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Abstract As the world continues to grow and as cities continue to become more crowded and congested, our normal modes of transportation will not be able to handle these overpopulated areas. The answer to this transportation problem lies in the world of electro magnetism and superconducting magnets. Electromagnets and superconducting magnets have allowed us to create a magnetic levitating train nicknamed “Maglev” that floats on the track instead of being directly on it. This has a lot of potential to create trains that are super fast with low maintenance requirements. China is the first country in the world to commercially use MagLevs, and has already helped ease the congestion on the six lane highway leading from the Pudong Shanghai International Airport to Shanghai Lujiazui financial district. This new technology has already helped China in a short period of time and can certainly help other cities around the world that are just as congested as Shanghai.

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Contents: 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………..3 2. Basics of Magnetic levitation…………………………………………………………….6 3. Operating Principle of MagLav………………………………………....9 4. Why is Maglev Better?...........................................................................13 5. Advantages and Disadvantages………………………………………...14 6. Social impacts of Magnetic Levitation………………………………...15 7. Today’s Reality………………………………………………………...20 8. Latest project in India………………………………………………….21 9. Conclusion……………………………………………………………..21 10. References………………………………………………………….....21

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1. Introduction Some forces in this world are almost invisible to the naked eye and most people throughout the world do not even know they exist. On one side you could say that some of these forces are abstract feelings inside of a human being that have been given names from man. These forces could be things like emotion, guilt, and even ecstasy. On the other side you have solid concrete principles of how the world works. These too have been given names by man, but these principles are not abstract and have solid ground in science. These different principles are things like gravity, electricity, and magnetism. Magnetism has been a part of the earth since the beginning whether people realize it or not. It is due to the magnetism of the earth that the world spins and thus creates things like gravity. The magnetism is created by the processes within the core of the earth. The earth’s iron-ore core has a natural spinning motion to it inside which creates a natural magnetic force that is held constant over the earth. This creates magnetic forces that turn the earth into a large bar magnet. The creation of North and South poles on the earth are due to this field. From this magnetic field, we see things such as the aurora borealis. This is a small electromagnetic storm in the atmosphere which creates a display for all to see. Not only does magnetism provide us with amazing natural displays, but it also provides for us amazing applications to society. One of these applications is magnetic levitation. Magnetic levitation uses the concept of a magnets natural repulsion to poles of the same kind. This repulsion has been harnessed and controlled in an environment to help create a system of transportation that is both economically sound and faster than most methods of transportation at this point. In 1965 the Department of Commerce established the High Speed Ground Transportation Act. Most early work on developing Maglev technology was developed during this time. The earliest work was carried out by the Brookhaven National Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ford, Stanford Research Institute, Rohr Industries, Boeing Aerospace Co., and the Garrett Corporation. In the United States, though, the work ended in 1975 with the termination of Federal Funding for high-speed ground transportation and research. It was at that time when the Japanese and German developers continued their research and therefore came out with the first test tracks. In 1990, legislative action directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to implement and prepare a plan for a National Maglev program. The Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Energy (DOE), and the Army Corp developed what is known as the National Maglev Initiative which was a two year 25 million dollar program to assess the engineering, economic, environmental and safety aspects of Maglev. German Development In 1969, the German government sponsored a research project which built their first full scale model of a Maglev design . They called their version of the Maglev the TransrRapid 01. A few years later, the first passenger Maglev debuted and carried people for a few thousand feet at speeds of Seminar Report

Japanese Development The Tokaido Shinkansen was the early Japanese high speed train line. It opened in 1964 and since then has expanded considerably. Its success also prompted the development of high speed trains in the west. But the Japanese public demanded an even faster form of high speed rail travel. The Page 3

only 50 mph. The German company, Munich’s KraussMaffei, which built the first TransRapid, continue to build improved versions of the TransRapid in a joint private-public funded research effort. In 1971, they completed the TransRapid 02. They completed the TR 03, TR 04 in 1972 and 1973, respectively. The TR 04 set a new speed record for passenger MagLevs by going 157 mph in December of 1973 . Germany’s first large scale demonstration of the TR was in 1979 was at the International Transportation Fair in Hamburg, where the TR 05 carried about fifty thousand visitors between a parking lot and the exhibition hall for six months . At this time, a test track was erected to test the system in real world conditions. The test track was a nineteen mile figure “8” track that was built between 1979 and 1987 in Northern Germany . The TR 06 was the first to be tested on this track and it reached speeds of 221 mph after the completion of the first 13 miles of the track. The TR 06 eventually reached a speed of 256 mph and was finally retired after traveling 40,000 miles in 1990 . The TransRapid 07 was built by Thyssen Co. in Kassel. The TR 07 reached a record speed of 280 mph . A TransRapid route was planned from Hamburg to Berlin in 1992. In 1998, a joint company was formed under the system houses Adtranz, Siemens, and Thyssen . This new joint company was called TransRapid International. In 2000, the government said that the Berlin-Hamburg route will not be realized and TransRapid International proposed 5 alternative routes where the TransRapid can be built. None of the routes were accepted and TransRapid International started looking for outside interest in their project to save a billion dollars and 30 years of investment . China expressed their interest in the German Maglev technology. After statistical gathering and analyzing, a contract was reached on January 23, 2001 between Shanghai and TransRapid Seminar Report

Shinkansen used a conventional train design, with motors and other equipment mounted on the rolling stock, electric power gathered from overhead wires, and wheels running on rails. It was impossible to increase the speeds much more. Some of the limitations included: Greater size and weight of on board equipment, difficulty in collecting electric power, and reduced adhesion between wheels and rails at higher speeds that may cause wheel slipping . There had to be some new sort of technology that could create faster trains that were just as safe as or even safer than the trains running on the Shinkansen lines. The answer to this problem lied in electro magnetism . The former Japanese National Railways (JNR) began conducting Maglev research and development in 1970. The Miyazaki Test Track was built in southern Japan was experiments and test runs were being conducted on the tracks . In 1979, the prototype ML-500 test train reached an unmanned speed of 517 km/h on the 7 km track, which proved that Maglev had a great potential for reaching higher speeds than any other train built before that. The Miyazaki track was later modified into a U shaped to simulate more real world track curves. At this stage of development, the government started funding the project. The MLU001 was the first Maglev developed with government financial aid . Other models were built and continued to be tested and experimented on the Miyazaki test track. But there was a problem with the track. It was too short and only had a single guideway with no tunnels and no inclines or declines. The experimental data gathered on the Miyazaki test track would be too limited to verify trains commercial potential and use. After the JNR was split and privatized in 1987, the Tokaido Shinkansen experienced an increase in passengers which led to more calls to build a commercial Maglev line as soon as possible . As a Page 4

International to build a line between Shanghai and its airport. On December 31, 2002, the first commercially operated Maglev line took it maiden voyage carrying on board Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder and other high ranking politicians and business people from both countries. One year later, the world’s first commercial TransRapid route starts scheduled operation in Shanghai.

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result, the Yamanashi Test Line was constructed in Tamanashi Prefecture, approximately 100 km west of Tokyo . The Yamanashi test line was 18.4 km long and supported a wide range of tests to determine the commercial feasibility of the Maglev train. The track was made up 16 km of tunnels and an open section that was 1.5 km long in the middle of the track. A substation for power conversion and other facilities were located in the 1.5 km stretch of open section. Part of the line was double tracked to simulate trains going in opposite directions at super high speeds. Trial runs began on the Yamanashi Test line in April 1997. The cars weren’t levitated but instead were driven at low speeds on rubber tires. Once tests confirmed that there were no defects in the vehicles or the guideway itself, levitation runs began at the end of May 1997. The speeds were increased incrementally to monitor car movement and verify braking performance . On December 12 1997, a new world record of 531 km/h was set for manned train travel. A maximum speed of 550 km/h was set for unmanned travel 12 days later. There was only one more problem that remained: air vibration that rattles the windows of buildings near tunnel portals when a Maglev trains enters or leaves a tunnel at high speeds . Everything else seemed to be in good shape. There were no environmental problems, ground vibration measurements were well within acceptable limits. Magnetic fields measured at ground level directly under than the elevated guideways were also within acceptable limits. Tests were conducted so that two cars passed each other at high speeds. The vibration of the trains passing each other was so small that it could only be felt by someone actually expecting it [. Overall, there were no major problems that occurred during the test runs. More testing will be required before commercial use of Maglev trains in Japan Page 5

will start. During the next few years, these test runs will be focusing on 3 things:  Verifying long-term durability  Finding ways to reduce costs  Achieving more aerodynamic car designs .

2.BASICS OF MAGNETIC LEVITATION A. Magnetic Fields The creation of magnetic forces is the basis of all magnetic levitation. The creation of a magnetic field can be caused by a number of things. The first thing that it can be caused by is a permanent magnet. These magnets are a solid material in which there is an induced North and South pole. These will be described further a little later. The second way that an magnetic field can be created is through an electric field changing linearly with time. The third and final way to create a magnetic field is through the use of direct current. There are two basic principles in dealing with the concept of magnetic levitation. The first law that is applied was created by Michael Faraday. This is commonly known as Faraday’s Law.

Figure 1. Michael Faraday This law states that if there is a change in the magnetic field on a coil of wire, there is seen a change in voltage. Taking that a bit further, it could be said that if there was a change in voltage, then there would be a change in magnetic field. This occurs in the coil when there is a current induced as a result of that change in voltage. From Figure 2 below it is illustrated that the change in the magnetic field produces a current.

Figure 2. Induced Current from Change in Magnetic Field Seminar Report

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For the purposes of magnetic levitation the ability to change the strength of a magnetic field by just changing the current is powerful. If there is a need for more of a force, then sending more current through a coil of wires will produce more of a greater magnetic force. The direction of the forces created by Faraday’s Law was discovered by a man named Heinrich Lenz. His theory states that “the emf induced in an electric circuit always acts in such a direction that the current it drives around the circuit opposes the change in the magnetic flux which produces the emf.”i In other words, this is stating that if there was a current that was created in a coil of wires, then the magnetic field that is being produced will be perpendicular the current direction.

Figure 3. Heinrich Lenz The application that this has on magnetic levitation is that this will allow the direction of the magnetic field to be predictable and thus a set up can be created for a specific purpose to maximize the force that is created. This has direct application to the rail gun which will be described later.

Figure 4. Perpendicular Force from Induce Current From Figure 4 above, it is illustrated that there is a coiled wire around the cylinder. Inside that coiled wire is a current that is traveling from left to right. The resulting magnetic force from that current is shown to be perpendicular to the current and is traveling from bottom to top. B. Types of Magnetic Levitation Although the concepts of magnetic levitation are all the same, the way that those concepts are brought about can vary. These options are controlled and changed depending on the type of application that is necessary. Seminar Report

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(i)Permanent Magnets The first type of levitation is the implementation through permanent magnets. These magnets are made of a material that creates a north and a south pole on them. This can be seen in Figure 5.

Figure5. Permanent Magnet Fields

The formal definition of a permanent magnet is “a material that retains its magnetic properties after and external magnetic field is removed.”ii The whole idea behind permanent magnets is that like ends will repel and opposite ends will attract. Permanent magnets require very little if any maintenance. These magnets do not require cryogens or a large power supply for operation. The magnetic field is measured vertically within the bore of the magnet. The main disadvantages of a permanent magnet are the cost of the magnet itself when put into large scale systems. Another disadvantage is the varying changes in the magnetic field. The ability to control a constant magnetic force from a permanent magnet is an on-going problem in the application of these types of magnets. Different applications that use these types of magnets can be found in a number of different areas. Examples of these applications are compasses, DC motor drives, clocks, hearing aids, microphones, speedometers, and many more.

(ii)Electromagnetic Magnets The basic idea behind an electromagnet is extremely simple. By running electric current through a wire, you can create a magnetic field. When this wire is coiled around a magnetic material (i.e. metal), a current is passed through this wire. In doing this, the electric current will magnetize the metallic core. This can be seen in Figure 6.

Figure6. Electromagnet By using this simple principle, you can create all sorts of things including motors, solenoids, heads for hard disks, speakers, and so on. An electromagnet is one that uses the same type of principles as the permanent magnet but only on a temporary scale. This means that only when the current is flowing is there going to be Seminar Report

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an induced magnet. This type of magnet is an improvement to the permanent magnet because it allows somebody to select when and for how long the magnetic field lasts. It also gives a person control over how strong the magnet will be depending on the amount of current that is passed through the wire.

(iii)Superconductive Magnets The ideas presented behind superconductive magnets are the same principles that are at work in an MRI. Superconductive magnets are the most common of all the magnets, and are sometimes called cryomagnets. The idea behind the superconducting magnets is that there is a material which presents no electrical resistivity to electrical current. Once a current has been fed into the coils of this material, it will indefinitely flow without requiring the input of any additional current. The way that a material is able to have such a low resistivity to current is that it is brought to very low temperatures. The temperatures that are commonly found in superconducting magnets are around -258oC. This is done by immersing the coils that are holding the current into liquid Helium; this also helps in maintaining a homogenous magnetic field over time. The advantage to the superconducting magnet is that they don’t require constant power from a source to keep up the value of the current in the coils. Although a disadvantage is that they require an expensive cryogen such as helium to operate correctly. The magnetic field is in the direction of the long axis of the cylinder or bore of the magnet. Since the resistance in the coils can cause the current to decay, cryogens reduce the resistance to almost zero, which will help maintain a homogenous magnetic field over time.

3.OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF MAGLEV Understanding how Maglev trains work requires some knowledge in advance topics such as calculus, physics, and chemistry. It is important to know common variables assigned to physics terms and a brief overview of chemistry laws dealing with magnets. Most of the equations used to determine how the MagLev trains move is derived from formulas used to calculate electric current, induced voltage, circuit loops, and many other formulas dealing with electromagnetism. One of the first concepts that form the basis of how MagLev trains work is understanding magnetism and the use of magnetic propulsion. If you were to have a bar magnet you should know that one end is designated a north pole while the other end is called the south pole. Now suppose you are given a second bar magnet, experimenting with it you will find that opposite poles attract while attractive poles repel. This simple form of attraction and repulsion is the same idea used to move those gigantic MagLev trains. Since the magnets needed required enough strength to move a train, engineers have devised the MagLev train using electromagnets and superconducting magnets. Electromagnets are metals with electric current running through them giving the metals a magnetic field similar to that of the bar magnets and superconducting magnets are able to induce charge, or give charge, to a material causing repulsive forces. MagLev railway developement has since integrated these two types of magnetic systems for propulsion to control how the trains move. These magnetic suspension systems are designed so that the MagLev train can glide through air by levitating it above the actual rail line reducing friction that would normally be created from the metal wheel and rail line used in conventional railway trains . The transrapid system developed by in Germany utilizes regular electromagnets on the undercarriage of the train to levitate the vehicle while an additional set of magnets are used to guide the train. The electrodynamic suspension or EDS system developed in Japan use superconducting electromagnets for their MagLev trains allowing the train to Seminar Report

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remain aloft for a while even after the electric current is turned off using the property of the metals to easily allow electrons to flow easier. What both systems do though is control the MagLev train’s lateral guidance, levitation system, and its propulsion.

b

(a)Lateral Guidance System The Lateral guidance systems control the train’s ability to actually stay on the track. It stabilized the movement of the train from moving left and right of the train track by using the system of electromagnets found in the undercarriage of the MagLev train. The placement of the electromagnets in conjunction with a computer control system ensures that the train does not deviate more than 10mm from the actual train tracks . The lateral guidance system used in the Japanese electrodynamic suspension system is able to use one “set of four superconducting magnets”to control lateral guidance from the magnetic propulsion of the null flux coils located on the guideways of the track as shown in Fig.7. Coils are used frequently in the design of MagLev trains because the magnetic fields created are perpendicular to the electric current, thus making the magnetic fields stronger. The Japanese Lateral Guidance system also uses a semi-active suspension system. This system dampens the effect of the side to side vibrations of the train car and allows for more comfortable train rides . This stable lateral motion caused from the magnetic propulsion is a joint operation from the acceleration sensor, control devive, to the actual air spring that dampens the lateral motion of the train car.

FIG.7 A SKETC OF LATERAL GUIDENCE Seminar Report

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The lateral guidance system found in the German transrapid system is similar to the Japanese model. In a combination of attraction and repulsion, the MagLev train is able to remain centered on the railway. Once again levitation coils are used to control lateral movement in the German MagLev suspension system. The levitation coils are connected on both sides of the guideway and have opposite poles . The opposites poles of the guideway cause a repulsive force on one side of the train while creating an attractive force on the other side of the train.

(b)Levitation The Levitation systems used in the design of the MagLev railway allow it to glide above the actual track. In electrodynamic suspension systems the actual train can be as high as 80 mm above the track while the Transrapid suspension system allows it to go less than 12 mm from above the track. In the case of air drift or a turn in the railway course causes the train to lift above the distance needed to stay on track, there is “enhanced current input into the levitation magnets to increase the magnetic force.” Doing this ensures that the train stays on the track with gap sensors on the rail line to detect any change in lateral shift. In order to use magnetic levitation by induction, the team behind EDS had created a system that allowed five degrees of motion. The physics of the actual lift can be described in mathematical terms. The calculated voltage of the magnetically induced coils can be tabulated according to (1) where N is the number of turns.

(1) Once the voltage is found in the coils used in the induction, a formula can be derived for the coil’s current, i, as shown in (2) with respect to time. Knowing the i, engineers apply Lorrentz force equation (3) to calculate the lift force caused by the magnets .

(2)

(3) Using these equations and additional equations on magnetic flux you can describe the five degrees of motions in the electrodynamic suspension levitation system. These degrees are levitation height, sideways displacement, yaw, pitch and roll. Each dimension contributes to the torque of the EDS MagLev train .

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Fig 8. A Sketch of Lavitation The electromagnetic suspension system used in the German Transrapid system levitates the train a few millimeters from the actual track. Using a system of electromagnets, the Transrapid system attracts the coils found in the guideway of the MagLev train. The attraction of the magnetic forces occur because the currents found in both the train and the guideway both flow in the same direction. Since this system uses electricity to power the magnetic fields the train is always above the track unless cut from the electric current. To prevent this from happening German engineers have put in a backup battery in the actual MagLev train in case of power failure.

(c)Propulsion System There are two types of propulsion systems used in current MagLev trains. The Linear Induction Motor (LIM) is used to propel the Japanese EDS system while the Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) propels the German Transrapid system. Both of the systems are move by the guideways themselves instead of the actual train car

Fig 9. A Sketch of Propulsion Propulsion occurring in the Linear Induction Motor is caused from the sum of four individual linear motors. The motors induce voltages to the four motors. When these voltages are combined they produce a repulsive force that pushes the train car forward. The speeds for Linear Induction Motors is determined by “the ratio of length of the vehicle magnet system to the length of the energized block, the sum of the coupling coefficients between vehicled magnets and the guideway coils, applied voltage, and the current flowing in the superconducting coils .” Seminar Report

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The speed of MagLev trains in Linear Synchronous motors are determined by the frequency of the alternating current and the magnetic field directions. Propulsion is created when the current is in ‘synch’ with the frequency allowing for forward propulsion. In order for the train car to brake and slow down, the field simply has to be reversed allowing the train car to brake without the use of friction.

4.WHY IS MAGLEV BETTER? There are several reasons why Maglev is better than conventional rail transportation used today. From being faster, more energy efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly, Maglev surpasses normal trains in almost every way.

(a)Frictionless Travel Maglev stands for Magnetically Levitated. That means that these trains won’t have to touch the tracks in order to move. That will mean they will travel frictionless. That creates the potential for speeds faster than all the conventional rail travel used today. These conventional trains have achieved speeds about 500 km/h in special laboratory tests but their normal operating speeds is below 300 km/h. Maglev vehicles are designed for operating speeds up to 500 km/h. That is a tremendous speed advantage of Maglev trains over conventional rail travel. Frictionless travel means that the train won’t actually touch the rails. Because there is no mechanical contact and wear, Maglev guideways could last up to 50 years or more with very little maintenance at all. Maglev vehicles will have longer lifetimes than conventional rail travel for this reason. They will also have longer lifetimes than automobiles, trucks, and airplanes . Not only do they have longer lifetimes than these other methods of transportation, but they are also relatively cheaper. Maglev operating costs will be only 3 cents per passenger mile and 7 cents per ton mile, compared to 15 cents per passenger mile for airplanes, and 30 cents per ton mile for intercity trucks . The cost of making the guideway is a high percentage of total investment for a Maglev system. The costs for making these guideways are no higher than those of other high speed rail systems and look even better when the terrain is bad because Maglev rail lines are easily adaptable to the difficult terrain. This combined with the longer lifetimes of the Maglev trains makes it a better investment for our future. Maglevs have faster acceleration and deceleration than conventional rail travel. They accelerate from 0 to 300 km/h within 5 km as compared to the German ICE high-speed train which requires 30 km to reach the same speed . This makes maglev ideal for short distances,(Short distances meaning 20 or so), mediumdistances(intercity connections), and long distance national or international connections . An advantage of conventional rail travel over other forms of transportation is their ability to operate in almost any weather conditions. Maglevs are even better prepared for icy conditions because they do not require overhead power lines or pantographs (parts that are subject to freezing on conventional railroads). The guidance and propulsion components of the Maglev are under the guideway which protects them from rain and snow. Snow will almost never accumulate on the tracks because of the wind that the Maglev creates when moving at high speeds. Even if snow builds up on the guideway, the train will not actually touch the rails and will continue to operate normally .

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(b)Energy Efficient Maglev does not burn oil but instead uses electricity, which can be produced from coal, nuclear, hydro. wind, or solar power plants. When traveling at 300 mph in the open atmosphere, Maglev consumes only. 4 mega joules per passenger mile, compared to 4 mega joules per passenger mile of oil fuel for a 20-miles-pergallon car that carries 2 people at 60 mph. That is a huge difference in energy consumption when you compare the speeds at which they are traveling at. At 150 mph, Maglev consumes only 1megajoules per passenger miles, which is just 2% of the energy consumption of a typical 60 mph vehicle.

(c)Safe for Us and the Environment Maglevs are safer than conventional rail travel, highway vehicles and airplanes. Since the tracks are elevated, there is no risk of any type of collision with automobiles and trucks as compared to conventional trains. There is no possibility of collisions between vehicles on the guideway because the distance between Maglev vehicles on a guideway and the speed of the vehicles are all automatically controlled and maintained by the frequency of the electric power fed to the guideway .There is also no chance for derailment due to the superconducting magnets in the rails. Also, there won’t be much of an effect on the animal life in area. The elevated guideways allow for small animals and microorganisms to pass underneath .This eliminates animal collisions that occur frequently with normal roadways and conventional rail travel. Since only electric power is being used, Maglev is also safer for the environment than conventional rail travel .There are no fuels being used so air pollution is reduced because there are no emissions of exhaust gasses. Even if they use electricity from coal or natural gas fired power plants, the resulting CO2 emission is much less than that from cars, trucks and airplanes, because of Maglev’s high energy efficiency . Maglevs operate at low noise levels because there is no mechanical contact with the rails. Aerodynamic noise is reduced by making the Maglevs more streamlined. Maglevs traveling at 250 km/h results in vibrations that are below the human threshold of perception (KB value of .1. The German Transrapid releases a very low magnetic field. The magnetic field inside a passenger compartment is much less than that of a hair dryer, toater, or even an electric sewing machine. It will therefore have no negative influence on cardiac pacemakers, or magnetic cards such as credit cards. The Japanese version emits only about 4 gauss. Hospitals recommend a maximum of 5 gauss as the maximum permissible exposure for a pacemaker wearer .

5.Advantages and Disadvantages of MagLav Advantages 1) They do not have an engine. 2) They do not use fossil fuels. 3) Fast and Quiet. 4) Light weight’ Seminar Report

Disadvantages 1)The initial cost of MagLev trains are highly costly

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5) Environmentally friendly.

6.Social impacts of Magnetic Levitation A. Economic Tradeoffs (i)Track Rail System Since the first track system in America was laid down in 1826, trains have been a vital part of life for all. Whether or not it is realized, all people depend on the track and rail system in one way or another. That may be just from traveling, products that are being transported, or fossil fuels being transported. Since the development of efficient cars and planes, though, there has been a decrease in the use of rail systems here in America. The Europeans have long since adapted a unique need for the track and rail system. Because of the close proximity of all cities with in the European community, it has been possible to create an efficient interconnected system of track for use. America’s need for the track and rail system has been decreased because of urban sprawl. The distance between major cities in the U.S. is so great in some instances that it would be outrageous to take a train. The distance between the east coast and the west coast is so great, that there is almost no way to take a train that distance without it taking over three days. This is when people decide that the better option would be to take the plain. This is one of the biggest complaints about the current track and rail system. The time that it takes to get anywhere in a train is not worth it. The airport has long been the preferred path because of the short time that it takes to get somewhere. Another complaint with the current track and rail system was noise and chemical pollution that are produced. It is commonly known that the property near the tracks is going to be cheaper then the property away from the tracks. The reason for this is that there is immense noise from the tracks when a train is going by. The current system is just too noisy to place near any city because of the noise. Cities in the U.S. do not like a loud track system running through any residential areas in the city. That is why there are limited track and rail systems in the U.S. and if there are, they are found mostly in the downtown area. The chemical pollution is also a large complaint over the current system. The amount of fossil fuels needed to propel engines on a track system is great. Just like a car, there are also emissions from the running of the car that need to be worried about. From these complaints there would naturally be a need to create a system that both cuts down the time spent on a train and also cuts down on the emissions that are created. This system is the magnetic levitation system. (ii)Airports The first application of magnetically levitated transportation was found in airports. The reason that it was first started here was because the technology was able to be implemented on a much smaller scale. It would get a lot of used because of the number people that go through the airport, so it seemed like an ideal testing ground. It was also chosen because of the overcrowding that has been seen in the last decade at airports. As noted in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) 2001 Airport Capacity Enhancement Plan: “In recent years growth in air passenger traffic has outpaced growth in aviation system capacity. As a result, the effects of adverse weather or other disruptions to flight schedules are more substantial than in years past.” This is saying that the general population is using air traffic more and more, while airports are staying the same size. Seminar Report

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This overcrowding is becoming a large problem especially when any delay is becoming more significant because the number of people that it is affecting is growing. From 1995 to 2000, operations increased by 11 percent, enplanements by 18 percent, and delays by 90 percent. 8 With the heightened security that followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, ground delays have expanded the problem. The obvious ways to reduce delays is to expand airport capacity. Although this sounds easy enough, expansion has encountered determined public opposition and daunting costs. From there, the obvious solution is to begin implementing the magnetically levitating systems to alleviate some of the burden that is put on the airports. (iii)Magnetic Rail Systems America pioneered the technology of levitating superconducting transportation in the 60s and the 70s, but only on the prototype scale model stage. This was abandoned due to the lack of federal funding and had been picked up by the Japanese. As seen above, the U.S. transportation system has severe problems. Both ground and air transport experience congestion and delays. Emissions cause unacceptable pollution at many locations. Autos and planes use a lot of petroleum which is quickly becoming a scarce product. In a study done by the Maglev Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC), the impacts of a magnetic rail system were considered and also the feasibility of such a system in the U.S. In introduction, the committee described these types of vehicles as “exploiting the levitation properties of superconductors for high speed vehicles.” The committee also made the claim that the “maglev is to diesel locomotives what Star Trek is to Wagon Train.”iii From this study done by the committee, there were a number of things that were established in developing a system. A lot of the information is based on theoretical calculations and estimation because of the inability to do such a large study on this type of system that hasn’t been implemented yet. The committee suggested that a system of magnetically levitated vehicles could be implemented alongside of existing highways. From Figure 10, it can be seen that the Maglev systems would be an elevated roadway that would even reach over bridges. Also seen on the figure is that the systems would ride along side of the lanes of the highway with the same direction of traffic that is associated with that side.

Fig 10 .Maglev System Alongside of Highways

In looking at the implementation of the system alongside of the highways, capabilities were calculated. It was analyzed that a two-way Maglev system on an existing interstate right of way can easily carry 100,00 passengers per day at speeds of over 200 to 300 miles per hour, not to mention the freight handling ability. The idea here is that major cities are already connected with a network of interstates. This seems to be the most sensible area to implement the idea. One of the areas that they Europeans have had Seminar Report

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success in was the interconnection the major cities. This is one reason why the rail systems in Europe have been so successful. Not only will it be able to hold a large number of people, but the speed advantages that are associated with it carry a lot of the numbers. To show this type of implementation and with the speed advantages, a 50 foot (2 way) track was researched. For this study, it was shown that this track would be able hold, in volume, the equivalent of approximately ten lanes of speed highway traffic that can be developed on existing right of ways. Building highways to handle such a volume would require new rights-of-ways hundreds of feet wide, which is unreasonable. A number of benefits can be acquired from the implementation of the Maglev system. The first benefit being improved energy efficiency and security. Currently the U.S. imports over half of its petroleum which results in over 50 billion dollars in that import alone. In Figure 11, the graph shows that the U.S. uses the most amount of petroleum per year. This is in an area where there are no Maglev systems. But the areas where there a number of running Maglev systems have far lower use of petroleum. This graph is not showing that because of the Maglev systems there is reduced petroleum, but it is only showing that if there were to be a system in the U.S., the number of petroleum per year could be lowered.

Fig11. Petroleum Use Per Year If there was a system to implement, this would dramatically reduce the costs in the event that the general public begins to use the system as it was intended to be used. It can also be proven that the amount of fuel per person per mile is directly lower for the Maglev system than automotives and airplanes. Figure 12 below illustrates that the amount of energy put into moving a passenger is significantly lower in all aspects.

Fig 12. Passenger Energy Required Seminar Report

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In general it was found the automotives required over two times more energy input for a passenger, and airplanes used over four times more energy. Another benefit that could come about as a result of this system would be reduced air pollution. Figure 19 shows the amount of pollutants that are released in the air year. The figure 13 shows the comparison of pollutants released for three different transportation systems. The white bar is the Maglev system, the gray bar is automotive, and the black bar is airplane. From the graph it shows that the Maglev system is lower in six out of the seven areas for pollutants. In a time when the greenhouse effect is a big concern no the environment, the reduction of Carbon Dioxide would be a big help for the environment.

Fig 13. Pollutants Released by Transporation The last part about the Maglev system is one that causes a lot of concern for people because there is not a lot of information known about it. That is the effects that electromagnetic fields (EMF) have on people. This is an area of concern because the whole system is built on the concept of magnets and its sole purpose is to transport people on it. The effects of these forces must be studied. Some studies have shown that the level of EMF that occur during operation in the cabin and along the wayside have been on the same magnitude as those that are coming form the earth itself. They are also on the same level or lower then different household products. Although this sounds good, there should still be some concern. It has been found that DC magnetic fields can significantly exceed acceptable limits, and measures will have to be taken to reduce these levels or shield passengers and bystanders from their effects. In the implementation of these systems, existing Department of Health and Human Service rules regarding electromagnetic emissions must be considered. Possible exposure to large EMFs can cause cancer, alterations to the nervous system and reproductive system, trigger biological responses to critical functioning cells, and it affects fatigue, alertness, and reaction time. Although there is no very solid evidence of large EMFs with these systems, the effects on humans of this exposure are large enough to make sure there are proper measures taken to protect them.

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B. Aesthetic Appeal (i)Sound Most cities have one complaint when they are proposing the establishment of a rail system. This one complaint is the sound of the rail system. Most people complain about the sounds of a rail system as it goes by. This is one reason that a lot of properties are cheapest when they are close to the rails. Every time a rail car goes by, there is a lot of noise that is generated. The MagLev system that is being developed is the complete opposite of that when it comes to sound. The traditional rail system comes into contact with the rails the whole time that that the train is running. The MagLev system is one that always stays a distance away from the track at all time. This alone cuts away on the noise due to the contact of the rails. Aerodynamic factors are the principle noise contributors for these types of transportation systems. As mentioned before, traditional rail system’s noise comes from the wheel/rail interaction and propulsion systems. To put this more into perspective, the Maglev system’s decibel levels were compared to that of other loud transportation methods. The sound levels for the Maglev system were found to be 90 to 100 decibels in intensity. The intensity of a large truck is 90 decibels; where as the intensity of a jet taking off is 105 decibels. This means that the magnetic systems will not be entirely quite. They will be quieter than the traditional systems. Also when compared to other methods of transportation, the Maglev system is still on the lower end of the spectrum. (ii)Sight The unsightly ideals that come with a rail system will still be present in a social environment. The rails will still have to be there. You will still have cars coming and going from a main location as well as on the tracks. You will also need the wires and communication lines that go along with the tracks. Since these units use a lot of power for the electromagnets, there will be increased demand for power lines on the track system.

C. Government Contracts (i)Support from Government Agencies Governments have been a major player in the development of magnetically levitated transportation systems. Because of the major costs that are associated with the research and development of these types of systems, no private sector would have the ability to fund this. In Germany, the government set aside over 1 billion dollars for the development and implementation of test tracks. The government in Japan invested over 3 billion dollars for the development of their systems. These were two examples of governments that actually have test tracks up and running. As can be seen from the dollar values, it takes a lot of money to implement. On the other side of the spectrum is where the United States stands. Although they have spent money on the research, it does not compare to the numbers given from the German and Japanese governments. Overall, the U.S. has spent 15 million dollars total on the High Speed Ground program, where only 2.3 million dollars actually went to Maglev development. If the U.S. wants to get more involved with this type of technology, it is going to take a lot more dedication of funds to complete the project. (ii)Environmental Support Groups Earlier the year, the city of Pennsylvania awarded a group a 5.2 million dollar contract that will give them the right to do an environmental study on the proposed site that runs from Pittsburgh Airport to Greensburg. It Seminar Report

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would be a 47 mile test track and would be one of the first full scale systems to be implemented in the United States. As far as the concerns about the projects, environmental groups have mixed feelings on the subject. On one hand the groups like the fact that there is a cleaner and more efficient use of travel. But on the other hand there is a concern over the use of land to construct these types of structures that will allow the systems to run. Mentioned earlier were the structures that would like to be set-up on the highways. This sort of eye sore does not set well with environmental groups. Highways along are considered and intrusion on the landscape, so if there were to be large concrete structures holding magnetic tracks, this would not be looked upon as well.

7.Today’s Reality Railways using MagLev technology are on the horizon. They have proven to be faster than traditional railway systems that use metal wheels and rails and are slowed by friction. The low maintenance of the MagLev is an advantage that should not be taken lightly. When you don’t have to deal with the wear and tear of contact friction you gain greater longevity of the vehicle. Energy saved by not using motors running on fossil fuels allow more energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. Maglev will have a positive impact on sustainability. Using superconducting magnets instead of fossil fuels, it will not emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere . Energy created by magnetic fields can be easily replenished. The track of a Maglev train is small compared to those of a conventional train and are elevated above the ground so the track itself will not have a large effect on the topography of a region . Since a Maglev train levitates above the track, it will experience no mechancial wear and thus will require very little maintenance. Overall, the sustainability of Maglev is very positive. Although the relative costs of constructing Maglev trains are still expensive, there are many other positive factors that overshadow this. Maglev will contribute more to our society and our planet than it takes away. Considering everything Maglev has to offer, the transportation of our future and our children’s future is on very capaple tracks.

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7. Latest project in India. PUNE PANEL –MUMBAI PANEL INDIAN ministry is currently in the process reviewing a proposal to start a maglev train system in india .it has also has been estimate the cost to complete this process would over billion core .the company who sent the proposals is a company based in the united kingdom.

8. 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 city centre to city centre, permitting reduction in total travel time  Less noise and vibrations due to absence of physical contact. 

9. Refrences [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 ”.

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