Onboard high temperature superconducting (HTS) Maglev equipment is a heart part of a HTS Maglev vehicle, which is composed of YBaCuO bulks and rectangle-shape liquid nitrogen vessel and used successfully in the first manned HTS Maglev test vehicle. Arrangement of YBaCuO bulks in liquid nitrogen vessel, structure of the vessel, levitation forces of a single vessel and two vessels, and total levitation force are reported. The first manned HTS Maglev test vehicle in the world has operated well more than one year after it was born on Dec. 31,2000, and more than 23,000 passengers have taken the vehicle till now. Well operation of more than one year proves the reliability of the onboard HTS Maglev equipment.

The first man-loading high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnetic levitation (Maglev) test vehicle in the world has normally operated over one year after its birth on December 31,2000. Heretofore over 23000 passengers have taken the vehicle, and it operates very well from first running to now. The HTS Maglev vehicle is over guideway, which consists of two parallel permanent magnetic tracks. The levitation force of the entire Maglev vehicle is measured. Three times measurement results on December 24,2000, July 1,2001, and December 24,2001 are reported respectively, it will be seen from this that the levitation forces do not change nearly after long running. Total levitation force of entire vehicle is 1050kg at the 8mm net levitation gap, which the gap between the bottom of liquid nitrogen vessels and guideway face. A measuring equipment of the guidance force of the entire Maglev vehicle is designed and manufactured. The guidance force of the vehicle is obtained by the equipment.

Levitation forces of YBaCuO bulk high temperature superconductors (HTS) with different shape and size over a NdFeB guideway were studied. Here, the concentrating magnetic field of the NdFeB guideway was 1.2 T, and the YBaCuO bulk HTSs include three cylindrical samples with different diameter and thickness and one hexagonal sample. The maximum levitation force is as high as 85.3N at a gap of 5mm between the bottom surface of YBaCuO bulk HTS and the top surface of the NdFeB guideway, where the applied magnetic field is about 0.8 T. The results show that the shape and the size have large influences on the levitation force of YBaCuO bulk HTSs.

The magnetic levitation (maglev) performance of YBaCuO bulk at different temperature is studied. The YBaCuO bulk is cooled by the G-M refrigerators and its temperature can descend from 100 to 40K. The maglev performance of YBaCuO bulk, such as levitation force, can be obtained by the high temperature superconducting maglev measurement system. The measured results in the different temperature are analyzed and discussed.

A hybrid maglev vehicle using permanent magnets and high temperature superconductor (HTS) bulks is presented. Its guideway is composed of permanent magnets and soft iron. The HTS bulks provide partial levitation force and guidance force, and the onboard permanent magnets provide additional levitation force. Firstly, the levitation force of a single permanent magnet and a single HTS bulk over a permanent magnetic track is studied, the surface magnetic flux density of which is up to 1.2T. Secondly, both levitation force and guidance force of two arrays of permanent magnets and HTS bulks are studied. Results show that the hybrid maglev vehicle using permanent magnets and HTS bulks has larger levitation force and stiffness.