Presents the fundamental principles governing levitation of material bodies by magnetic fields without too much formal theory. Defines the technology of magnetic bearings, especially those based on superconductivity, and demonstrates the key roles that magnetics, mechanics and dynamics play in the complete understanding of magnetic levitation and its bearings. Features extensive figures and photos of Mag-Lev devices and summarizes recent U.S. research studies in an effort to regain the lead in Mag-Lev technologies.
This study presents the fundamental principles governing the levitation of material bodies by magnetic fields. It defines the technology of magnetic bearings, especially those based on superconductivity, and demonstrates the key roles that magnetics, mechanics and dynamics play in the complete understanding of magnetic levitation and its bearings. The text features extensive illustrations of MagLev devices and summarizes the recent US research studies carried out in an effort to regain the lead in MagLev technologies.
From Peter Pan to Harry Potter, from David Copperfield to levitating toys, there is magic in conquering gravity. In this first-ever popular introduction to “maglev”— the use of magnetic forces to overcome gravity and friction—James D. Livingston takes lay readers on a journey of discovery, from basic concepts to today’s most thrilling applications. The tour begins with examples of our historical fascination with levitation, both real and fake. At the next stop, Livingston introduces readers to the components of maglev: gravitational and magnetic forces in the universe, force fields, diamagnetism and stabilization, superdiamagnetism and supercurrents, maglev nanotechnology, and more. He explores the development of the superconductors that are making large-scale levitation devices possible, and the use of magnetic bearings in products ranging from implanted blood pumps to wind turbines, integrated circuit fabrication, and centrifuges to enrich uranium. In the last chapters, we arrive at the science behind maglev transportation systems, such as Chinese trains that travel 250 miles per hour without touching the tracks. Packed with fascinating anecdotes about the colorful personalities who have “fought friction by fighting gravity,” the book maintains accuracy throughout while it entertains and informs technical and nontechnical readers alike. With so many new applications for magnetic levitation on the horizon, Rising Force is sure to retain its own magic for years to come.
This book highlights papers presented at the Second International Conference on Smart Vehicular Technology, Transportation, Communication and Applications (VTCA 2018), which was held at Mount Emei, Sichuan Province, China from 25 to 28 October 2018. The conference was co-sponsored by Springer, Southwest Jiaotong University, Fujian University of Technology, Chang’an University, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Fujian Provincial Key Lab of Big Data Mining and Applications, and the National Demonstration Center for Experimental Electronic Information and Electrical Technology Education (Fujian University of Technology). The conference was intended as an international forum for researchers and professionals engaged in all areas of smart vehicular technology, vehicular transportation, vehicular communication, and applications.
Mitigating climate change, clean environment, global peace, financial growth, and future development of the world require new materials that improve the quality of life. Superconductivity, in general, allows perfect current transmission without losses. This makes it a valuable resource for sustainability in several aspects. High-temperature superconducting (HTSC) materials will be crucial for sustainable everyday applications and more attractive for the United Nations’ SDGs. Superconducting magnets can be used as high-field magnets in magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear magnetic resonance, water purification, magnetic drug delivery, etc. Hunger can be partly avoided if there is sustainability in agriculture. In the future, DC electric energy from solar plants in Africa could be transported worldwide, especially to cold countries, using superconducting cables. Superconducting technology is an efficient way to create sustainability as well as reduce greenhouse gases. This book presents the latest global achievements in the processing and applications of high-Tc superconductors and discusses the usefulness of the SDGs. It summarizes the related advances in materials science and developments with respect to the SDGs. The book also covers large-scale applications of HTSC materials, which will be connected to the SDGs, addressed by several eminent scientists, including Prof. M. Murakami, president, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Japan; Prof. D. Cardwell, pro-vice chancellor, University of Cambridge, UK; and Prof. N. Long, director, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
The International Symposium on Superconductivity, which has been held annu ally since 1988, is a forum for presenting the most up-to-date information about a broad range of research and development in superconductivity, from funda mental aspects to applications. More than 10 years have passed since the discovery of oxide superconductors and since various developments of applications began. It may be said that the prospects for application of oxide superconductors recently have opened up. Great progress has been made toward practical use, for example, of the flywheel, which uses bulk materials, and the high-performance cryo-cooled magnet made of bismuth wire. These were the results of persistent efforts to develop materials from the viewpoint of materials science and engineering. Also important is the progress in comprehensive understanding of high temperature superconductivity. Unique electronic properties of cuprates such as the non-Fermi liquid normal state, spin-charge separation, spin gap, and d-wave symmetry were discussed at the symposium, as were the unique electromagnetic properties resulting from the low dimensionality of cuprates. In the field of new superconductors, many exotic materials have been discovered since 1986. A decade of work with cuprate superconductors is reviewed in this proceedings, and several of the newest materials are presented. These papers will be instructive for many researchers and for students who are to enter this field.
The advent of low temperature superconductors in the early 1960's converted what had been a laboratory curiosity with very limited possibilities to a prac tical means of fabricating electrical components and devices with lossless con ductors. Using liquid helium as a coolant, the successful construction and operation of high field strength magnet systems, alternators, motors and trans mission lines was announced. These developments ushered in the era of what may be termed cryogenic power engineering and a decade later successful oper ating systems could be found such as the 5 T saddle magnet designed and built in the United States by the Argonne National Laboratory and installed on an experimental power generating facility at the High Temperature Institute in Moscow, Russia. The field of digital computers provided an incentive of a quite different kind to operate at cryogenic temperatures. In this case, the objective was to ob tain higher switching speeds than are possible at ambient temperatures with the critical issue being the operating characteristics of semiconductor switches under cryogenic conditions. By 1980, cryogenic electronics was established as another branch of electric engineering.
Focusing on the most rapidly changing areas of mechatronics, this book discusses signals and system control, mechatronic products, metrology and nanometrology, automatic control & robotics, biomedical engineering, photonics, design manufacturing and testing of MEMS. It is reflected in the list of contributors, including an international group of 302 leading researchers representing 12 countries. The book is intended for use in academic, government and industry R&D departments, as an indispensable reference tool for the years to come. Thid volume can serve a global community as the definitive reference source in Mechatronics. The book comprises carefully selected 93 contributions presented at the 11th International Conference Mechatronics 2015, organized by Faculty of Mechatronics, Warsaw University of Technology, on September 21-23, in Warsaw, Poland.
