Transfer of force through non-magnetic conductor

[RobertCasey]

We are looking into the possibility of constructing a device (probably using electromagnets) that can transfer a high shear force from the source, to another magnetic item. This is a bit like the old trick of having a paperclip on a sheet of paper and a magnet underneath - move the magnet and the clip moves about, etc. The only thing is, the forces resisting the horizontal movement are going to be high (in the order of 200 kN). Additionally, the magnets cannot touch the separating surface because they will be moving at high speed so there is going to be a relatively large gap. Does this sound feasible? Are there any sources of info on the web for this sort of thing? Or, does anyone know of any companies that might be able to help. Any information is greatly appreciated.

 

[prex]

Yes, it sounds feasible (the shear force will be only a matter of dimensioning), but it all depends on so many things...
First of all you should decide whether you need electromagnets (that you can turn off and on) or permanent magnets.
Other unordered questions that come to mind:
1)What kind is the resisting force? (viscous, elastic, gravitational,...)
2)Is this force influenced by the attraction between the driving magnet and the clip? (friction)
3)How do you plan to keep the driving magnet at distance from the clip?
4)Description of movement for both the driving magnet and the clip?
etc...
In my searches of design data for complex magnetic systems in both the literature and the web, I didn't find anything really useful so far.
If you can get in touch with a company working on maglev trains, this could be useful.
If your project is really interesting I might collaborate (I design permanent magnet brakes for rail vehicles).
Good luck.
prex
motori@xcalcsREMOVE.com

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