An Approach to Reduce Vibration of the Levitation System when the Urban Maglev Train is Traveling

The structure of the levitation module in an urban maglev train greatly affects the dynamics of the levitation systems under track irregularities, but this problem has not gained enough attention in the previous studies of maglev train/guideway interaction problems. This paper tries to reveal the dynamic behaviors of the levitation module when the maglev train is traveling. Theoretical analysis indicates that due to the structural configuration of the levitation module, the levitation system is sensitive to short wave track irregularities, and that the dynamic response of the levitation system does not increase monotonously with train speed. Particularly, under poor track conditions, medium train speed would cause most severe gap vibrations. The analysis also well interprets the phenomenon that in a levitation module, the gap deviation of the rear levitation unit is generally stronger than the front levitation unit. To reduce gap vibration, a solution by rearranging the gap sensors of the levitation module is proposed, which shows a good prospect to enhance the dynamic performance of the levitation system.