High-speed maglev technology offers four main advantages: non-contact operation; low-mass vehicles (on a per seat basis, maglev vehicles weigh approximately one-third to three-quarters as much as high speed trains); high speed; and wayside system control and self-propelled vehicles (each car contains its own secondary part of a linear synchronous motors).

Non-contact operation means that vehicle traction does not depend on adhesion between contact surfaces, e.g., wheels and rails. (more…)

In contrast to electromagnetic suspension systems, electrodynamic suspension systems can provide stable suspension without a feedback system. Imagine a magnet held above a moving flat sheet of aluminum or copper. Following Ampere’s law of induction, an electric field is induced in the moving metal surface that causes eddy currents to flow in closed loops near its surface. The eddy currents in turn set up their own magnetic field, whose polarity, in accordance with Lenz’s law, opposes that of the magnet’s field. Consequently, the magnet is repelled from the moving metal surface, countering the force of gravity. If the magnet is pushed down toward the moving metal surface, the induced currents and the resultant repulsive force increase, restoring the equilibrium position automatically. Conversely, if the magnet is moved upward, the levitating force decreases. (more…)