Hexamagnetic levitation using neodymium ball magnets

In summary, a person created a diamond like shape out of neodymium magnets, and then found the negative or positive magnetic pole on one of the points, and secured it with tape. They then made six of these shapes and arranged them in a hexagon. The final step was to precise spacing of the magnets. This was done in order to create a high amount of field around the tips and along the axes towards the center.
  • #1
schlukhash
9
0
Hello,

Just wanted to say I did this today. I could envision it in theory a while.
Went ahead and filed it under creative commons. Wondered If any of you "are" aware if this is a pattent somewhere? And maybe shed some light on it.

We start with arranging neodymium ball magnets in a diamond like so..

This gives us a magnet with two prodominant magnetic poles.


The next thing we do is find either the negative or positive magnetic pole on one of the diamond points. And use tape (or something else to secure it stays in shape).
After we taped half the diamond along the diagonal edge. We split it to get this shape. (neatly taped up). There may be arguments against spitting it up guess either way it will work.


We now proceed to make six of these shapes. All having poles of the same polarity. And arrange them in a hexagon like so.Now precision is key here, the better the spacing is, the better results you may get. Ultimately this might even result in magnetic suspension. But for proof of concept I have gotten as far as suspending a neodymium ball inside a tube. With good results.
 
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  • #2
Looks like fun.

1. Was the Neodymium ball a magnet at room temperature?
2. Was the ball suspended above, at, or below the plane of the six arrays.
3. Was the tube within the six arrays, or exterior to the hexagon?
 
  • #3
1 slightly above room temperature, and very strong.
2 It was floating above.
3 dead center in the haxagon. X marks the spot.The intended funtion is to create a high amount of field around the tips and along the axes towards the center. This is accheived by using the weak force to bind the magnets together, and pushing the strong force out. Also I believe this might cause more current in the flux by having a large mass plain to return to, compared to the small tip.

In theory the ratio of force is equal in a hexagon, so if the ball magnet flips and starts getting pulled. It gets pulled equally in a tug of war. Where the diameter from tip to tip is equal to the diameter from tip to center. My thoughts where it would not levitate but suspend instead, turns out it levitates quite a bit.

Looking at the graphics it looks like there are more possible configurations of magnets. Also a "hypothetical vortex" looks to be equaly exposed along the top right side of the triangle. Where the weak force is at it's strongest.
 
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  • #4
On my site there is a link to some footage I made, using a quicky prototype.
Found here
 
  • #5
In the video, it seemed to me that, in the diamagnetic orientation, the ball was above the plane, but the cylinder prevented the ball from moving toward the points of the magnetic triangles. The ball is at a meta-static point. Any move away from perfect balance will draw the ball further away. The L-1 and L-2 Lagrange points are similar. (It seems to me that it would be nice to create a cusp of magnetic forces at the center which would hold the ball with stability.)

How does the magnetic force balance point react to closing and opening the aisles between the triangles. That is, does the ball get drawn off even more easily?

Marking the surface of the suspended ball would show the orientation of its magnetic field.

Depending on the orientation of the suspended balls magnetic field, perhaps a magnet or and iron particle beneath the suspended ball would help center it.

This looks like fun.

While the initial hexagon construction isn't patentable, modifications of the magnetic field at the center in order to stabilize it may be patentable. As I understand European patent law, if you tell everyone (or anyone) about your design without a non disclosure agreement, then you have given away your right to patent it.
 
  • #6
MRBlizzard said:
How does the magnetic force balance point react to closing and opening the aisles between the triangles. That is, does the ball get drawn off even more easily?

Depends on the materials used to block the isle. For Fe: yes.

MRBlizzard said:
Marking the surface of the suspended ball would show the orientation of its magnetic field.

Im pretty confident it's negative to negative.
MRBlizzard said:
While the initial hexagon construction isn't patentable, modifications of the magnetic field at the center in order to stabilize it may be patentable. As I understand European patent law, if you tell everyone (or anyone) about your design without a non disclosure agreement, then you have given away your right to patent it.

Since no one has jumped in and said "Simpsons did it".. yet.
Well.. either way, I filed it somewhere else first (under semi restrictive non commercial creative commons) And have a backup of my site from the day it happened. To what degree that makes me own the described diamagnet principle is unknown to me. All I know from experience the more I release the more comes right after it in the sense of good new vibes. I have some pretty neat stuff in terms of aqquired derivation, I am happy to lean on someone to get it built :)
 
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  • #7
Sorry for the delayed reply; I was visiting my mother.


MRBlizzard said:
... (It seems to me that it would be nice to create a cusp of magnetic forces at the center which would hold the ball with stability.)

Depending on the orientation of the suspended balls magnetic field, perhaps a magnet or an iron particle beneath the suspended ball would help center it.

... .

What I was getting at was putting an iron object between the points of the hexagon. For instance, a metal washer, or a piece cut from a soup can. The intent is to modify the magnetic field that the suspended ball sees in order to create a cusp in which it would sit. This would be one end of a magnetic bearing.

You are bright and creative.
 
  • #8
Ah.. The thing I noticed is that there is a hole in the positive strong force.
And there is a small peak in the 2nd weak force that is there from the ratio's acting on each other.
So the estimated picture from the side is something like so.
attachment.php?attachmentid=60100&stc=1&d=1373120311.png

Which is the thing I find hard to alter into something else.
Might be something to encase in a mu metal of some sort so that it sweeps up higher, (if it actually does?) I guess you can also introduce a bearing of some sort to try and damp off a bit of the field. Have to go with a gut feeling there'd be some damping on both ends.
 

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  • #9
Unless you gain some benefit you are not affected by patent law.

You have published so you cannot now patent. Neither can anyone else, unless they filed some form of patent application prior to your publication.

One is only liable to the owner of a patent from the time one is informed of the patent, whereupon one obviously stops infringing, or enters a licensing agreement.

Don't worry about patents unless you are doing research, tooling-up to manufacture or market. A patent is an insurance policy to protect the inventor and manufacturer from competition during the early period while recouping their R&D investment.
 

Related to Hexamagnetic levitation using neodymium ball magnets

1. What is hexamagnetic levitation?

Hexamagnetic levitation is a type of magnetic levitation that uses six neodymium ball magnets arranged in a hexagonal shape to levitate an object above the ground.

2. How does hexamagnetic levitation work?

The six neodymium ball magnets are arranged in such a way that their magnetic fields interact with each other and with the magnetic field of the object being levitated. This creates a stable equilibrium and allows the object to float in mid-air.

3. What are the advantages of using neodymium ball magnets for hexamagnetic levitation?

Neodymium magnets are known for their strong magnetic fields, which make them ideal for levitation. They are also small and lightweight, making them easy to arrange and manipulate in the hexagonal formation.

4. What are the limitations of hexamagnetic levitation using neodymium ball magnets?

One limitation is the weight limit of the object being levitated. Neodymium ball magnets can only support a certain amount of weight, so larger or heavier objects may not be able to be levitated. Additionally, the magnets must be arranged precisely and any disturbance to the magnetic field can cause the object to fall.

5. What are some potential applications of hexamagnetic levitation using neodymium ball magnets?

Some potential applications include transportation systems, such as high-speed trains or maglev vehicles, as well as in manufacturing processes where delicate objects need to be held in place without physical contact. It can also be used for educational purposes to demonstrate the principles of magnetism and levitation.

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