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California Maglev Project

The California Maglev Project is one of seven Maglev projects competing for federal rail money. The project hopes to meet the great population, employment, and travel demands in southern California. It uses Transrapid technology- an EMS system that gives a 3/8 inch cushion between the train and the guideway.

Electronically controlled support magnets on both sides along all of the vehicle pull it up towards ferromagnetic stator packs on the bottom of the guideway. The levitation system uses onboard batteries, so it is independent of the propulsion system. A linear generator integrated into support magnets recharges the batteries while travelling.

Electric systems make sure that the cushion remains constant, while guidance magnets located on both sides of the entire vehicle keep it on track laterally.

Steel switches elastically bent by electromagnetic setting drives change tracks.

The train is propelled by a non-contact, long-stator motor which is found in the guideway and works like a rotating electric motor with its stator cut open and stretched below the guideway. The current in cable windings makes a travelling magnetic field which pulls the vehicle along without contact. Wave frequency is changed to make the train go faster or slower. Changing the direction of the field of the travelling wave causes the Maglev train to brake.

Links

Back to the Maglev main page
How Maglev Works
Maglev Benefits
Magplane
Transrapid
RTRI
HSST
Maglev Links

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