Development of a Micro Rotating

Gyroscope for Aerospace Applications

Interim report – Final Year Project

Tham Jia Yin, Sarah

Supervised by Dr. Christopher Shearwood

December 2010
 1. Introduction

Gyroscopes have been used as navigation aids since the turn of the 20th century. It uses

conservation of angular momentum to measure the orientation of its host vehicle with

respect to an inertial reference frame. In aerospace, gyroscopes are an integral part of

navigation systems in aircraft, and the exponential growth of the industry in recent years

has fuelled a need for smaller, yet high-performance gyroscopes.

A conventional gyroscope is shown in the figure below. The rotor is spun at very high speeds,

giving it a very large angular momentum. The momentum is large enough to prevent any

changes to its orientation caused by external forces, such as the pitching, rolling, or yawing

of its host aircraft. The rotor, which is mounted in gimbals as shown, is free to rotate under

external torque, and hence is able to maintain its orientation as always being parallel to the

surface of the Earth. Using angle pickoffs in the gimbals, the orientation of the host vehicle

can then be determined.

Figure 1 - Conventional Gyroscope

In this project, I aim to develop a micro rotating gyroscope that is suitable for aerospace

applications. The concept of the micro gyroscope will be based on stable magnetic levitation.

A rotor will be levitated in mid-air and spun at high revolutions. This project focuses on the

stability of the levitation, and several experiments will be carried out to determine a

configuration that provides the most stability.

 2. Levitation

Levitation is the suspension of a body in mid-air by a physical force. One of the most

developed forms of levitation is magnetic levitation. In 1842, physicist Samuel Earnshaw

discovered Earnshaw’s Theorem, which proved that it was not possible to achieve any stable

form of levitation using only ferrous magnets. However, there are loopholes to this theorem

as they only apply to stationary Ferro magnets. It has been shown in experiments, and even

applications all over the world, that stable magnetic levitation is possible. This is due to the

use of diamagnetic materials, and in some cases, rotational stabilization such as that seen in

the popular Levitron toy.

2.1. Diamagnetism

Diamagnetism is a material property best described as being anti-magnetic, and will be

repelled by both poles of a magnet. It is a general phenomenon found weakly in almost all

materials, but is often overpowered by other forms of magnetism displayed by the materials

(such as ferromagnetism and paramagnetism). Hence, a diamagnetic material can be said to

be a material with the absence of other magnetic properties. When a magnet is brought

toward a diamagnetic material, orbital currents are generated in the molecules of the

material that will repel the approaching magnet. This behaviour is in accordance with Lenz’s

Law, which states that the current induced by a change in magnetic field will itself create a

magnetic field that opposes the change.

With diamagnetic materials, it was proven mathematically that stable levitation i n a

magnetic field was possible. Imagine a diamagnetic disc being placed on top of an array of

magnets. If the magnet is sufficiently strong, the repulsion force created by the disc will be

large enough to support its own weight, and the disc will levitate above the array. If the disc
wobbles, the repulsive force created by the diamagnet will respond in such a way as to

restore the system to equilibrium, hence creating a stable levitation.

The diamagnetic strength of materials is measured by its volume susceptibility χ. χ is the

opposite of magnetic permeability, and as such, is a negative number. For diamagnetic

materials, susceptibility lies between -1 and 0. Superconductors, which behave as ideal

diamagnets due to their property of zero resistance that allow induced currents, have a

susceptibility of -1. The χ values of some common materials are found in the table below.

Table 1 - χ values of some diamagnetic materials

Material Susceptibility χ (x 10-6)
Vacuum - 0
Water - 8.8
Gold - 34
Bismuth - 170
Graphite Rod - 160
Pyrolytic graphite - 450
Superconductor - 106

In this project, the diamagnet of choice is Pyrolytic graphite. As seen from the table, it is one

of the most strongly diamagnetic materials available, which is necessary for this project.

2.2. Rare Earth Magnets

For stable magnetic levitation, strong magnets are also necessary in order to induce a strong

enough diamagnetic effect in the pyrolytic graphite for levitation. In this project, I employ

grade N50 neodymium magnets, a type of rare-earth magnets which are currently the

strongest permanent magnets available. These magnets have a residual flux density of up to

14.5 kilograms-second, and are strong enough to levitate small pieces of pyrolytic graphite.

As previously mentioned, the emphasis of this project is on the stability of the levitation,

and this stability will be configured through a series of subsequent experiments with various

magnetic arrays.
 3. Studies

As mentioned, the magnets employed in this project are neodymium cube magnets. For the

purposes of research and testing, I begin with 12mm cube magnets. The larger size makes

the configurations easier to handle, and the setup will be scaled down in size at a later stage

of the project. Cube magnets have a north and south pole face each as shown in the figure

below, and the remaining four faces of the cube do not produce any flux.

Figure 2 - Neodynium cube magnet

The most basic configuration for stable levitation of a piece of graphite is a two-by-two configuration

as shown below. The magnetic fields created by the individual magnets behave like a force well that

centralizes the diamagnetic graphite disc over the array. When displaced in any direction, the

magnetic field of the array in that particular direction will provide a repulsive force (due to the

diamagnetism of the disc) that pushes the graphite back to its original position. This is how stable

levitation is achieved.

Figure 3 - 2 by 2 magnet configuration, top view and side view

To better understand the behaviour of the graphite, I simulate the magnetic field generated

by the array using ViziMag, a magnetic field simulation software. Using material information

from the manufacturer, I obtained the following flux density plot.

Figure 4 - Magnetic field density of 2-by-2 array

It can be seen from the plot that there is a strong magnetic region at the side of each

magnet, and a smaller region in between the two magnets. Translating this information into

3D, we can deduce that the smaller magnetic field is what supports the weight of the

graphite disc, and the fields at the sides of the magnets, which are equal in magnitude, are

the stabilizing forces that keep the graphite centralized. In order to increase the stability of

the levitation, it is necessary to increase the strength of the stabilizing magnetic field.

One way of increasing the strength of the magnetic field is to stack the magnets as shown.

Figure 5 - Stacked 2 by 2 magnetic array, top view and side view

Again, I simulate the magnetic flux generated by the array. This is a side view of the

configuration corresponding to that shown in the illustration above.

Figure 6 - Magnetic field density of the stacked 2 by 2 array

The graphs below plot the magnitude of the magnetic flux across the top of the respective

magnetic arrays where the graphite will be levitated. From the plots, it can be clearly seen

that the flux generated by the stacked array at the ends of the magnets are higher than then

single array. Having deduced earlier that these magnetic fields are what keep the graphite

stable in the centre of the array, we can conclude that theoretically, a stacked array will

provide a higher level of lateral stability to the levitation due to the stronger repulsive forces

acting on the disc.

Figure 7 - Magnetic flux density of 2-by-2 array (left) and stacked 2-by-2array (right)
The next configuration I study is a 3-by-3 arrangement. The arrangement is illustrated in the

figure below. Here it is important to note that the levitated disc here is larger than that used

by the 2-by-2 configuration due to the increased size of the array. The disc should

sufficiently cover the size of one magnet for stable levitation.

Figure 8 - 3-by-3 magnet configuration, top and side view

The magnetic flux generated by this array is shown in the picture below. Because of the 3-

by-3 configuration, there are two magnetic fields in the middle of the array. Visualizing it in

3D, we can imagine that there are more magnetic fields present to support the weight of

the levitated graphite. This allows the graphite to levitate higher, or allows a heavier mass to

be levitated, which is necessary in this case because the disc is now larger. Higher levitation

is also important in the project because payload may be added to the disc in the later stages

of the project for the purposes of rotation and measurement.

Figure 9 - Magnetic field density of the 3-by-3 array

The graph below plots the magnitude of the flux density across the top of the array. Notice

that the magnitude of the flux regions in the centre of the array is much higher than that of

the 2-by-2 configuration. This provides a stronger lifting force on the diamagnet, as

mentioned. Also, it is noteworthy that the magnetic field at the ends of the magnet are of

similar magnitude compared to the 2-by-2 array. However, in the experiments, the

levitation by the 3-by-3 array demonstrated a higher lateral stability. This is due to the

increase in number of magnets surrounding the graphite (8 in a 3-by-3 array, compared to 4

in a 2-by-2) that provides more magnetic fields to centralize the disc.

Figure 10 – Magnetic flux density of a 3-by-3 array

A stacked 3-by-3 array was also studied, and the results obtained were similar to that

obtained from studying a stacked 2-by-2 array. The magnetic fields at the ends of the array

were found to be stronger and hence could provide more lateral stability. At this point in

the project, a stacked 3-by-3 magnetic array was found to be the most stable configuration.
 4. Experimental findings

Some experiments were conducted to verify the results in stability as hypothesized by the

theories in the previous section. The results from the experiments will be summarized here.

4.1. Vertical Stability

Reflective tape was applied to one side of the levitated disc which was then levitated over

each array. Using a fibre optic measuring probe, the vertical displacement, known as

background noise, of the disc was measured over a period of one minute in a still room with

minimum air current disturbances. The amplitudes of the noises are listed in the table below.

Table 2 - Vertical noise of the levitated disc for various arrays

Array Amplitude of vibration (x 10-4) m

2x2 2.64
2 x 2 stacked 3.11
3x3 3.18
3 x 3 stacked 2.97

No useful conclusion could be drawn from these results about the effects of the various

arrays on the vertical stability of the graphite. However, it is important to note these values

as background noise to be accounted for in the later stages of the project.

4.2. Lateral Stability

To determine the lateral stability of the levitation, I attempted to find the first natural

frequency of the system. The systems were placed on a vibration plate, which was set to

vibrate horizontally at 0.5cm amplitude. I started with a low vibration frequency of 0.5Hz,

and slowly increased the frequency. The frequency at which sustained vibrations caused the

disc to fall off from the array was determined to be the natural frequency, and the

magnitude of that frequency can be taken as representative of the system’s lateral stability.
In the table below, the first natural frequency of each array is summarized. We can see that

the results are in accordance to the theoretical hypothesis. A stacked array is more stable

than a single array, and a 3x3 array is more stable than a 2x2 array.

Table 3 - First natural frequency of the various arrays

Array Natural Frequency (Hz)

2x2 1.8
2 x 2 stacked 2.1
3x3 2.7
3 x 3 stacked 2.9
 5. Further work

At this current point in the project, work has been done in studying the magnetic fields of

the individual cube magnets, and more importantly, the fields generated when the magnets

are assembled in various arrays. Through theoretical studies and experiments, it has been

determined that a stacked 3-by-3 magnet array provides the most lateral stability for a

levitated piece of pyrolytic graphite. However, even that array does not provide sufficient

stability to the levitation for real-world applications.

In the next stage of the project, I will continue to study the magnetic field densities of

various magnetic configurations and seek to improve both the horizontal and lateral stability

of the levitation. Simultaneously, I will also begin to work on the spinning of the levitat ed

graphite disc by means of electrostatic forces or other methods. I will also study the effects

that the spinning disc has on the stability of its levitation.

After a satisfactory configuration has been set up, I will begin to scale down the size of the

system in accordance with the theme of the project – to develop a micro rotating gyroscope.

It is my wish that I will eventually be able to present a working model of such a device at the

end of the project to show for the amount of research and work put in.