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HYPERLOOP TRAINSLoading...
byGulchin Jashar
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INTRODUCTION
A Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, first used to describe an open-source vactrain design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX. Hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being very efficient, thereby drastically reducing travel times over medium-range distances.
Think of how well-traveled and eco-responsible you would be if you could economically zip between cities at speeds exceeding 700 miles per hour in a comfortable, carbon-neutral way. Without going to the airport.
That’s the promise of hyperloop. The ground transportation technology envisions moving people (and, no doubt, cargo) between cities in pods or capsules traveling on magnetized tracks in vacuum tubes running above or below ground.
For decades, hyperloop has been the stuff of science fiction. But advances in technology, and mounting frustration with existing transit modes, means hyperloop has gone from fantasy to likely fruition.
A Hyperloop is a proposed mode of passenger and/or freight transportation, first used to describe an open-source vactrain design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX. Hyperloop is a sealed tube or system of tubes through which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being very efficient, thereby drastically reducing travel times over medium-range distances.
Think of how well-traveled and eco-responsible you would be if you could economically zip between cities at speeds exceeding 700 miles per hour in a comfortable, carbon-neutral way. Without going to the airport.
That’s the promise of hyperloop. The ground transportation technology envisions moving people (and, no doubt, cargo) between cities in pods or capsules traveling on magnetized tracks in vacuum tubes running above or below ground.
For decades, hyperloop has been the stuff of science fiction. But advances in technology, and mounting frustration with existing transit modes, means hyperloop has gone from fantasy to likely fruition.
Getting hyperloop on the fast track is a goal embraced by the likes of entrepreneur Elon Musk, transportation technology companies such as Virgin Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies and many cities around the world.
How will hyperloop change travel?
Proponents envision hyperloop travel as being more affordable, much more convenient and far less stressful than many forms of existing travel.
For example, the autonomous systems could have different-sized cars or pods that operate on an on-demand basis, eliminating the need for a traveler to show up at a station at a prescribed time. And because hyperloop vehicles will travel in tubes, weather delays would be avoided.
How will hyperloop change travel?
Proponents envision hyperloop travel as being more affordable, much more convenient and far less stressful than many forms of existing travel.
For example, the autonomous systems could have different-sized cars or pods that operate on an on-demand basis, eliminating the need for a traveler to show up at a station at a prescribed time. And because hyperloop vehicles will travel in tubes, weather delays would be avoided.
Initial design concept
The Hyperloop concept operates by sending specially designed "capsules" or "pods" through a steel tube maintained at a partial vacuum. In Musk's original concept, each capsule floats on a 0.02–0.05 in (0.5–1.3 mm) layer of air provided under pressure to air-caster "skis", similar to how pucks are levitated above an air hockey table, while still allowing faster speeds than wheels can sustain. Hyperloop One's technology uses passive maglev for the same purpose. Linear induction motors located along the tube would accelerate and decelerate the capsule to the appropriate speed for each section of the tube route. With rolling resistance eliminated and air resistance greatly reduced, the capsules can glide for the bulk of the journey. In Musk's original Hyperloop concept, an electrically driven inlet fan and axial compressor would be placed at the nose of the capsule to "actively transfer high-pressure air from the front to the rear of the vessel", resolving the problem of air pressure building in front of the vehicle, slowing it down. A fraction of the air is shunted to the skis for additional pressure, augmenting that gain passively from lift due to their shape. Hyperloop One's system does away with the compressor.
In the alpha-level concept, passenger-only pods are to be 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) in diameter and projected to reach a top speed of 760 mph (1,220 km/h) to maintain aerodynamic efficiency. The design proposes passengers experience a maximum inertial acceleration of 0.5 g, about 2 or 3 times that of a commercial airliner on takeoff and landing.
The Hyperloop concept operates by sending specially designed "capsules" or "pods" through a steel tube maintained at a partial vacuum. In Musk's original concept, each capsule floats on a 0.02–0.05 in (0.5–1.3 mm) layer of air provided under pressure to air-caster "skis", similar to how pucks are levitated above an air hockey table, while still allowing faster speeds than wheels can sustain. Hyperloop One's technology uses passive maglev for the same purpose. Linear induction motors located along the tube would accelerate and decelerate the capsule to the appropriate speed for each section of the tube route. With rolling resistance eliminated and air resistance greatly reduced, the capsules can glide for the bulk of the journey. In Musk's original Hyperloop concept, an electrically driven inlet fan and axial compressor would be placed at the nose of the capsule to "actively transfer high-pressure air from the front to the rear of the vessel", resolving the problem of air pressure building in front of the vehicle, slowing it down. A fraction of the air is shunted to the skis for additional pressure, augmenting that gain passively from lift due to their shape. Hyperloop One's system does away with the compressor.
In the alpha-level concept, passenger-only pods are to be 7 ft 4 in (2.23 m) in diameter and projected to reach a top speed of 760 mph (1,220 km/h) to maintain aerodynamic efficiency. The design proposes passengers experience a maximum inertial acceleration of 0.5 g, about 2 or 3 times that of a commercial airliner on takeoff and landing.
What makes Hyperloop different?
There are two big differences between Hyperloop and traditional rail. Firstly, the pods carrying passengers travel through tubes or tunnels from which most of the air has been removed to reduce friction. This should allow the pods to travel at up to 750 miles per hour.
Secondly, rather than using wheels like a train or car, the pods are designed to float on air skis, using the same basic idea as an air hockey table, or use magnetic levitation to reduce friction.
There are two big differences between Hyperloop and traditional rail. Firstly, the pods carrying passengers travel through tubes or tunnels from which most of the air has been removed to reduce friction. This should allow the pods to travel at up to 750 miles per hour.
Secondly, rather than using wheels like a train or car, the pods are designed to float on air skis, using the same basic idea as an air hockey table, or use magnetic levitation to reduce friction.
