You’ve need the strongest magnet for IronLev’s innovative magnetic levitation system, just an existing rail. That’s right, the Italy-based company successfully completed the world’s first magnetic levitation (maglev) transport test on an existing railway track.
The test was completed using a one-ton prototype, which managed to travel at speeds of up to 43 mph over a 1.24 mile stretch of track just outside of Venice. How does the technology work? Well, maglev essentially creates a cushion of air that physically separates the vehicle from the track, thus reducing friction, noise and vibrations. IronLev hopes this test will pave the way towards magnetic levitation transport on existing in-use railway lines.
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The test carried out by IronLev represents the first and only case of magnetic levitation applied to an existing railway track without requiring the modification or integration of accessory elements,” said Massimo Bergamasco, director of the Institute of Mechanical Intelligence at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.
