Magnetic train
This is an at home/personal project relating to the use of magnets. The idea of this is to create a bullet train that can use the magnets as the fuel, creating an independent fuel transportation service. This project is still in its very early stages so no physical tests have been made yet. More information and data to come, stay posted.
the now
As of right now the economy for bullet trains are considered to be very good and very efficient, but as an engineer very good can be better. While the posted graph shows that the amount of emissions is an average of around 7-9 tons per flight distance, the thought I have is the use of strong, rare earth magnets can make it close to 0. The trains are an amazing feat of engineering, so being able to improve is the key.
the idea
So, magnets, what are they and what is the deference between a store bought magnet and a rare earth magnet.
A magnet is essentially any material that produces a magnetic field; negative attracts positive and vise versa. These materials can actually be magnetized and demagnetized, making them versatile to any project you need them for.
Now, rare earth magnets. These are materials that are forever permanently magnetized made from rare earth metals, such as Neodymium or Samarium. These can be used as a very powerful attraction or repulsion. We are going to focus on the repulsion aspect later on and see why its such a big part of this project.
Basic outline and idea
The idea is to have these magnets act as not only the fuel source but also the wheels. These magnets will support and move the train forwards and backwards.
The idea is to use a microcontroller and servo motors to direct the magnets at a specific angle to get it to move forwards or backwards. The magnets will be angled, as detailed in the image, giving the train a more stable connection. There will be no wheels so these magnets have to be able to not only move the train, but also keep it on the tracks.
real life factors
With a basic idea in mind, taking in the real life factors must be done. Based on research, most train tracks are made of 1084 hardened steel, a very common and easy to work with material. Steel attracts both poles of a magnet, a problem yes but fixable. By either running a magnetizing device across the beams or using electromagnetism, we can give the tracks a pole.
With the tracks having a attraction or repulsion factor added, its just a matter of flipping the train magnets to match the polarity, thus creating a repelling action theoretically holding up the train body.
Lets breakdown this diagram:
The bottom section is the track that the train will sit and move on, and lets say it has a positive magnetic attraction.
The red circles are the magnets that hold the train up and rotate on the bar they are sitting on to allow it to move. The angle is still to be determined.
Both the fields are positive so they will repel, this is where the "floating" comes from. Using those rare earth magnets will allow for a stronger force, keeping the train up and moving.