A Numerical simulation and an experimental study on the steady-state levitation characteristics of a magnetic ball driven by external electromagnets in a fluid tube : applications to micromachines in human blood vessels

Cui, Zhanxiang (author), Lu, Yonghua (author), Zhu, Yun (author), Wang, Zezheng (author), Wang, Ziyuan (author)

Research on micro-robots in the field of medicine has introduced innovative methods for treating various diseases. This study aims to expand the application of controllable micromechanical diagnoses and treatment within human blood vessels by designing a magnetic levitation ball system in a fluid-filled circular tube. The system enables a magnetic ball to be stably suspended along a specific path under the influence of an external magnetic field. Simulations of the system’s electromagnetic field, flow field characteristics, and mechanical state were conducted by using finite element software. The study analyzed the effects of the ball’s position, magnetic pole direction, driving current, and fluid flow rate on the forces acting on the magnetic ball. Joint simulations of the flow and magnetic fields were performed using the ANSYS Workbench platform, and a multi-objective optimization method was employed to determine the parameters for stable suspension. Experimental validation demonstrated the stable suspension of the magnetic ball in a fluid tube under an external magnetic field. The experiments revealed the relationships among the driving current, fluid flow rate, and the ball’s stable suspension position, confirming the effectiveness of the simulation method and the feasibility of controlling object positions within fluid tubes.

• Language: English
• Keywords: magnetic levitation, blood vessel, steady-state levitation, biomedical micromachines, multi-objective optimization
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 11 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 71, no. 3/4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-174266
• UDC: 007.52:61
• ISSN on article: 2536-3948
• DOI: 10.5545/sv-jme.2024.1080
• COBISS.SI-ID: 250927363
• Publication date in RUL: 30.09.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Strojniški vestnik
• Shortened title: Stroj. vestn.
• Publisher: Fakulteta za strojništvo
• ISSN: 2536-3948
• COBISS.SI-ID: 294943232

Licences

• License: CC BY-SA 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
• Description: This Creative Commons license is very similar to the regular Attribution license, but requires the release of all derivative works under this same license.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian

Abstract

Raziskave na področju uporabe mikrorobotov v medicini uvajajo inovativne metode za zdravljenje različnih bolezni. Cilj te študije je razširiti uporabo nadzorovanih mikromehanskih diagnostičnih in terapevtskih pristopov znotraj človeških krvnih žil z zasnovo sistema magnetne levitacije krogle v cevki okroglega prereza, napolnjeni s tekočino. Sistem omogoča stabilno lebdenje magnetne krogle vzdolž določene poti pod vplivom zunanjega magnetnega polja. S pomočjo programske opreme so bile po metodi končnih elementov izvedene simulacije elektromagnetnega polja, tokovnega polja in mehanskega stanja sistema. Študija podaja analizo vpliva položaja krogle, usmerjenosti magnetnih polov, električnega toka in hitrosti toka tekočine na sile, ki delujejo na magnetno kroglo. Hkratna simulacija toka in magnetnega polja je bila izvedena na platformi ANSYS Workbench, pri čemer je bila uporabljena metoda večobjektne optimizacije za določitev parametrov, ki omogočajo stabilno levitacijo. Eksperimentalna potrditev je pokazala stabilno lebdenje magnetne krogle v tekočinski cevki pod vplivom zunanjega magnetnega polja. Eksperimentalni rezultati so potrdilo povezave med električnim tokom, hitrostjo toka tekočine in stabilnim položajem krogle, kar potrjuje natančnost simulacijske metode in izvedljivost nadzora položaja objektov v cevkah s tekočino.

• Keywords: magnetna levitacija, krvna žila, stabilna levitacija, biomedicinske naprave, večobjektna optimizacija