Maglev – what is this miracle train and when will it appear in Russia
We live in an amazing time. Technical progress has reached such a level that trains began to travel without touching the rails. They levitate above the ground. And this is not a picture of a fantastic future - it is already a reality. There are such trains in Germany, Great Britain, China, Japan and South Korea. Let's take a closer look at this miracle of technology and think about when at least one Maglev will appear in our country.
Creation history
The idea of creating a maglev has been stirring the minds of scientists and engineers for a very long time. Its first prototype appeared in Germany in 1971. Eight years later, the first levitating train capable of carrying passengers appeared. Then its speed did not exceed 74 km/h. After that, Japan, China and South Korea began to develop a levitating train. As you can see, quite successfully.
By the way, such a beautiful name was not chosen by chance. Maglev is a combination of two words - magnetic levitation.
So, Maglev is the fastest (to date) ground transport. The lack of friction gave an impressive margin of speed. In 2015, the maximum speed of the Maglev was recorded at 603 km/h. Almost like an airplane. A lot depends on the power of pressure and aerodynamic drag. So far, special rails are needed for the movement of such a train, but developments are underway, and soon such transport will be adapted to a conventional railway.
Working principle
Maglev moves without touching the rail, but the rail itself is under it. Such a maglev moves and is controlled by the force of an electromagnetic field. There is a gap between the railway and the surface of the train. Maglev brakes due to aerodynamic drag. The levitation effect is based on the basic property of a magnet: opposite poles attract, and the same poles repel. Surely many conducted such experiments at school in the laboratory. To use this principle, electromagnets were fixed under the cars, they were also installed under the rail.
Magnetic suspension is of two types: electromagnetic EMS and electrodynamic EDS.
Although the basic principle of operation of both types of trains is identical, the trains themselves have significant differences in design. In the first case, when electromagnetic EMS is used, the roadbed has a T-shape. The carriages seem to go around it. A powerful magnet is fixed under the bottom of the train. The size of the gap is 1-2 cm. The magnetic flux that occurs when the train is moving and passing through the contour of the track is constantly changing. The induction currents arising in it create a powerful magnetic field that repels the magnetic suspension of the train. Thanks to the ability to reduce and increase the current strength, it is possible to maintain a stable gap width. During the stop, the train levitates due to the presence of special batteries.
The train has a linear engine. The stator windings are switched on alternately, thus creating a traveling magnetic field. Being drawn into it, the stator moves the entire composition. Alternating current supply ensures the change of the poles of the magnets with a frequency of 400 times per second. By adjusting this speed, you can control the speed of the train. Another technology, electrodynamic EDS, is based on the interaction of two fields. One field is created on the roadbed, and the second one is created on the train body. But unlike the technology discussed earlier, not ordinary magnets are used, but superconducting ones. They are able to conduct electricity even after the power supply is turned off.
The EDS system does not need to adjust the size of the gap between the train and the roadbed. The force of repulsion and attraction itself does all this work. At low speeds, the train moves on additional wheels, and when the speed increases, the train levitates at a distance of several centimeters from the roadway. Such a train, due to strong magnetic fields, needs additional shielding – magnetic protection.
Why not in Russia
You will be surprised, but the USSR could well have become one of the first countries where maglevs are produced and used. There were all the prerequisites for that.
After all, in the 1970s, relevant developments were carried out. The need to expand the transport network was growing in the country. Therefore, even the most daring ideas were embodied. One of them is Maglev. Or, as it was then called, a magnetoplane. However, we remember that special roads are needed for the movement of such trains. And the USSR could not afford to cover the country with a network of such roads.
Nevertheless, attempts were made. In 1975, the transport association "Soyuztransprogress" created a research institute that was engaged in the development of progressive vehicles. Tests of the first magnetoplane took place in 1979. In the same year when the first Maglevs were tested in Germany.
The Soviet TP-01 magnetoplane could accommodate up to 20 passengers. After the first tests of this composition, the TP-2 and TP-3 models were created, taking into account all the shortcomings of the previous version. The tests were conducted in the city of Ramenskoye. At first, the track was 180 meters long. Then it was extended to 850 meters. And the train itself became a mobile laboratory. The experiment was deemed successful, so the designers received an order to plan new experimental lines and trains capable of carrying more passengers. The first such maglevs were to be launched in the Kazakh and Armenian SSR. However, Alma-Ata soon decided that it would be more expedient to adapt the project to the metro. There is only one option left - Armenia.
By that time, a version of the TP-05 Maglev had already been created with special sensors measuring the gap between the roadbed and the train. A special system changed the current strength on the magnets, ensuring a smooth running of the train. The train weighed 18 tons. Its body was aluminum. Passenger capacity is 18 people. Such a train could accelerate up to 100 km/h. By that time, Maglev had already been launched in the UK. And in Germany , trains could already run along the 31.5 km long highway . The USSR tried to catch up with the backlog, a 3.2 km long roadbed was created. The trains were supposed to have a passenger capacity of 64 people. According to the speed, the design engineers were guided by the indicator of 250 km / h, but it turned out that the power of the traction substation is not enough, and the maximum speed of the Soviet Maglev will not exceed 180 km / h. But it was quite good. The first such trains were to go on flights in 1991.
What prevented the realization of such a wonderful, promising and useful idea? The forces of nature intervened. And what they could not finish off, the people themselves finished off. Just 2 years after the construction of the Maglev line, the Spitak earthquake occurred in Armenia, which in a few minutes turned into ruins not only industrial enterprises, but also the whole city along with the surrounding villages. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict followed. The country has become completely out of time for Maglev and new developments in the field of transport. And then the USSR itself disappeared. The project was abandoned.
However, the Soviet Maglev, the same TP-05, survived the 90s. It stands in the same workshop where it was assembled. Waiting to be moved to some transport museum. But museums are in no hurry to take it away. The train is still intact, surprisingly, but it has not been sawn and scrapped. It is quite functional. I'm just stuck in my own time.
When will it appear in Russia
Modern developments have stepped far ahead. Where are the Russian Maglevs? Why are we so hopelessly behind the West? It turns out that Maglevs may soon appear in our country. Since August 2021, the monorail transport system and levitating trains have been tested. If the project is approved after all the tests, big changes are waiting for us. Monorail transport networks are being built very quickly, and there are no special difficulties when putting trains into operation. These trains are much quieter than other modes of transport, so their use in cities will be a huge advantage. Among other advantages, transport is considered environmentally friendly, does not require huge maintenance costs for rolling stock and overpasses, can be controlled even in unmanned mode.
And the production of such maglevs can become serial. It remains to wait quite a bit. It is quite possible that in a couple of years maglevs will become as familiar as trolleybuses and trams are now.
