Lateral displacement evaluation for a high-Temperature superconducting magnetic levitation experimental vehicle running over a banked curvilinear path

•A three degrees-of-freedom discrete model to study a magnetic levitating vehicle.•Parametric nonlinear analysis of the levitating vehicle running over a banked curve.•Optimization of the vehicle travel speed to minimize its lateral displacement. The high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnetic levitation, based on the interaction between YBaCuO bulk superconductors and the magnetic field of permanent magnet guides, due to its inherent self-stability and almost zero magnetic drag to motion, is a candidate as one of the most promising technologies for the development of new guided transport systems. This paper refers to a nonlinear numerical analysis of the lateral displacement for an experimental HTS vehicle running over a banked curvilinear path. The dynamic behavior of the HTS vehicle is reproduced in a series of numerical parametric simulations using a three degrees-of-freedom model whose constitutive parameters of the magnetic interaction are experimentally evaluated. The study aims at evaluating the lateral displacement of the suspended vehicle by varying its running velocity and geometrical path characteristics in terms of radius and superelevation of the curve. The optimal value of the vehicle travel speed to minimize its lateral displacement is calculated as the system parameters change; the simulation results are summarized and discussed also through abacus.