Designing Concrete EDS Maglev Guideways: Power Losses in Metallic Reinforcement

Conventional reinforced concrete designs will have to be altered when designing a guideway for a maglev using an electrodynamically suspended (EDS) propulsion system. This type of propulsion system generates large magnetic fields that will develop magnetically induced, circulating eddy currents in any conventional steel reinforcement in close proximity to the magnets. These eddy currents, if large enough, may produce significant power losses that could adversely effect operation of the system. This paper presents a method and explanation for civil engineers to use for estimating the power losses due to the presence of metallic reinforcement. This procedure may be used to help guide future designs in the selection and placement of reinforcing material.