Open AccessUltrafast rotation of magnetically levitated macroscopic steel spheres
Author(s) -
Marcel Schuck,
Daniel Steinert,
Thomas Nussbaumer,
Johann W. Kolar
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
science advances
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.928
H-Index - 146
ISSN - 2375-2548
DOI - 10.1126/sciadv.1701519
Subject(s) - miniaturization , rotor (electric) , rotation (mathematics) , electricity , mechanical engineering , spheres , electric motor , centrifugal force , rotating magnetic field , rotational speed , mechanical energy , torque , realization (probability) , physics , mechanics , aerospace engineering , materials science , magnetic field , computer science , electrical engineering , engineering , nanotechnology , artificial intelligence , power (physics) , statistics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , thermodynamics
Our world is increasingly powered by electricity, which is largely converted to or from mechanical energy using electric motors. Several applications have driven the miniaturization of these machines, resulting in high rotational speeds. Although speeds of several hundred thousand revolutions per minute have been used industrially, we report the realization of an electrical motor reaching 40 million rpm to explore the underlying physical boundaries. Millimeter-scale steel spheres, which are levitated and accelerated by magnetic fields inside a vacuum, are used as a rotor. Circumferential speeds exceeding 1000 m/s and centrifugal accelerations of more than 4 × 10 times gravity were reached. The results open up new research possibilities, such as the testing of materials under extreme centrifugal load, and provide insights into the development of future electric drive systems.
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