Design, Fabrication, and Control of a Single Actuator Magnetic Levitation System

This thesis describes the design procedure, analysis, and control of a single actuator magnetic levitation system. First the details of the system design and construction are presented, followed by an analysis of the relevant sub-systems and controller theory. Experimental levitation data is collected and compared to the theory. Utilizing a lead-lag controller, the maglev system is made stable for the levitation of a steel ball. Despite the simplicity and low cost of the position sensing system, it is able to detect the ball position to a resolution of 45 μm. The successful operation of this system made of relatively low cost, low precision components reveals that compact, cheap, integrated magnetic levitation systems are becoming more feasible for a variety of applications with the increasing availability of new materials and faster, cheaper computer processing power.