A New Stabilization Technique for Electrodynamic Bearings

Electrodynamic bearings (EDBs) are a kind of passive magnetic bearing based on the eddy currents that develop between a rotating conductor and a static magnetic field. This type of bearing is capable of providing radial stiffness compatible with high speed rotor requirements, but is intrinsically unstable. The stabilization of the rotor is the greatest challenge to the application of electrodynamic bearings. The present work presents a new stabilization strategy for EDBs. The proposed solution is studied by means of analytic models. Experimental results are shown to prove the validity of the modeling and of the stabilization solution.