Experimental identification of rare-earth magnetic suspensions for micro and meso scale levitating systems

Magnetic suspensions based on passive levitation of diamagnetic materials on permanent magnets provide attractive systems for several applications on the micro and meso scales. The magnetic properties of these kinds of suspensions dramatically reduce the global mechanical stiffness of the devices providing significant effects on their dynamic response. The goal of this paper is to investigate the static and dynamic behavior of magnetic suspensions with respect to its dependant parameters. Experimental measurements have been performed on the response of dedicated prototypes where the geometrical dimensions and magnetic field strength have been intended as variable parameters. Some benefits have been documented in the fields of energy harvesting and inertial sensing, while additional applications of magnetic suspensions are under investigation.