Secrets of SCMAGLEV

Passing on the legacy, andBuilding the Future.

Name :

New high-speed train

1

1This is a picture of SCMAGLEV. Write down all the things
you notice and think about when you see this picture.

Let's compare it withthe Shinkansen in Japan

New high-speed train2

About the vehicle
Maximum operational speed : 500km/h(311mph)
Passenger capacity : Up to 24 for leading cars and up to 60 for middle cars
Car length : 28m for leading cars and 24.3m for middle cars
Car width : 2.9m
Car Height : 3.1m
Car material : Aluminum alloy
Weight : Approx. 25t (for one middle car) <Equivalent to 3.5 elephants!>
Note: These are specifications for Yamanashi Maglev Line, and not for the vehicles forcommercial operation.

-SCMAGLEV is a unique
Japanese technology.
-Levitates approx. 10 cm-Runs at 500 km/h
There are no rails, buta U-shaped structure calleda “guideway”, inside which
the vehicle operates using
the force of magnets.

SCMAGLEV isautomated and has nodriver.
However, there areplans to have thenecessary crew onboard to provide
onboard services andrespond to abnormal
situations.

What is superconductivity?

23To complete each item, choose the best word from the twooptions.

(1)
Resistancein material.

is the hindrance to the flow of electrons(a) Resistance(b) Conductance(1)

Extra Facts〇 Electricity flow
The ease with which electricity
flows through the main metals isCopper → Gold → Aluminium →Iron. Copper is used in railway
overhead wires because it
conducts electricity easily.
Conversely, nichrome conducts
electricity less easily. Whenelectricity is passed through thesemetals, a lot of heat is generated.

What is superconductivity?

34Read each passage and choose the best word from among
the following choices for each blank.

・SCMAGLEV runs by using the force of powerful magnets
and therefore use(1) superconducting magnets, which utilise thephenomenon of superconductivity.
(2)・ Superconducting magnets use a niobium-titanium
alloy asthe superconducting material and cool it to minus 269℃
(3)with liquid helium, resulting in zero electrical resistance andsemi-permanentelectricity flow.
(4)・ By maintaining a stable superconducting state, themagnets are more powerful without energy loss due to(5) generation.
heat(a) Superconducting magnets (b) Permanent magnet(c) 269℃ (d) 186℃ (e) Semi-permanent (f)Temporary(g) Heat emission (h) Luminescence(i) Niobium-titanium alloy (j) Aluminium

liquid nitrogenliquid helium
Current flow

Superconducting coil

Mechanism of linear motors

45

Read each passage and choose the best word from among
the following choices for each blank.

・ Linear motors are conventional rail vehicle motors(1)stretched in a straightline.
・ In the SCMAGLEV, the inner rotor of this linear motorcorresponds to the superconducting magnet mounted on the(2)(3)vehicle
and the outer stator to the propulsion
coil installed in
the guideway (track) above ground.
(a) Straight line (b) U-shaped (c) Vehicle(d) Ground (e) Propulsion coil (f) Track
Conventional Motor

Linear Motor
On board

Repulsive force
Attractive force
N poles

S polesOn ground

Rotor Stator Propulsion Coils
Superconducting magnets
Extra Facts
In 1911, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes in theNetherlands reported a phenomenon in which
when mercury was cooled with liquid helium,
its electrical resistance suddenly dropped toalmost zero. The Nobel Prize in Physics wasawarded in 1913 for the liquefaction of helium
and the discovery of superconductivity.

Mechanism of SCMAGLEV forward

56

Read each passage and choose the best word from among
the following choices for each blank.

Super Conducting Magnet
Propulsion Coils

The superconducting
magnets in the vehicle have(1)
alternating N and S poles. The propulsion
coils on the(2)ground are fed with current from the substation to switch(3)
between N and S poles. This causes an attractiveforce
between the N(4) and S poles and a repulsive
force
(5)
between the N and N poles between the vehicle and thecoils, propelling the vehicle forward.
(a) Electromagnets (b) Superconducting magnets(c) Propulsion coils (d) S poles (e) N poles(f) Attractive (g) Levitate (h) Repulsive

6

Which direction is it going?

(a)
(b)

Mechanism of SCMAGLEV levitation

7

7

To complete each item, choose the best word from among
the two choices.

(1) between the wheels andConventional trains produce griprails while operating. This limits maximum speed becausethe wheels slip when moving very fast.
The maglev concept overcomes this limitation by levitating
the train above the track.
(a) Slip8(b) Grip

To complete each item, choose the best word from among
the three choices.

It drives on rubber wheels when travelling at a low speed.
When the speed exceeds approx. 150km/h(93mph), the train
levitates by (1) 3.9incm, storing the rubber wheels in its body.
(a) 1(b) 10(c) 50

Mechanism of SCMAGLEV levitation

98

Read each passage and choose the best word from among
the following choices for each blank.
Electromagnetic induction
When a conductor (permanent magnet
is placed near a coil or a single loopof wire, it induces an Electromotive
Force or emf, also known as a Voltage,
and therefore a current is produced.
Corkscrew rule
The magnetic field made by a current in astraight wire curls around the wire in a ring.
You can find it by pointing your right thumb inthe direction of the current in the wire andcurling your fingers. Your fingers will be curledin the same direction as the magnetic fieldaround the wire.

Unlike propulsion coils, surfacing and guiding coils do not
require electricity to be run from a substation. Due to thephenomenon of electromagnetic
induction, the current flows(1)
naturally and the coil becomes a magnet.
This phenomenon means that when a magnet is broughtclose to a coil, an electric current flows through the coil. A
magnetic field is generated in the coil through which thecurrent flows, so the coil not connected to the power supply
becomes temporarily
an electromagnet.
(2)(a) Electromagnetic induction(c) Temporarily electromagnet(b) Electrostatic induction(d)Permanently electromagnet

Mechanism of SCMAGLEV levitation

9The strength of a magnetic field emitted by a coil is determined by
how fast a magnet of the same strength is moving. The higher thespeed, the stronger the magnetic field and the greater the magneticforce generated.

In the case of superconducting Maglev trains, the superconducting
magnets in the vehicle body act on the levitation and guidance coilsin the guideway. The strength of the magnetic force acting between
the superconducting magnet and the levitation and guidance coilincreases in proportion to the speed at which the superconducting
magnet moves (i.e. the speed at which the vehicle body moves), sothe faster(3) the vehicle body moves, the stronger the magnetic force
generated by the levitation and guideway coil and the higher(4) thevehicle body lifts.
(a) Faster the vehicle body moves (b) Slower the vehicle body moves(c) Higher the vehicle body lifts (d) Lower the vehicle body sinks

levitatedMechanism of SCMAGLEV levitated1010

To complete each item, choose the best word from among
the two choices.

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)
(a) Attractive(b) Repulsive

Propelling with the “Propulsion Coils” andlevitating with the “Levitation and Guidance Coils”

Mechanism for preventing collision

11

11

To complete each item, choose the best word from among
the two choices.

Vehicle travels at the centre of the guideway.
Even when the vehicle leans closer to one side, the magnetic
force that acts between superconducting magnets and the(1)Levitation and Guidance Coils keep the train centredin theguideway at all times.
The magnetic force prevents the Superconducting Maglev
from crashing into guideway walls and contributes to stable
operation.
(a) Centred(b) Edged

Attractive force
Repulsive force
If the vehicle is shifted to the left

History of SCMAGLEV development

12

The history of SCMAGLEV development in Japan.

1962

1972

1979

1980

1997

2002

2009

2013

2020

12

Types of MAGLEV

13

13

There are two types of MAGLEVs: 'superconductive' and'normal-conducting'; SCMAGLEV uses the'superconductive' method, which levitates 10 cm for safety
in Japan, where earthquakes are common.
SCMAGLEV

Birmingham People Mover

Levitation height:10cmMaximum speed:
500km/h(311mph)

Levitation height:
1.5cm
Maximum speed:
36 km/h (22 mph)

HSST

Transrapid in Shanghai

Levitation height:
0.8cm
Maximum speed:
100km/h(62mph)

Levitation height:
1cm
Maximum speed:
430km/h(267mph)

Look back at today's class14

14

Write down your thoughts about today's class

Scan the QR code to learn more
about SCMAGLEV.

https://scmaglev.jr-central-global.com/

Answerquestionanswerquestionanswer

2

1a6

1a3

1a71b2i8

1b3c91a4e2c5g3

a1a4c2c1

a3e2

a1

b3

b2

c4b3

f1

a4e5h451011