Dynamic Analysis of Levitator Failure in HTS Pinning Maglev Vehicle

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) pinning magnetic levitation (maglev) vehicle technology offers stable levitation and guidance without active control or directional magnetoresistance, offering a groundbreaking solution for the rail transport sector. However, HTS bulks are sensitive to changes in critical current, magnetic field, and temperature during vehicle operation, potentially leading to levitator failure. This article examines how such failures affect the dynamics of an HTS pinning maglev vehicle. First, we derive a model of levitation force decay by analyzing the reduction in levitation force when HTS bulks lose superconductivity. Using this model, we then develop a dynamic model of the maglev vehicle that accounts for the levitator failure. Finally, we analyze vehicle dynamics in scenarios that involve one or multiple levitator failures. Our findings indicate that when a single levitator at a bogie corner fails, the vehicle's minimum levitation height decreases from 8.78 mm to 5 mm, the maximum roll angle reaches 0.09<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and the maximum yaw angle reaches 0.16<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>. When all four corner levitators fail, the minimum levitation height decreases from 8.78 mm to 5.22 mm, with a maximum roll angle of 0.03<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula> and yaw angle of 0.04<inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>. These results provide valuable information to ensure the future safety of HTS maglev vehicles.