Improvement of levitation force characteristics in magnetic levitation type seismic isolation device composed of HTS bulk and permanent magnet

Magnetic levitation type seismic isolation device composed of HTS bulks and permanent magnets can theoretically remove horizontal vibration completely. It is, however, not easy to generate the large levitation force by using only the levitation system composed of HTS bulk and permanent magnet (HTS-PM system). We focused on a hybrid levitation system composed of the HTS-PM system and the PM-PM system composed of only permanent magnets and investigated the suitable arranging method of the hybrid system for improving levitation force and obtaining stable levitation. In order to clarify the most suitable permanent magnet arrangement in the PM-PM system for the levitation force improvement, repulsive force between permanent magnets was measured in various kinds of the PM-PM system. The maximum repulsive force per unit area in the PM-PM system was at least three times larger than the levitation force per unit area in the HTS-PM system, so that the levitation force in the hybrid system was larger than that of the HTS-PM system. Stable levitation was also achieved in the hybrid system. This is because repulsive force in the PM-PM system against horizontal displacement was much smaller than restoring force in the HTS-PM system.