More than two hundred years have passed since the moment when mankind invented the first steam locomotives. However, until now, railway land transport, carrying passengers and heavy cargo using the power of electricity and diesel fuel, is very common.
It is worth mentioning that all these years, inventors and engineers have been actively working on the creation of alternative methods of movement. The result of their work were trains on magnetic cushions.
Appearance story
The very idea of creating trains on magnetic cushions was actively developed at the beginning of the twentieth century. However, it was not possible to realize this project at that time for a number of reasons. The construction of such a train began only in 1969. It was then that on the territory of Germany they began to lay a magnetic track along which a new vehicle was supposed to pass, which was subsequently called: the Muggle train. It was launched in 1971. The first Muggle train called Transrapid-02 passed along the magnetic track.
An interesting fact is that German engineers made an alternative vehicle on the basis of those records that the scientist German Kemper left, back in 1934 he received a patent confirming the invention of the magnetoplane.
"Transrapid-02" can hardly be called very fast. He could move at a maximum speed of 90 kilometers per hour. Its capacity was also low - only four people.
In 1979, they created a more advanced Muggle model. This train, called the Transrapid-05, could carry sixty-eight passengers. He moved along a line located in the city of Hamburg, the length of which was 908 meters. The maximum speed that this train developed was seventy-five kilometers per hour.
In the same 1979, another Muggle model was released in Japan. It was called the ML-500. The Japanese magnetic cushion train reached speeds of up to five hundred and seventeen kilometers per hour.
Competitiveness
The speed that magnetic cushion trains can develop can be compared with the speed of airplanes. In this regard, this type of transport can become a serious competitor to those airlines that operate at a distance of up to a thousand kilometers. The widespread use of muggles is hindered by the fact that they can’t move on traditional railway surfaces. Magnetic pillow trains need special lines. And this requires a large investment of capital. It is also believed that the magnetic field created for Muggles can negatively affect the human body, which will negatively affect the health of the driver and residents of regions located close to such a route.
Principle of operation
Magnetic pillow trains are a special kind of transport. During the movement, the Muggles seem to soar above the railway line without touching it. This is because the vehicle is driven by the strength of an artificially created magnetic field. There is no friction during the movement of the Muggle. The braking force in this case is aerodynamic drag.
How does this work? Each of us knows about the basic properties of magnets from physics lessons of the sixth grade. If two magnets are brought to each other by the north poles, then they will repel. A so-called magnetic cushion is created. When connecting the various poles, the magnets will be attracted to each other. This rather simple principle underlies the movement of the Muggle train, which literally glides through the air at an insignificant distance from the rails.
Currently, two technologies have already been developed by which a magnetic cushion or suspension is actuated. The third is experimental and exists only on paper.
Electromagnetic suspension
This technology is called EMS. It is based on the strength of the electromagnetic field, which varies in time. It causes levitation (rise in the air) of the Muggle. For the movement of the train in this case, T-shaped rails are required, which are made of a conductor (usually metal). In this way, the operation of the system is similar to a conventional railway. However, in the train, instead of wheelsets, support and guide magnets are installed. They are placed parallel to the ferromagnetic stators located on the edge of the T-shaped web.
The main disadvantage of EMS technology is the need to control the distance between the stator and the magnets. And this despite the fact that it depends on many factors, including the unstable nature of electromagnetic interaction. In order to avoid a sudden stop of the train, special batteries are installed on it. They are capable of recharging linear generators built into the support magnets, and thereby maintain the levitation process for a long time.
The brakes of trains created on the basis of EMS technology are provided by a synchronous linear low-acceleration motor. It is represented by supporting magnets, as well as a roadway over which the muggle soars. The speed and traction of the composition can be controlled by changing the frequency and strength of the generated alternating current. To slow down, just change the direction of the magnetic waves.
Electrodynamic suspension
There is a technology in which the movement of the Muggle occurs when two fields interact. One of them is created in the canvas of the highway, and the second - on board the train. This technology is called EDS. At its base, a Japanese magnetic cushion train JR – Maglev was built.
Such a system has some differences from EMS, where conventional magnets are used, to which electric current is supplied from the coils only when power is applied.
EDS technology means a constant supply of electricity. This happens even if the power source is turned off. The coils of such a system have cryogenic cooling, which saves significant amounts of electricity.
Advantages and disadvantages of EDS technology
The positive side of an electrodynamic suspension system is its stability. Even a slight reduction or increase in the distance between the magnets and the web is regulated by the forces of repulsion and attraction. This allows the system to be unchanged. With this technology, there is no need to install electronics for monitoring. No need for devices to adjust the distance between the canvas and the magnets.
EDS technology has some disadvantages. So, a force sufficient to levitate the composition can arise only at high speed. That is why Muggles are equipped with wheels. They provide their movement at speeds up to one hundred kilometers per hour. Another disadvantage of this technology is the friction force that occurs in the rear and front of the repulsive magnets at a low speed.
Due to the strong magnetic field in the section intended for passengers, the installation of special protection is necessary. Otherwise, a person with an electronic stimulator of the heart is not allowed to travel. Protection is also needed for magnetic storage media (credit cards and HDD).
Technology under development
The third system, which currently exists only on paper, is the use of permanent magnets in the EDS variant, which do not require energy to be activated. More recently, it was believed that this was impossible. Researchers believed that the permanent magnets do not have such a force that can cause the levitation of the train. However, this problem was avoided. To solve it, the magnets were placed in the Halbach massif. Such an arrangement leads to the creation of a magnetic field not under the array, but above it. This helps maintain levitation of the composition even at a speed of about five kilometers per hour.
This project has not yet received practical implementation. This is due to the high cost of arrays made of permanent magnets.
Muggle Merits
The most attractive side of magnetic cushion trains is the prospect of achieving high speeds that will allow Muggles to compete even with jet aircraft in the future. This type of transport is quite economical in terms of energy consumption. Low costs and its operation. This becomes possible due to the lack of friction. The low noise of the Muggles is also pleasing, which will positively affect the environmental situation.
disadvantages
The negative side of Muggles is the too large amount needed to create them. High costs and maintenance gauge. In addition, the considered mode of transport requires a complex system of tracks and ultra-precise instruments that control the distance between the blade and magnets.
Project implementation in Berlin
In the capital of Germany in 1980, the first Muggle type system called the M-Bahn was opened. The length of the canvas was 1.6 km. A magnetic cushion train ran between the three metro stations on weekends. Travel for passengers was free. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the population of the city almost doubled. It required the creation of transport networks with the ability to ensure high passenger traffic. That is why in 1991 the magnetic sheet was dismantled, and in its place the construction of the metro began.
Birmingham
In this German city, the low-speed Muggle connected from 1984 to 1995. airport and train station. The length of the magnetic path was only 600 m.
The road worked for ten years and was closed due to numerous complaints of passengers about the inconvenience. Subsequently, monorail replaced the Muggle in this section.
Shanghai
The first magnetic road in Berlin was built by the German company Transrapid. The failure of the project did not deter the developers. They continued their research and received an order from the Chinese government, which decided to build a Muggle track in the country. Shanghai and Pudong Airport are connected by this high-speed (up to 450 km / h) route.
A road 30 km long was opened in 2002. Plans for the future include extending it to 175 km.
Japan
In this country in 2005 the exhibition Expo-2005 was held. At its opening, a 9 km long magnetic track was put into operation. There are nine stations on the line. Maglev serves the territory adjacent to the venue of the exhibition.
Maglevs are considered the transport of the future. Already in 2025, it is planned to open a new super-fast track in a country such as Japan. A magnetic cushion train will carry passengers from Tokyo to one of the areas of the central part of the island. Its speed will be 500 km / h. To implement the project will need about forty-five billion dollars.
Russia
The creation of a high-speed train is also planned by Russian Railways. By 2030, a muggle in Russia will connect Moscow and Vladivostok. Passengers will overcome the path of 9300 km in 20 hours. The speed of the magnetic cushion train will reach five hundred kilometers per hour.