Staggered Maglev Track Joints to Reduce Landing Gear Bump Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Maglev vehicles experience uncomfortable pitching motion and increased structural loads due to simultaneous bump loads on landing gear wheels as they traverse track joints, which are not addressed by existing maglev systems.
Innovation Solution
The track design for maglev vehicles is configured such that the joints of the left and right rails are offset longitudinally, ensuring only one wheel at a time experiences a bump load, thereby minimizing the overlap of bump impulses and reducing pitching motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the joints of left and right rails are aligned, then the track structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but the vehicle experiences simultaneous bump loads on multiple wheels causing pitching motion and increased structural loads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by offsetting the joints of the left and right rails relative to each other in the longitudinal direction. This asymmetric joint configuration ensures that when the vehicle travels along the track, the wheels on left and right sides encounter track joints at different times, preventing simultaneous bump loads that cause pitching motion. The asymmetric offset distance is specifically designed to stagger the bump impulse timing while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Ease of operation
If the joints are offset to reduce pitching motion, then passenger comfort improves, but the track manufacturing and assembly becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by specifying an optimal offset distance parameter between left and right rail joints. This parameter is designed to be a practical value that staggers bump impulses sufficiently to reduce pitching motion and improve passenger comfort, while remaining within manufacturing and assembly capabilities. The offset distance is tuned to balance comfort improvement against manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design minimizes passenger discomfort and reduces the structural requirements of the bogie, allowing for a lighter and less costly construction.
Implementation Method 1
When the vehicle is moving at high speeds, the landing gear is retracted, and interaction of the Halbach arrays with the track generates a magnetic field that supports, i.e., levitates the capsule
Implementation Method 2
interaction of the Halbach arrays with the track generates a magnetic field that supports, i.e., levitates the capsule
Data Source
AI summary
A maglev system includes a maglev vehicle that reciprocates between a levitated state and a non-levitated state. The vehicle includes a capsule supported by a first left wheel and a corresponding first right wheel when the vehicle is in the non-levitated state. The system further includes a track having a left rail and a right rail, each of the left and right rails having a plurality of plates arranged in series. Proximate ends of adjacent plates define a joint. Each rail provides a support surface that the first left and right wheels rollingly engage when the vehicle is in the non-levitated state. The joints of the left rail are offset in a longitudinal direction from the joints of the right rail.