A turnout without movable parts for magnetically levitated vehicles with hybrid magnets

This paper describes a turnout without movable parts for magnetically levitated vehicles with hybrid magnets, which have been studied by the authors in place of street cars. Their low construction cost and low maintenance are key to their practical use. Magnetic levitation systems using forces of attraction can generate guidance force automatically, but the damping force against lateral motion is negligible. However, the lateral damping characteristic was improved by using divided iron type magnets and rails. Using this turnout without movable parts will facilitate smooth direction switching.