Damping characteristics improvement of permanent magnet electrodynamic suspension by utilizing the end-effect of onboard magnets

The permanent magnet electrodynamic suspension (PMEDS) owns the promising application prospect, due to its simple structure, low cost and reliable load capacity. However, the underdamping of the PMEDS system is still a challenge in engineering applications of transportation. This paper proposes a passive damping method and its implementation structure to improve the underdamping characteristics. This method utilizes the inherent magnetic leakage of on-board magnets technically. The principle of passive damping and its implementation structure is introduced in detail. And the kinetic models of ordinary and improved structure are established based on the topology graph. Besides, the magnetic field and the electromagnetic force involved in the kinetic models are analyzed, and the numerical analysis method of the drag force is verified by the high-speed test rig. Furthermore, the performance of passive damping is verified by finite element method (FEM) and the time-domain response analysis. The results show that the improved damping structure can effectively suppress vibration and improve the dynamic stability of the PMEDS system. It is beneficial to the engineering application of the PMEDS in the future.