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Ground-effect Train
A ground-effect train is a conceptualized alternative to a magnetic levitation (maglev) train. In both cases the objective is to prevent the vehicle from making contact with the ground. Whereas a maglev train accomplishes this through the use of magnetism, a ground-effect train uses an air cushion; either in the manner of a hovercraft (as in hovertrains) or using the wing–in–ground-effect design. Details The advantages of a ground-effect train over a maglev are lower cost due to simpler construction. Disadvantages include either constant input of energy to keep the train hovering (in the case of hovercraft-like vehicles) or the necessity to keep the vehicle moving for it to remain off the ground (in the case of wing–in–ground-effect vehicles). Furthermore, these vehicles may be very drastically affected by wind, air turbulence, and weather. Whereas the magnetic levitation train can be built to operate in a vacuum to minimise air resistance, the ground-effect train must op ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ground-effect Vehicle
A ground-effect vehicle (GEV), also called a wing-in-ground-effect (WIGE or WIG), ground-effect craft/machine (GEM), wingship, flarecraft, surface effect vehicle or ekranoplan (), is a vehicle that is able to move over the surface by gaining support from the reactions of the air against the surface of the earth or water. Typically, it is designed to glide over a level surface (usually over the sea) by making use of ground effect, the aerodynamic interaction between the moving wing and the surface below. Some models can operate over any flat area such as frozen lakes or flat plains similar to a hovercraft. The term Ground-Effect Vehicle originally referred to any craft utilizing ground effect, including what is known later as hovercraft, in descriptions of patents during the 1950s. However, this term is nowadays regarded as distinct from air-cushion vehicles or hovercraft. The definition of GEVs does not include racecars utilizing ground-effect for increasing downforce. Des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tracked Hovercraft
Tracked Hovercraft was an experimental high-speed train developed in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. It combined two British inventions, the hovercraft and the linear induction motor, in an effort to produce a train system that would provide inter-city service with lowered capital costs compared to other high-speed solutions. Substantially similar to the French Aérotrain and other hovertrain systems of the 1960s, Tracked Hovercraft suffered a fate similar to those of the other projects when it was cancelled as a part of wide budget cuts in 1973. History Genesis at Hovercraft Development It was noticed early on in the development of the hovercraft that the energy needed to lift a vehicle was directly related to the smoothness of the surface on which it travelled. This was not entirely surprising; the air trapped under the hovercraft will remain there except where it leaks out where the lifting surface contacts the groundif this interface is smooth, the amount of leaked ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transrapid
Transrapid () is a German-developed high-speed monorail train using magnetic levitation. Planning for the system started in the late 1960s, with a test facility in Emsland, Germany, inaugurated in 1983. In 1991, technical readiness for application was approved by the Deutsche Bundesbahn in cooperation with renowned universities. The last version, the 2007-built Transrapid 09, is designed for a cruising speed of and allows acceleration and deceleration of approximately . In 2002, the first commercial implementation was completed – the Shanghai Maglev Train, which connects the city of Shanghai's rapid transit network to Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The Transrapid system has not yet been deployed on a long-distance intercity line. The system was developed and marketed by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp, as well as other, mostly German companies. In 2006, a Transrapid train collided with a maintenance vehicle on the German test track, leading to 23 fata ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maglev Train
Maglev (derived from ''magnetic levitation'') is a system of rail transport whose rolling stock is levitated by electromagnets rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating rolling resistance. Compared to conventional railways, maglev trains have higher top speeds, superior acceleration and deceleration, lower maintenance costs, improved gradient handling, and lower noise. However, they are more expensive to build, cannot use existing infrastructure, and use more energy at high speeds. Maglev trains have set several speed records. The train speed record of was set by the experimental Japanese L0 Series maglev in 2015. From 2002 until 2021, the record for the highest operational speed of a passenger train of was held by the Shanghai maglev train, which uses German Transrapid technology. The service connects Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the outskirts of central Pudong, Shanghai. At its historical top speed, it covered the distance of in just over 8minutes. Di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hyperloop
Hyperloop is a proposed high-speed transportation system for both passengers and freight. The concept was published by entrepreneur Elon Musk in a 2013 white paper, where the hyperloop was described as a transportation system using capsules supported by an air bearing, air-bearing surface within a low-pressure tube. Hyperloop systems have three essential elements: tubes, pods, and terminals. The tube is a large, sealed Vacuum#Vacuum-driven machines, low-pressure system (typically a long tunnel). The pod is a coach at atmospheric pressure that experiences low Drag (physics), air resistance or friction inside the tube using Maglev, magnetic propulsion (in the initial design, augmented by a ducted fan). The terminal handles pod arrivals and departures. The hyperloop, in the form proposed by Musk, differs from other Vactrain, vactrains by relying on residual air pressure inside the tube to provide lift from Aerofoil, aerofoils and propulsion by fans; however, many subsequent variants ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hovertrain
A hovertrain is a type of high-speed train that replaces conventional steel wheels with hovercraft lift pads, and the conventional railway bed with a paved road-like surface, known as the ''track'' or ''guideway''. The concept aims to eliminate rolling resistance and allow very high performance, while also simplifying the infrastructure needed to lay new lines. ''Hovertrain'' is a generic term, and the vehicles are more commonly referred to by their project names where they were developed. In the UK they are known as tracked hovercraft, in the US they are tracked air-cushion vehicles. The first hovertrain was developed by Jean Bertin in the early 1960s in France, where they were marketed as the Aérotrain before being abandoned by the French government. History Hovertrains were seen as a relatively low-risk and low-cost way to develop high-speed inter-city train service, in an era when conventional rail seemed stuck to speeds around or less. By the late 1960s, major developme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hovercraft
A hovercraft (: hovercraft), also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and various other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the Hull (watercraft), hull, or air cushion, that is slightly above atmospheric pressure. The pressure difference between the higher-pressure air below the hull and lower pressure ambient air above it produces lift, which causes the hull to float above the running surface. For stability reasons, the air is typically blown through slots or holes around the outside of a disk- or oval-shaped platform, giving most hovercraft a characteristic rounded-rectangle shape. The first practical design for hovercraft was derived from a British invention in the 1950s. They are now used throughout the world as specialised transports in disaster relief, coastguard, military and survey applications, as well as for sport or passenger service. Very large version ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
High-speed Rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is no single definition or standard that applies worldwide, lines built to handle speeds of at least or upgraded lines of at least are generally considered to be high-speed. The first high-speed rail system, the Tōkaidō Shinkansen, began operations in Honshu, Japan, in 1964. Due to the streamlined spitzer (bullet), spitzer-shaped nose cone of the 0 Series Shinkansen, trains, the system also became known by its English nickname bullet train. Japan's example was followed by several European countries, initially in High-speed rail in Italy, Italy with the Florence–Rome high-speed railway, Direttissima line, followed shortly thereafter by High-speed rail in France, France, High-speed rail in Germany, Germany, and High-speed rail in Spain, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gravity Train
A gravity train is a theoretical means of transportation for purposes of commuting between two points on the surface of a sphere, by following a straight tunnel connecting the two points through the interior of the sphere. In a large body such as a planet, this train could be left to accelerate using just the force of gravity, since during the first half of the trip (from the point of departure until the middle), the downward pull towards the center of gravity would pull it towards the destination. During the second half of the trip, the acceleration would be in the opposite direction relative to the trajectory, but, ignoring the effects of friction, the momentum acquired during the first half of the trajectory would equal this deceleration, and as a result, the train's speed would reach zero at approximately the moment the train reached its destination. Origin of the concept In the 17th century, British scientist Robert Hooke presented the idea of an object accelerating ins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magnetic Levitation Train
Maglev (derived from ''magnetic levitation'') is a system of rail transport whose rolling stock is levitated by electromagnets rather than rolled on wheels, eliminating rolling resistance. Compared to conventional railways, maglev trains have higher top speeds, superior acceleration and deceleration, lower maintenance costs, improved gradient handling, and lower noise. However, they are more expensive to build, cannot use existing infrastructure, and use more energy at high speeds. Maglev trains have set several speed records. The train speed record of was set by the experimental Japanese L0 Series maglev in 2015. From 2002 until 2021, the record for the highest operational speed of a passenger train of was held by the Shanghai maglev train, which uses German Transrapid technology. The service connects Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the outskirts of central Pudong, Shanghai. At its historical top speed, it covered the distance of in just over 8minutes. Di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aérotrain
The Aérotrain was an experimental Tracked Air Cushion Vehicle (TACV), or hovertrain, developed in France from 1965 to 1977 under the engineering leadership of Jean Bertin (1917–1975) – and intended to bring the French rail network to the cutting edge of land-based public transportation. Though similar to a maglev design, which levitates a train car over a complex electromagnetic track to eliminate all resistance other than aerodynamic drag, the Aérotrain – also a "train without wheels" – rode on an air cushion over a simple reinforced concrete track or ''guideway'' and could travel at the speed of a maglev train, without the further technical complexity and expense of its track. In many respects, the entire concept resembled a product of the aircraft rather than rail industry. History In 1969, a U.S. company, Rohr Industries, licensed the Aérotrain technology to build the hovertrains in the United States. That same year the Aérotrain established the world rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
