Modelling of Circular Halbach Array for an Electrodynamic Levitation of a Microgravity Platform

Zehra Kartal, Kadir Erkan

Halbach arrays are specialized magnetic structures in which the magnetization directions of individual magnets are arranged to steer the magnetic flux into a preferred direction. The resulting magnetic field interacts dynamically with a conductive plate, generating a magnetic force. This configuration is widely employed in applications such as contactless power transfer and thrust generation. This configuration is used for levitating the microgravity (near zero gravity) platform. This study presents an analytic force model for circular Halbach array that designed for micro-gravity platform for ground-based emulations to be used in control algorithm designs. The resulting model captures the electrodynamic response of the system by accounting the design parameters and magnetic behaviours. The model is validated through comparison with finite element method (FEM) analysis results obtained using Ansys Maxwell, demonstrating both its accuracy and its suitability for control-algorithm design around the designated equilibrium condition.