A Force Measurement System for HTS Maglev Studies

An improved force measurement system was developed for investigating high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev properties. The measurement system consists of assorted sensors, a 3-D sliding platform, a mechanical drive with automatic control software, and a data collecting and processing software. This system features high precision, instant measurement at the movement of the targeted HTS bulk, synchronous measurement of levitation force and guidance force, and the magnetic field. This system can be used for studying the interaction behavior between an HTS bulk and a permanent magnet guideway (PMG) or an electromagnetic guideway (EMG) of different shapes and sizes. It can realize arbitrary 3-D complex curvilinear motions. This system was built with a flexible platform and high precision force and distance sensors. As a result, the magnetic levitation characteristics of an HTS bulk above a magnet guideway can be precisely investigated with this system. In general, the aforementioned functions all have been verified by experiments.