Applications of YBCO melt textured bulks in Maglev technology

In this paper we report the present status and progress of HTS Maglev project undertaken at the Southwest Jiaotong University. The efforts and results towards solving the material-related issues in HTS Maglev system are emphasized, including the levitation and guidance forces, the magnetic and thermal stabilities related to the ac loss of YBCO superconducting material during a high speed movement, and the low stiffness of HTS Maglev system. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.