Abstract: Dynamic responses of maglev vehicle/guideway system have important influence on running safety, ride comfort and system costs, which are crucial factors for maglev train commercial application. As the first part of the series paper, the essential issue of maglev vehicle/guideway system dynamics is discussed, including the magnet/rail interaction and the dynamic stability. Remarkable advance has been made on the 2-diemesional theoretical analysis and dynamic simula-tion of magnet/rail interaction. It is necessary to carry out theoretical analyses and experimental studies on the 3-diemensional magnet/rail interaction in the future. The magnet suspension stability, single magnet/guideway system stability and dynamic stability of simple maglev vehicle/guideway system had been investigated in the past thirty years. In order to meet the demand of developing the commercial maglev system, it is suggested to investigate as soon as possible the dynamic stability of the full-scale maglev vehicle/guideway system.

Key words: Coupling dynamics, Electromagnetic suspension, Elevated-beam, Feedback control, Maglev vehicle, Stability