Non-Contact Hanging for Flexible Steel Plate by Magnetic Levitation: Investigation on Levitating Characteristics in Stationary State

In the manufacturing process of flexible steel plates, for which high quality is required, contact between rollers and flexible steel plates deteriorates the surface quality. Therefore, non-contact gripping and transport by magnetic levitating has been proposed. In conventional magnetic levitation systems, deflection of a flexible steel plate occurs during levitating, causing the flexible steel plate to fall. Therefore, the authors proposed a system that suppresses deflection of a flexible steel plate better than conventional systems. In a previous study, it was found that the levitating position changes with the magnitude of the current input the electromagnet. In this report, the levitating characteristics of magnetic levitation system gripping one-edge of a flexible steel plate under a vertical disturbance input are considered. As a result, it was clarified that the levitating stability of the magnetic levitation system is not affected by the input of vertical disturbance.