A Stepped Magnetic Suspension System (SMSS)

In this article, the vertical and horizontal forces of interaction of permanent magnets in a magnetic support system (magnetic suspension, MS) are considered. Permanent magnets have a stepped structure and uniform magnetization M throughout their entire volume (M = const ). The magnetic support system contains multi-row magnetic strips. The results of the comparison of the vertical and lateral forces for the classic horizontal magnetic system (HMS) are presented too. A stability factor index, the ratio of vertical to lateral force of interaction gamma= fZ/ fY, and an effectiveness factor mu eff=f Z/(mg) are defined (where mg is the weight of the magnets per unit length). A prototype of the proposed magnetic support system was built, and measurements were performed. Analysis of the obtained data indicates that the investigated magnetic suspension system performs better than the classical horizontal MS system.