GB1104746A - Transport system - Google Patents

Abstract

1,104,746. Railway transport systems; air cushion vehicles. J. ALLAN. 31 May, 1965 [10 April, 1964], No. 14917/64. Headings B7K and B7L. A railway transport system comprises a conduit 2, Figs. 1 and 3, upper and lower rails 8, 9 mounted in the conduit and vertically spaced apart, at least one vehicle 1 mounted between the rails by having centrally disposed pivotally. mounted upper and lower bogies 4, 5 for the rails 8, 9, respectively, the upper bogies 4 having guide wheels 12 to engage opposite vertical sides of the rail 8 whilst the lower bogies 5 have wheels 10, Fig. 4 (not shown), for riding along the lower rail 9 when the vehicle is operating at low speeds, and guide wheels 11 engaging opposite vertical sides of the rail 9, the rails 8, 9 constituting rotors of A.C. linear induction motors, the stators 6 and 7 of which form parts of the bogies 4 and 5, respectively. The stators are fed with threephase A.C. from live rails 17 mounted on and insulated from the upper rail 8. At high speeds of operation the vehicle is supported on a cushion of air produced between the bottom of the vehicles and shelves 16, Fig. 1, on either side of the rail 9 at the level of the upper face thereof. As shown in Fig. 3 a fan system 19 comprises a primary fan 19a drawing air from the front of the vehicle and passing it through ducts 20 to the rear and a secondary fan 21 which supplies air to the cushion through ducts 13. The latter connects via restrictor orifices (14), Fig. 5 (not shown), with duet segments (25) hinged to the ducts 13 at (27) and sealed from one another by seals (26), the segments 25 terminating in nozzles 15 which discharge air on to the shelves 16. Flexible skirts 23 at the front and rear of the Vehicle or train minimize air leakage from the cushion. The fans 19a, 21 are driven by an electric motor 22. In another embodiment, Fig. 2 (not shown), wheels 10 are provided on either side of the rail 9 to engage the upper faces of side flanges at the bottom of the rail. A points system for a branch line is described with reference to Figs. 6 and 7 (not shown), wherein the main lower rail (9) and branch lower rail (90) are provided with movable segments (9a), (90a) connected together and pivoted bridge members (9b), (9c). Segments of the shelves 16 are cut-away to accommodate the movements of the points. In a method of constructing the transport system a gantry structure (29), Figs. 8 and 9 (not shown), supported on wheels engaging with the lower and upper rails of a completed section of conduit (2), is projected forwardly to a postion slightly forward of where a pylon (31), to support the next section of conduit, is to be situated. The projecting end of the gantry is temporarily supported on a strut (30) and thereafter the next section of conduit (2) is constructed from and around the gantry structure. Trollies carrying sections of the conduit run on rails on the gantry, Fig. 9 (not shown).