MagLev Trains and the Nb-Ti Alloy @introtomaterialsscience--g4

Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago

This video discusses the Maglev propulsion system and the materials used to make it work. Currently, most trains are powered by internal combustion engines but the use of magnetic propulsion represents the future of high-speed train travel. Maglev, short for Magnetic Levitation, allows the train to float over a guideway by means of electromagnetics instead of the typical fossil-fuel powered engine. The electromagnetics applied in the MagLev system replaces the conventional steel wheel and train track system, which has become both outdated and inefficient in terms of durability and high-speed capability. This eliminates all friction except for air drag, allowing MagLev trains to travel at much higher speeds than regular trains. Superconducting coils are fitted along the guideways of the rail and electric currents are delivered in alternating patterns create an alternating magnetic field. The changing polarity causes the front of the train to be pulled forward, while the magnetic field behind the train adds thrust. The key material used in the superconducting coils is a niobium-titanium (NbTi) alloy, which has unique superconductive abilities when cooled to extremely low temperatures and, when acted upon by an electrical current, creates a stable, extremely strong magnetic field with low diamagnetism. In the context of Maglev, the niobium-titanium alloy is cooled to a temperature of -452 degrees Fahrenheit using liquid He. This video further pursues why the Nb-Ti alloy is the material of choice for superconducting coils and how the wire is designed to maintain the superconducting state and high magnetic fields necessary for magnetic levitation.

Jake Butler, Kyle Peter, Shivani Saboo, Victoria Stagnaro
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$MCV-Tellurium-ApplicationOfSteelInLowTemperatureDesalination Low-Temperature Thermal Desalination Today, water scarcity affects one in three people on every continent on the globe. Although Earth is composed of 70% water, only 3% of this is actually drinkable. Further, as the population continues to increase at a rapid pace, water scarcity continues to be a growing problem. Our group sees a large problem developing with respect to world water supply since freshwater is essential to life and its potential depletion threatens all living things on Earth. The depletion of rivers and lakes has led scientists to explore the idea of using desalination techniques to render water fresh. One of the more popular techniques that has arisen in the last decade is low-temperature thermal desalination, which our group has chosen to research for this project. This technique separates salt from ocean water by evaporating the water, leaving salt behind, then cooling the water vapor back into fresh liquid form. The key component of this process is the evaporation stage where the salt is physically separated from the water in large evaporation tanks. Most low-temperature desalination plants use stainless steel as the material that makes up evaporation tanks. Stainless steel helps prevent the evaporation tanks from corroding and helps prevent thesodium in the water from creating cracking or stress fractures in the tanks. The use of stainless steel has reduced production costs, eased maintenance, and improved efficiency of the low-temperature desalination plants since the switch from the previously used carbon steel. However, the cost of this process is a concern and stainless steel does not lower costs enough to make widespread use of low-temperature thermal desalination feasible. The overall desired property of this steel is a material combining chemical inertness and high mechanical strength to sufficiently evaporate salt-water pumped to the tank. The desired structure is a steel with relatively large amounts of chromium present which means many stainless steel components must be exposed to mechanical loads in the processing stage. But what comes along with this is a process that creates high strains inside the material and a structure with grain boundaries that are more sensitive to corrosion. This results in stress corrosion cracking in the steel that can impede the entire LTTD process. Duplex steel a stainless steel with higher amounts of chromium is made to resist corrosion, cracking, and fatigue to even a higher degree by avoiding pits with less chromium concentration. The potential use of Duplex could produce thinner shell walls and also higher resistance to corrosion and erosion, which will lead to more efficient evaporation tanks as they will hold the water vapor instead of letting it escape from the cracks created by stress. The combination of thinner walls and more efficient evaporation tanks will all lead to a more cost-efficient process that in turn may lead to the widespread use of this material and make strides toward correcting the worlds water crisis. Douglas, Elliot P. Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering: A Guided Inquiry. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. Duplex Stainless Steel. - Sandvik Materials Technology. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.http://www.smt.sandvik.com/en-us/products/tube-pipe-fittings-and-flanges/high-performance-materials/duplex-stainless-steel/ Global Water Shortage: Water Scarcity & How to Help - Page 2. The Water Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. http://thewaterproject.org/how-to-give-clean-water Introduction - Microstructures - Low Alloy Steels. Introduction - Microstructures - Low Alloy Steels. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. http://www.georgesbasement.com/Microstructures/LowAlloySteels/Introduction.htm Perkins, Sid. Better Stainless. Science News 161.7 (2002): 99. Print. Scarcity, Decade, Water for Life, 2015, UN-Water, United Nations, MDG, Water, Sanitation, Financing, Gender, IWRM, Human Right, Transboundary, Cities, Quality, Food Security. UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014. http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml Sommariva, C., History and Current Status of Material Selection in Thermal Desalination Processes. Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems.2014. Water and Wastewater Treatment Technologies. Web. 23 April 2014. http://www.eolss.net/Sample-Chapters/C07/E6-144-35-00.pdf Water Scarcity. WorldWildlife.org. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.http://worldwildlife.org/threats/water-scarcity Stierle, A. MATERIALS SCIENCE: Tracking Corrosion Cracking. Science 321.5887 (2008): 349-50. Print.$