Summary
The Hyperloop is a potential new mode of transport that will have very large target velocities. One possible design comprises an electromagnetically suspended pod that moves in a tube which is periodically supported by columns. This design has two potential sources of instability: (i) the electromagnetic force and (ii) parametric excitation. A canonical problem has been analysed as a first step to understanding the interplay between these two sources of instability. The analysis shows that the introduction of a parametric excitation expands the region of instability, although this increase is limited compared to the system without parametric excitation.
