Making water levitate

Ikezoe, Yasuhiro; Hirota, Noriyuki; Nakagawa, Jun; Kitazawa, K.

doi:10.1038/31619

Cited by 282 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Recently, we used MagLev to orient and assemble objects in three dimensions without mechanical contact. [12] We showed that objects of homogenous density, but of anisotropic shape, oriented with their long axis parallel or perpendicular to the surface of the magnets in a manner that depended on their aspect ratio.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Magnetic Levitation for Non‐Destructive Quality Control of Plastic Parts

et al. 2015

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INTRODUCTIONLarge-scale, reliable, and economical manufacturing of plastic objects ("parts") [1] is critical for a range of industrial applications (e.g. medical devices, automotive parts, small consumer goods, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and optical devices, among others). Plastic parts are chosen (over metal, for example) in many cases, in order to lower the cost (as well as weight, corrosion resistance, and other properties) of the final assembled product. Depending on the scale of manufacturing, costs favor relatively simple techniques such as injection molding, casting, stamping, or machining for producing products with a range of shapes from raw, polymeric plastics. [1] Low-cost plastic parts must maintain an acceptable level of quality to avoid failure in use. In an optimized production process, occasional defects, such as voids, cracks, or embedded impurities can occur during routine manufacturing. [2][3][4][5][6][7] Defective parts, if not identified, can lead to the failure of the final assembled product. Non-destructive methods are thus required to identify defective parts that deviate from quality standards resulting either from manufacturing (both process optimization and volume production) or improper storage or use of the part.Current non-destructive methods that have been used to test the quality of molded parts in specialized and critical applications include industrial computed tomography (ICT), [8,9] infrared thermography, [10] and ultrasonic testing. [11] The cost and complexity associated with the use of these instruments often prevent their application in routine quality control and, therefore, during the development and use of a manufacturing process, visual inspection may be the only form of quality control. In this paper, we demonstrate how magnetic levitation (MagLev) enables (i) the identification of parts with embedded defects, (ii) the separation of a defective part from a single batch, (iii) the characterization of certain kinds of defects, and (iv) the detection of counterfeit, high-value plastic parts. MagLev can suspend and orient [12] an object without contact by balancing gravitational and magnetic forces. [13] Here we show that the orientation of a part that is magnetically levitated depends strongly on both its shape and heterogeneity in density. This characteristic enables rapid identification of a defective part by visual inspection of the levitation height or angle of orientation in comparison to the rest of the parts in the batch. The method is inexpensive, non-destructive and straightforward to implement. The portability of the MagLev device has the potential to allow quality control of parts at the point-of-manufacturing, the pointof-sale, and the point-of-use.We used a similar MagLev device setup to those previously described. [13] Briefly, the object is suspended in a container filled with a paramagnetic solution (e.g., aqueous manganese chloride, MnCl 2 , or paramagnetic ionic liquids) [14] and the container is placed between two NdFeB magnets oriented w...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Magnetic Levitation for Non‐Destructive Quality Control of Plastic Parts

et al. 2015

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“…For large water droplets in the levitation condition, their shape becomes increasingly oblate with increasing diameter due to the vertical spatial inequality of the gravitational and magnetic forces. 23 We note that by specialized engineering, the product BdBÕdz can be made constant over a range of order 1 cm along the solenoid axis. 24 ͑6͒ Magnetic levitation is not the same physical effect as ''zero gravity.''…”

Section: The Magnetic Force "Low-gravity… Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…͑7͒ In multicomponent fluids, or where objects may be placed in fluids, or may crystallize from solution, one must consider both differentials in susceptibility and buoyancy in determining the effective acceleration. 23,25 ͑8͒ In the bores of room temperature access, water cooled resistive and helium cooled superconducting magnets, the temperature is generally less than room temperature, and may involve substantial spatial temperature gradients. The presence of air currents, and even strong air turbulence are clearly present in many cases.…”

Section: The Magnetic Force "Low-gravity… Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

New opportunities in science, materials, and biological systems in the low-gravity (magnetic levitation) environment (invited)

Brooks

Reavis

Medwood

et al. 2000

Journal of Applied Physics

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We discuss new opportunities that present themselves with the advent of very high magnetic field resistive magnets with appreciable central bore access. A detailed description of the parameters of the magnetic force environment for the case of diamagnetic materials in a water-cooled Bitter-type resistive magnet is provided for the reader who may have an interest in low-gravity experiments. We discuss emerging research activities involving novel uses of magnetic forces in high field resistive magnets at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. Particular attention is given to the area of diamagnetic materials that allow a low or ''zero'' gravity state, i.e., magnetic levitation. These include studies involving plant growth, protein crystallization, and dynamics of single particles and granular materials. In the latter case, unique aspects of the magnetic force environment allow low gravity experiments on particulates that cannot be performed on the Space Shuttle due to the lack of a weak confining potential in space.

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“…Seven particles were used in each experiment. To enhance the interaction between magnetic dipoles with the magneto-Archimedes effect [16], MnCl 2 aqueous solution was used as a surrounding medium. The concentration of the solution was 40 wt% in experiments (b) and (c).…”

Section: Experimental Procedures and Simulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Control of lattice spacing in a triangular lattice of feeble magnetic particles formed by induced magnetic dipole interactions

Hirota

Ando

Tanaka

et al. 2009

Science and Technology of Advanced Materials

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We studied methods of controlling the spacing between particles in the triangular lattice formed by feeble magnetic particles through induced magnetic dipole interaction. Formation of a triangular lattice is described by the balance between the magnetic force and the interaction of induced magnetic dipoles. The intensity of the magnetic force is proportional to the volume of particles V and the difference in the magnetic susceptibilities between the particles and the surrounding medium χ. On the other hand, the intensity of the induced magnetic dipole interaction depends on the square of V and χ . Therefore, altering the magnetic susceptibility difference by changing the susceptibility of the surrounding medium, volume of the particles, and intensity and spatial distribution of the applied magnetic field effectively controls the distance between the particles. In this study, these three methods were evaluated through experiment and molecular dynamics simulations. The distance between the particles, i.e. the lattice constant of the triangular lattice, was varied from 1.7 to 4.0 in units of the particle diameter. Formation of self-organized triangular lattice through the induced magnetic dipole interaction is based on magnetism, a physical property that all materials have. Therefore, this phenomenon is applicable to any materials of any size. Consequently, structure formation through induced magnetic dipole interaction is a potential way of fabricating materials with ordered structures.

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Making water levitate

Cited by 282 publications

References 3 publications

Using Magnetic Levitation for Non‐Destructive Quality Control of Plastic Parts

Using Magnetic Levitation for Non‐Destructive Quality Control of Plastic Parts

New opportunities in science, materials, and biological systems in the low-gravity (magnetic levitation) environment (invited)

Control of lattice spacing in a triangular lattice of feeble magnetic particles formed by induced magnetic dipole interactions

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