This project demonstrates the modeling, analysis, and control of a magnetic levitation (maglev) system, where a ferromagnetic ball is suspended under an electromagnet.
The goal is to maintain the ball’s position at a desired reference point by regulating the input voltage to the coil.
Due to the system’s nonlinear dynamics and open-loop instability, it provides a rich case study for modern control system design.
The project includes:
- Nonlinear state-space modeling and linearization
- Stability, controllability, and observability analysis
- Transfer function derivation
- PID controller design & tuning
- Nonlinear simulations in MATLAB/Simulink with 3D visualization
- Derived a nonlinear state-space model based on Newton’s laws and electrical circuit dynamics.
- Considered system states: ball position, velocity, and coil current.
- Linearized the system around equilibrium points for analysis.
- Implemented P, PD, and PID controllers for stabilization.
- Tuned parameters to minimize overshoot, settling time, and steady-state error.
- Verified stability using step response analysis and eigenvalue evaluation.
- Built a nonlinear Simulink model of the maglev system.
- Implemented PID control using MATLAB’s built-in blocks.
- Simulated ball levitation with 3D visualization of motion.
├── 📄 2022MC45.prj # MATLAB project file
├── 📄 maglev_nonlinear.slx # Nonlinear Simulink model
├── 📄 maglev.wrl # 3D visualization model
├── 📄 maglev.x3d # 3D simulation data
├── 📄 AppendixA.m # MATLAB code for analysis
├── 📄 CEA_Report_2022_MC_45.pdf # Full project report
├── 📄 ReadMe.txt # Extra notes
└── 📄 README.md # Project documentation
📌 Key Insights
- Demonstrates how nonlinear systems can be modeled and controlled using classical and modern techniques.
- Shows the importance of PID tuning in stabilizing unstable systems.
- Highlights the use of MATLAB & Simulink for real-world control engineering problems.