Design and control of an experimental test system for a linear electrodynamic levitation device

The increasing need for a fast, efficient, and environmentally sustainable transportation paradigm has pushed growing interest towards the class of magnetic levitation trains. In this scenario, the Hyperloop concept has been subject to special attention,given its capability of reaching ultra-high speeds (up to 1200km/h). However, the feasibility of this technology is entangled to the stability of its electrodynamic levitation system. State of the art literature provides a method for accurate modelling of the coupling between the electrical and mechanical domains in the Linear Time Invariant systems framework: this technique allows to easily identify the unstable behaviour of the device and remove it by introducing additional damping through a secondary suspension. The purpose of this thesis consists in discussing the main steps that led to the design of a test bench for a Hyperloop-like levitation device, to validate the results of the above described approach. After a brief literature review, the main features of the experiment, relevant physical variables and their measurement systems are introduced and motivated. After having found a scale factor that suits the maximum allowable dimensions, actuator limitations and measurement feasibility, suspension design and control are addressed. At first,the damping that optimises stability is identified, and upon its value a suitable suspension architecture is discussed. In particular, the use of a voice coil actuator as a damper is motivated, and several linear control algorithms are compared and implemented, both in the modelling and in the software framework: processor-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop tests provide feasibility analysis on the physical implementation of the proposed stabilisation strategies.