An eddy current retarder includes a brake drum, a magnet retention ring, and a switch mechanism. The brake drum is fixed to a rotating shaft. The magnet retention ring is arranged inside the drum and retains magnets at regular intervals entirely in a circumferential direction such that the magnets face the inner peripheral surface of the drum. The switch mechanism includes switch plates that switch, during braking, to a state in which magnetic circuits develop between the magnets and the drum, and switch, during non-braking, to a state in which no magnetic circuits develop. Protrusions are provided on an end face of the drum at regular intervals entirely in the circumferential direction. Electricity generating coils are provided in a non-rotating part of a vehicle at regular intervals entirely in the circumferential direction such that the electricity generating coils face the regions of the end face of the drum.

Systems and methods for a magnetic braking system for controlling the descent of a payload against gravity are disclosed herein. The magnetic braking system may allow for a user to descend along a descending structure, such as a rope, hands-free. A plurality of conductive bands, comprising a non-ferromagnetic material, may be affixed to an exterior of the descending structure. The payload may be connected to the descending structure via a lanyard having a collar that circumferentially attaches to the descending structure. The collar may comprise magnetic assemblies arranged as a linear Halbach array. As the collar translates past the conductors, eddy currents may be generated within the conductive bands, resulting in a repelling magnetic field that may provide a braking force that acts upon the collar, thereby slowing the descent of the payload.

A large-size axial eddy current damper manufactured by use of screw drive comprises a drive assembly and an eddy current damping generator; the drive assembly comprises a screw drive pair, and a stator and a rotor respectively made of magnetic conductive materials; the screw drive pair comprises a screw rod and a nut sleeved on the screw rod; the screw rod sequentially penetrates through central holes of upper and lower flanges of the stator; the nut is within the stator; the rotor comprises an outer rotor and an inner rotor having the bottom provided with a lower connecting flange; one or more eddy current damping generators are arranged between the stator and the outer rotor. Problems of having difficulty in manufacturing axial dampers with a large damping coefficient and simulating anti-vibration dampers with a speed index of less than 1, by use of eddy current damping, can be solved simultaneously.

Disclosed herein is a heat generation apparatus using permanent magnets. The heat generation apparatus using permanent magnets includes: a plurality of rotors fixedly mounted on a rotating shaft, and configured such that they are rotatable along with the rotating shaft with permanent magnets disposed thereon at predetermined intervals; a heat generation part configured such that the rotors are contained therein to thus form a predetermined gap between the heat generation part and the rotors, and adapted to generate heat while the permanent magnets are being rotated; a motor configured to serve as a source for the rotation of the rotating shaft; and a power transmission means configured to transfer the rotation force of the motor to the rotating shaft.

A cylindrical part of a rotor for an eddy current deceleration device of the present embodiment has a chemical composition consisting of, by mass %, C: 0.05 to 0.15%, Si: 0.10 to 0.40%, Mn: 0.50 to 1.00%, P: 0.030% or less, S: 0.030% or less, Mo: 0.20 to 1.00%, Nb: 0.020 to 0.060%, V: 0.040 to 0.080%, sol. Al: 0.030 to 0.100%, B: 0.0005 to 0.0050%, N: 0.003 to 0.010%, Cu: 0 to 0.20%, Ni: 0 to 0.20%, Cr: 0 to 0.10%, and the balance: Fe and impurities, and in which the total area fraction of martensite and bainite in a microstructure is more than 95.0%, and the number density of carbides having an equivalent circular diameter of 100 to 500 nm is 0.35 to 0.75 particles/?m.sup.2.

Described herein is an assembly and methods of use thereof for controlling or governing the relative speed of motion between the assembly parts via eddy current formation. The assembly and methods also may minimize the number of parts required and may minimize the number of moving parts thereby increasing the mechanical durability of the assembly compared to art designs that may have more moving parts and greater part complexity.

Disclosed is an eddy-current rail brake which includes: a magnet array which includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged in one row so as to face toward a rail in a braking state; a holding member which holds the magnet array, the holding member being supported so as to be rotatable together with the magnet array; a cylindrical member which covers the magnet array, which is rotatable; and a driving device coupled to an end portion of the holding member. The magnet array is switchable between the braking state and a non-braking state by rotating the magnet array.

A double stator permanent magnet machine includes an inner stator having a back iron and a set of inner stator poles connected to the back iron, a rotor having a shaft and a set of segments, each segment having a permanent magnet, adjacent the inner stator and rotatively coupled to the inner stator, an outer stator having a set outer stator poles, adjacent the rotor and rotatively coupled to the rotor, a set of inner windings disposed between each of the inner stator poles, and a set of outer windings disposed between each of the outer stator poles.

An eddy current deceleration device includes a rotor and a stator. The rotor includes a hub, a rotor body, and a spoke. The spoke has neutral axes. The first neutral axis is a neutral axis when the spoke is bent in a circumferential direction of the rotor body. The first neutral axis is positioned forward in a rotating direction of the rotor with respect to a center line of the spoke in the circumferential direction. The second neutral axis is a neutral axis when the spoke is bent in an axial direction of the rotor body. The second neutral axis is positioned on a rotor body side with respect to a center line of the spoke in the axial direction.

Described herein is an assembly and methods of use thereof for controlling or governing the relative speed of motion between the assembly parts via eddy current formation. The assembly and methods also may minimize the number of parts required and may minimize the number of moving parts thereby increasing the mechanical durability of the assembly compared to art designs that may have more moving parts and greater part complexity.