Dynamic modeling and simulation of EMS Maglev vehicle to evaluate the levitation stability and operational safety over an elastic segmented switch track.

An electromagnetic suspension (EMS) magnetic levitation (Maglev) vehicle runs between a guideway and electromagnet at a certain distance, usually called the "airgap". To maintain the vertical airgap, the electric current of the electromagnet must be controlled. A lateral restoring force is generated by a component force in the vertical direction but is not controlled. So, the EMS Maglev vehicle must be operated at appropriate speeds around curves to prevent contact with the track. This is particularly important at track sections with a small radius of curvature such as at a switch. The segmented switch system developed and employed in Korea is entirely made of steel, which may cause instabilities in the levitation system in the presence of an airgap due to its greater susceptibility to vibration compared to concrete. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the stability of levitation using computational simulation when the maglev vehicle ran over a segmented switch. In this paper, a dynamic model of a Maglev vehicle was developed based on multibody dynamics that accounts for the flexibility of the segmented switch track. Using the developed analytical model, levitation stability and operational safety simulations were carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]