation is relatively


straightforwardly achieved.

If two magnets are mechanically constrained along a single vertical axis, for example, and
arranged to repel each other strongly, this will act to levitate one of the magnets above the other.

Another geometry is where the magnets are attracted, but constrained from touching by a tensile
member, such as a string or cable.

Another example is the Zippe-type centrifuge where a cylinder is suspended under an attractive
magnet, and stabilized by a needle bearing from below.

Diamagnetism:

Diamagnetism is the property of an object which causes it to create a magnetic field in


opposition to an externally applied magnetic field, thus causing a repulsive effect. Specifically,
an external magnetic field alters the orbital velocity of electrons around their nuclei, thus
changing the magnetic dipole moment. According to Lenz's law, this opposes the external field.
Diamagnets are materials with a magnetic permeability less than μ0 (a relative permeability less
than 1). Consequently, diamagnetism is a form of magnetism that is only exhibited by a
substance in the presence of an externally applied magnetic field. It is generally quite a weak
effect in most materials, although superconductors exhibit a strong effect. Diamagnetic materials
cause lines of magnetic flux to curve away from the material, and superconductors can exclude
them completely (except for a very thin layer at the surface).

Direct diamagnetic levitation:

A substance that is diamagnetic repels a magnetic field. All materials have diamagnetic
properties, but the effect is very weak, and is usually overcome by the object's paramagnetic or
ferromagnetic properties, which act in the opposite manner. Any material in which the
diamagnetic component is strongest will be repelled by a magnet.

Earnshaw's theorem does not apply to diamagnets. These behave in the opposite manner to
normal magnets owing to their relative permeability of μr < 1 (i.e. negative magnetic
susceptibility).

Diamagnetic levitation can be used to levitate very light pieces of pyrolytic graphite or bismuth
above a moderately strong permanent magnet. As water is predominantly diamagnetic, this
technique has been used to levitate water droplets and even live animals, such as a grasshopper,
frog and a mouse. However, the magnetic fields required for this are very high, typically in the
range of 16 teslas, and therefore create significant problems if ferromagnetic materials are
nearby.

The minimum criterion for diamagnetic levitation is , where:

 χ is the magnetic susceptibility


 ρ is the density of the material
 g is the local gravitational acceleration (−9.8 m/s2 on Earth)
 μ0 is the permeability of free space
 B is the magnetic field

Source: http://nprcet.org/e%20content/Misc/e-Learning/EEE/IV%20YEAR/EE1452%20-
%20Electric%20Energy%20Generation,%20Conservation%20and%20Utilization.pdf

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