This document summarizes a technical seminar presentation on magnetic levitation trains. It discusses the history and development of maglev technology, how maglev trains work using either electromagnetic or electrodynamic suspension, power sources for maglev trains, advantages like high speed and low noise, and current maglev projects in India. The document provides an overview of maglev trains and their potential to be faster and more efficient than conventional trains.

1. VISVESVARAYA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Jnana Sangama, Belagavi – 590 018, Karnataka
A TECHNICAL SEMINAR ON
MAGNETIC LEVITATING TRAINS
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
IN
INDUSTRIAL & PRODUCTION ENGINEERING
By
VIKYATH A S
VIII Semester B. E. (I & P)
USN: 4UB13IP043
DEPARTMENT OF STUDIES IN
INDUSTRIAL & PRODUCTION ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY B. D. T COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, DAVANGERE - 577 004
(A Constituent College of VTU, Belagavi)
2016-17
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2. CONTENTS:
• Introduction
• Did you know?
• How it works?
• Maglev technology
• Electromagnetic suspension
• Electrodynamic suspension
• Power source
• Advantages and disadvantages of Maglev Train
• Conclusion
• References
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3. Introduction:
• The magnetic levitating (maglev) train was invented by
Americans James R. Powell and Gordon T. Danby.
• Hermann Kemper, Robert Goddard and Emile Bachelet
are also credited with important research and
development that lead to this invention.
• Robert Goddard and Emile Bachelet came up with the
first concept for a maglev train in the early 1900’s and
more work in this field was conducted in the 1930’s by
the German inventor Hermann Kemper.
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4. Introduction:
• Magnetic levitation transport is a form of transportation
that suspends, guides and propels vehicles through the
harnessing of electromagnetic force.
• The term "maglev" refers not only to the vehicles but
also to the railway system.
• Maglev train uses magnetic levitation from a very large
number of magnets for lift and propulsion.
• It has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother
than wheeled mass transit systems.
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5. Introduction(Contd.)
• Power needed for levitation is usually not a large
percentage of the overall consumption.
• In the present moment there are several countries
working on the development of Magnetic Levitating
trains:
Japan and Germany were pioneers; USA and Australia
are working on it now.
China is not a pioneer having built a maglev train from
Shanghai to its city.
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6. Did you Know?
• Maglev trains can attain speeds of 250 mph easily (the
speed of a jet aircraft).
• The Japanese Maglev's last record was of 603 km/h.
• The Shanghai Maglev Train can speed upto 431 km/h
or 267 mph.
• The first commercial Maglev was opened in 1984 in
Birmingham, England, covering some 600 meters
between its airport and rail hub.
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7. How it works?
• A maglev train floats about 10mm above the
guideway on a magnetic field.
• It is propelled by the guideway itself rather than an
onboard engine by changing magnetic fields.
• Once the train is pulled into the next section the
magnetism switches so that the train is pulled on
again.
• The Electro-magnets run the length of the guideway.
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8. How it works?
• The train uses gigantic magnets to hover above their
tracks, decreasing the negative impact friction on a train
speed and allowing them to achieve much greater speeds
than normal railroad trains.
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9. Maglev technology:
There are two primary types of maglev technology:
1. Electromagnetic suspension (EMS)
2. Electrodynamic suspension (EDS)
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10. 1. Electromagnetic suspension:
• The EMS uses attractive force system to levitate.
• In current EMS system, the train levitates above the steel
rail while electromagnets attached to the train are oriented
towards the rail from below.
• The EMS system uses standard electromagnets in which
the coils conduct electricity only when the power supply
is present.
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11. Advantages:
• Proven, commercially available technology that can attain
very high speeds.
• No wheels or secondary propulsion system needed.
• The electromagnets use feedback control to maintain a
train at a constant distance from the track.
• The most successful EMS maglev train so far is called the
Transrapid system and it is currently being used by the
maglev in Shanghai, China. It is also being used in
Germany.
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12. Disadvantage:
• The separation between the vehicle and the guideway
must be constantly monitored and corrected by computer
systems to avoid collision due to the unstable nature of
electromagnetic attraction..
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13. 2. Electrodynamic suspension:
• The EDS train has been developed by Japanese
engineers.
• It uses magnets that has same polarity to create
repulsive force between levitation magnet and
guideway magnet.
• The EDS maglev train use super-cooled,
superconducting electromagnets. This
superconducting electromagnet can conduct
electricity even after the power supply has been shut
off.
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14. Electrodynamic suspension(Contd.)
• Propulsion coils on the guideway are used to exert a
force on the magnets in the train and make the train
move forward.
• An alternating current flowing through the coils
generates a continuously varying magnetic field that
moves forward along the track.
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15. Advantages:
• Onboard magnets and large margin between rail and train
enable highest recorded train speeds (603 km/h) and
heavy load capacity.
• Successful operations using high temperature
superconductors in its onboard magnets, cooled with
inexpensive liquid nitrogen.
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16. Disadvantage:
• Strong magnetic fields onboard the train would make
the train inaccessible to passengers with pacemakers
or magnetic data storage media such as hard drives
and credit cards, necessitating the use of magnetic
shielding.
• Vehicle must be wheeled for travel at low speeds,
system per mile cost still considered prohibitive.
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17. Power source:
• Energy for maglev trains is used to accelerate the train,
and may be regained when the train slows down.
• Also used to make the train levitate and to stabilize the
movement of the train.
• Main part of the energy is needed to force the train
through the air.
• Some energy is used for air conditioning, heating and
lighting.
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18. Power source:
• The power supply system includes substations, trackside
feeder cables, switch stations and other power supply
equipment.
• The power supply system feeds the train with the power
required for the train operation by energizing the long
stator windings on the guideway.
• First, high voltage AC is taken from the 110KV public
power grid, stepped down to 20KV and 1.5KV via step-
down transformer, then converted to DC via rectifier,
then converted back to variable frequency AC current
between 0 and 300Hz via rectifier.
• After step-up, the current will be fed to long stator
winding on the guideway via guideway cables and switch
stations, generating propulsion force between the stator
and onboard magnets.
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19. Advantages of Maglev:
• A Maglev is way faster than usual bullet train.
• Due to its absence of wheels, Maglev's are quieter than
normal trains.
• Maglev uses 30% less energy than normal trains.
• In theory, a Maglev and its track would require very little
maintenance since the train never touches the track. There
is virtually no wear and tear.
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20. Disadvantages of Maglev:
• The Maglev's track is much more expensive than railroad
tracks.
• Whole new sets of tracks should be built for the Maglev
to run. Many Transportation vehicles in Europe run on
existing track, like the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse)
trains in France.
• Although Maglev’s are pretty quiet, noise caused by air
disturbance still occurs.
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21. Latest projects in India:
• Pune(Pimple Saudagar) - Mumbai(Panvel)
• Mumbai - Delhi
• Mumbai - Nagpur
• Chennai - Bengaluru - Mysuru
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22. CONCLUSION:
Non-contacting characteristic is the main feature of Maglev,
which is concentrated on high speed operation and
environmental acceptability. There are certain areas which
require further attention such as braking at high speeds in case
of power failure. The main features of Maglev train which
makes it a better choice over conventional railways are as
follows:
•Greater safety; the guideway system reduces the possibility of
derailment.
•Faster travel; higher maximum speeds allow fast service from
cities to cities, permitting reduction in total travel time.
•Less noise and vibrations due to absence of physical contact.
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23. REFERENCES:
1) Monika Yadav, Nivritti Mehta, Aman Gupta, Akshay
Chaudhary & D. V. Mahindru. “Review of Magnetic
Levitation (MAGLEV): A Technology to Propel Vehicles
with Magnets ”.
2) Shweta Singh and Aradhana Singh. “Magnetic
Levitation Methods and Modeling in Maglev Trains ”.
3) Review of Magnetic Levitation (MAGLEV): A
Technology to Propel Vehicles with magnets;
By Monika Yadav, Nivritti Mehta, Aman Gupta, Akshay
Chaudhary & D. V. Mahindru SRMGPC, India
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24. THANK YOU!
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