Modeling, validation and optimal design of DC electromagnets for the guidance of high-speed hyperloop vehicles

This thesis presents a comprehensive workflow for modeling, validation, and optimal design of DC electromagnets intended for magnetic levitation in high-speed Hyperloop vehicles. An analytical model was first established for stationary conditions and validated against finite element method (FEM) simulations, enabling the development of an optimization environment to maximize levitation force under physical and geometrical constraints. The study was then extended to dynamic conditions, evaluating both the reduction in levitation force and the generation of drag force. Two FEM approaches, the Lorentz Term and the Moving Mesh, were compared, and the analytical model was validated against their results, confirming its reliability for rapid design iterations. Finally, the workflow was applied to a real-world Hyperloop prototype at EPFL, where electromagnets were benchmarked against mechanical wheels. The study demonstrated that electromagnets can provide competitive results, with the additional advantage of enabling full vehicle levitation. The contributions of this work include an optimization framework for electromagnet design under stationary conditions, an extended analytical model for dynamic conditions, a comparative analysis of FEM approaches, and an application to a scaled Hyperloop model. The proposed methodology provides tools of both methodological and practical value, extendable to a wide range of electromagnetic devices.