Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

A Magnetic Suspension System With A Large Angular Range, Colin P. Britcher, Mehran Ghofrani

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In order to explore and develop technology required for the magnetic suspension of objects over large ranges of orientation, a small-scale laboratory system, the large-angle magnetic suspension test fixture (LAMSTF) has been constructed at NASA Langley Research Center. This apparatus falls into the category of large-gap, actively stabilized magnetic levitation systems. The hardware comprises five conventional electromagnets in a circular arrangement, each driven from a separate bipolar power amplifier. Electromagnet currents are commanded by a digital control system, implemented on a microcomputer, which in turn derives the position and attitude of the suspended element from an infrared optical system. The …