Tricks, tips, tutorials, pictures and words

All-mechanical magnetic levitation

EM repulsion lifts a neodymium magnet above two spinning copper pipes.
YouTube - Dangerous High-speed Magnetic Levitation
....While working on science museum exhibits in 1990 I came up with the above idea: it is known that a spinning metal disk will lift and fling a strong magnet. Therefore, spinning metal rods will lift a magnet but WON'T fling it sideways. It works! I used heavy wall copper tubes about 1-3/8" diameter, 12" long, with 1/4" wall thickness. I hammered aluminum plugs into the tubes, carved shaft-tips with a lathe, built endblocks and bearings, spun them with an AC/DC motor, and managed to levitate a stack of two 3/4" diameter neodymium magnets. The spinning tubes must move at about 5000 RPM before the magnet starts floating.....
SCIENCE PROJECT: motor-powered supermagnet levitation


magnetism, levitation, superconducting, flyingdisc, force, electrostatic