MAGLEV TRAINS

 

MAGLEV TRAINS

 There is a new form of transportation that could revolutionize transportation of the 21^st century the way airplanes did in the 20^th  century. A few countries are using powerful electromagnets to develop high-speed trains, called maglev trains.

 Maglev is short for magnetic levitation, which means that these trains will float over a guide way using the basic principles of magnets to replace the old steel wheel and track trains. We know that in magnet opposite poles attract and like poles repel each other. This is the basic principle behind electromagnetic propulsion. Electromagnets are similar to other magnets in that they attract metal objects, but the magnetic pull is temporary. There are three components to this system.

­The big difference between a maglev train and a conventional train is that maglev trains do not have an engine, at least not the kind of engine used to pull typical train cars along steel tracks. The engine for maglev trains is rather inconspicuous. Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guide way walls and the track combine to propel the train.

THE MAGLEV TRACKS:

The magnetized coil running along the track, called a guide way, repels the large magnets on the train's undercarriage, allowing the train to levitate between 0.39 and 3.93 inches (1 to 10 cm) above the guide way. Once the train is levitated, power is supplied to the coils within the guide way walls to create a unique system of magnetic fields that pull and push the train along the guide way.

The electric current supplied to the coils in the guide way walls is constantly alternating to change the polarity of the magnetized coils. This change in polarity causes the magnetic field in front of the train to pull the vehicle forward, while the magnetic field behind the train adds more forward thrust. Maglev trains float on a cushion of air, eliminating friction. This lack of friction and the trains' aerodynamic designs allow these trains to reach unprecedented ground transportation speeds of more than 310 mph(500 kph), or twice as fast as Amtrak's fastest commuter train.  

 Developers say that maglev trains will eventually link cities that are up to 1,000 miles (1,609 km) apart. Although based on similar concepts, the German and Japanese trains have distinct differences. In Germany, engineers have developed an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system, called Transrapid. In this system, the bottom of the train wraps around a steel guide way. Electromagnets attached to the train's undercarriage are directed up toward the guide way, which levitates the train about 1/3 of an inch (1 cm) above the guide way and keeps the train levitated even when it's not moving. Other guidance magnets embedded in the train's body keep it stable during travel.  

While maglev transportation was first proposed more than a century ago, the first commercial maglev train made its test debut in Shanghai, China, in 2002 using the train developed by German company several   countries have plans to build their own maglev trains. U.S. cities from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh have had maglev line plans in the works.