Effect of Bogie Frame Flexibility on Air Gap in the Maglev Vehicle with a Feedback Control System

In an EMS (Electromagnetic suspension)-type Maglev (Magnetically-levitated) vehicle, the flexibility of the bogie frame may affect the acceleration of the electromagnet that is input into the control system, which could lead to instability in some cases. For this reason, it is desirable to consider bogie frame flexibility in air gap simulations, for the optimization of bogie structure. The objective of this paper is to develop a flexible multibody dynamic model of 1/2 of an EMS-type Maglev vehicle that is under testing, and to compare the air gap responses obtained from the rigid and the flexible body model. The feedback control system and electromagnet models that are unique to the EMS-type maglev vehicle must be included in the model. With this model, dynamics simulations are carried out to predict the air gap responses from the two models, of the rigid and flexible model, and the air gaps are compared. Such a comparative study could be useful in the prediction of the air gap in the design stage, and in designing an air gap control system.