Levitation pressure and friction losses in superconducting bearings

Patent · Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 2000

OSTI ID:873500

Hull, John R ^[1]

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1. Downers Grove, IL

A superconducting bearing having at least one permanent magnet magnetized with a vertical polarization. The lower or stator portion of the bearing includes an array of high-temperature superconducting elements which are comprised of a plurality of annular rings. An annular ring is located below each permanent magnet and an annular ring is offset horizontally from at least one of the permanent magnets. The rings are composed of individual high-temperature superconducting elements located circumferentially along the ring. By constructing the horizontally-offset high-temperature superconducting ring so that the c-axis is oriented in a radial direction, a higher levitation force can be achieved. Such an orientation will also provide substantially lower rotational drag losses in the bearing.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• Assignee: University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
• Patent Number(s): US 6175175
• OSTI ID: 873500
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/310/505/
achieved
annular
array
bearing
bearings
below
c-axis
circumferentially
composed
comprised
conducting elements
constructing
direction
drag
elements
elements located
force
friction
high-temperature
high-temperature superconducting
horizontally
horizontally-offset
individual
levitation
levitation force
levitation pressure
located
located below
losses
magnet
magnetized
magnets
offset
orientation
oriented
permanent
permanent magnet
permanent magnets
plurality
polarization
portion
pressure
provide
provide substantially
radial
radial direction
rings
rotational
stator
substantially
superconducting
superconducting bearing
superconducting bearings
superconducting element
superconducting elements
temperature superconducting
vertical