Design and Innovative Test of a Linear Induction Motor for Urban MagLev Vehicles

This article presents the design and innovative test of a linear induction motor (LIM) to be used in the urban superconducting magnetic levitated vehicle named MagLev-Cobra. This levitation method, based on the flux pinning property of high-temperature superconductors in the proximity of rare-earth permanent magnets, has constraints related to the lifting forces. This issue is even more critical as there is no control of the levitation gap, which changes according to the load. The motor design is based on analytical equations and computational simulations by finite element methods. An innovative workbench for tests was developed to measure values of interest, such as end effects, forces, electrical currents, magnetic flux densities, and others. Numerical and experimental results support the desired performance of the proposed LIM.