Magnetic Levitation/Propulsion

For levitation, I adapted a team member's 1 magnet, 1 DoF code to write a 3 DoF code of a 4-magnet system. We're making a small-scale demonstrator for levitation (minipod) which these controls will be implemented on. See the code here.

I designed the circuit for levitation control; we vary current into electromagnets to control force, so we needed a robust circuit which could ensure that we were driving the correct current into our electromagnets, even as resistances in the system changed due to heat.

I also designed the test apparatus for levitation, which allows us to characterize the performance of one or more of our magnets on our actual track.

For propulsion, we are designing and manufacturing a custom linear induction motor. For this, I wrote a script to calculate thrust and slip velocity given motor parameters, which allowed us to make initial design decisions. We are also using ANSYS Maxwell to simulate motor performance. Based on these results, we will laser cut silicon steel sheet and laminate it to form the stator.

I designed test systems for our propulsion system as well. We have a flywheel test rig and a thrust test rig - the flywheel rig enables characterization of top speed, and the thrust rig helps find maximum force produced from a standstill.