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Maglev Trains
History
Features
Working
Advantages & Disadvantages
History of maglev trains
In the 1960s in Britain Eric Laithwaite developed a functional maglev train.
His maglev had 1.6 km of track and was in detail tested. His research was
stopped in 1973 because lack of money and his progress was not
enough. ……………………………………..
The Japanese started their research on maglev transportations in the
beginning of the 1970s. After many years of experiments the Japanese
constructed their first test line, 7 km in 1975, and finished it in 1977.
Many test runs started in July 1977 with a velocity of 517km/h. In 1990
Japan constructed the Yamanashi Maglev test line. This test line became
42.8km long and the first running test was in 1997. The Japanese
prototype of maglev train is using repulsive forces to levitate the train,
known as electrodynamic suspension, EDS.
In China, 2003, they finished a 30 km long German variant of maglev train
in Shanghai, that propels by attractive forces, electromagnetic suspension,
EMS . This is the first commercial magnetic levitation train in the world.
This project cost over 1 billion dollar.
Features
The Maglev Train is one of the fastest transport media in
the whole world.
The Maglev Train uses magnets to reach a really high
velocity.
It doesn’t touch the floor. It levitates because the
magnets.
The maximum speed reached for a Maglev train has been
581 km\h in Japan.
They travel under the principle of
electromagnetic suspension.
Types of maglev trains
Based on the techniques used for levitation there are two types of
maglev trains
Speed
•The train can travel at about 300 mph. (Acela can only
go 150 mph)
•For trips of distances up to 500 miles its total travel
time is equal to a planes (including check in time and
travel to airport.)
•It can accelerate to 200 mph in 3 miles, so it is ideal
for short jumps. (ICE needs 20 miles to reach 200 mph.)
Environment
•It uses less energy than existing transportation systems on 300 km trip
with 3 stops, the gasoline used per 100 miles varies with the speed. At
200 km/h it is 1 liter, at 300 km/h it is 1.5 liters and at 400 km/h it is 2
liters. This is 1/3 the energy used by cars and 1/5 the energy used by
jets per mile.
•The tracks have less impact on the environment because the elevated
models (50ft in the air) allows all animals to pass, low models ( 5-10 ft)
allow small animals to pass, they use less land than conventional trains,
and they can follow the landscape better than regular trains since it can
climb 10% gradients (while other trains can only climb 4 gradients) and
can handle tighter turns.
•Noise Pollution
•The train makes little noise because it does
not touch the track and it has no motor.
Therefore, all noise comes from moving air.
This sound is equivalent to the noise
produced by city traffic.
Magnetic Field
•The magnetic field created is low,
therefore there are no adverse effects.
disadvantages
1) Obnoxiously expensive to install.
2) Very very complex computer systems to control the
thing, requiring specialist knowledge and
maintenance.
3) Complete lack of flexibility - if any part of the
track 'breaks' (literally or the magnet stops working)
the whole system is out of action. No 'pass over at
5mph, driver' on this setup.
4) No interchangeability with other railways, so
cannot borrow rolling stock etc, or go onto other
routes.
5) Much higher Health and Safety requirements due to
greater risks because of higher speed, no driver, etc.
6) Only slightly better energy efficiency due to no
friction resistance.
conclusion