GB2150094A - Evacuated railroad - Google Patents

Abstract

A pipeline containing a railroad traffic line in which a car can be run at high speed is capable of introducing and exhausting air or water to and from the section in which the car is run. Advantageously the section in front of a car can be evacuated and a section behind the car can be filled with air. The pipeline can be buried in a water bed or laid under water or on the water surface by support members or anchored to the water bed by anchoring means or laid on a buoy assembly floating on the water surface. Air- or water-tight doors may be provided at a suitable interval in the pipeline, and these doors are each provided with a working door to be opened and closed by a man clad with a vacuum suit or a diving suit for the purpose of inspection, maintenance and repair.

Description

1 GB 2 150 094A 1

SPECIFICATION

Evacuated railroad This invention relates to an evacuated railroad, and especially to an evacuated railroad consisting of a pipeline and, more particularly, a railroad pipeline which may be buried under the water bed or laid under water or at the water surface by support means or anchored to the water bed by anchoring means.

According to the invention there is provided an evacuated railroad which comprises a pipeline capable of introducing and exhausting air or water to and from a section in which a car is run at a high speed.

In the accompanying drawings:- Figures 1 to 10 are pictorial transverse sectional views showing examples of the use of the evacuated railroad; Figures 11 and 12 are pictorial horizontal sectional views showing examples of the eva cuated railroad consisting of a pipe through which a car runs; Figure 13 is a pictorial vertical sectional 90 view showing a pipeline provided with a resili ent seal; and Figure 14 is a pictorial transverse sectional view showing a pipe provided with a water- proof door.

Fig. 1 shows a pipeline utilised in the invention. As is shown, a pipe 1 made of steel or other material inclusive of transparent materials and having a circular or other sectional profile (hereinafter referred to as a pipe or pipeline) is buried under the water bed, and a railroad, passage, water supply line, gas supply line, electric line and optical communication line, etc. are installed in the pipeline thus constructed.

The pipeline 1 is laid while excavating the water bottom using dredgers or the like. The opposite ends of the pipeline are located on land or in a ship and exposed to air.

Of course, where the pipe is subject to forces tending to break it, suitable means for preventing the possible breakage are provided in advance using boats or buoys.

Air, water, electricity, etc. that are neces- sary in the pipeline are externally suppled, and waste matter is discharged out of the line.

In the event that a great quantity of water leaks into the pipeline, a stop signal is adapted to be produced as a result of a short- circuit between two rails or from a current detector.

In such a situation, trains, vehicles, men, etc. (hereinafter referred to as moving objects) are stopped and withdrawn.

Water-proof doors may be provided in the pipeline such that their locks may be unlocked by electromagnetic or other means once it is determined that there are no moving objects in the pipeline after the generation of a stop signal due to leakage.

If such water-proof doors are provided at suitable intervals in the pipeline, when laying the pipeline they may be utilized to admit a suitable quantity of water into the empty pipe to make the apparent bulk density of the pipe equal to that of water so as to reduce the generation of forces tending to break the pipe during the laying operation.

In the -event that leakage occurs, an operating team clad in diving suits may go to the leaking spot by opening small emergency doors provided in successive water-proof doors. Then the leaking portion is closed, and after completion of the repair work, water in the pipeline is drained out.

Figs. 2 to 5 show cases where a bridge is constructed with a pipe in or on the water by erecting supports on the water bottom.

In these cases, buoyancy acts on the sup- ports and under-water bridge, and also the water pressure acting on the pipe is low compared to the case of the pipe buried at the water bottom. Thus, more economical design is possible in general.

Where lateral forces act on supports or the like, oblique beam members are connected to the supports.

Mounting members, pipes and other members may be mounted on supports by using projections, holes and threaded holes provided in the individual members or by means of bolting or welding.

Where the water bottom is too hard to drive support members or wedges, a bore may be drilled to a necessary depth from the water surface as in the case of driving a petroleum well, and then a wedge or the like may be driven from the water surface.

In those cases where a pipe will not remain submerged even when it carries the heaviest load (hereinafter referred to as a light pipe) due to buoyancy or water currents, the pipe may be anchored by means of piles, plates or boxes containing sufficient sand (hereinafter referred to as anchoring means) 50, as shown in Fig. 6.

Figs. 7 and 8 show sectional views of cases where light under-water pipes 11, which are modifications of the pipe 1, are laid by means of anchoring means.

Fig. 9 shows a case in which a light pipe 11 is placed on an assembly of floating members 2 (for instance water-proof pipes each of which has an adequate diameter and is pro- vided with holes at the opposite ends or in some cases wooden or bamboo members, hereinafter referred to as a buoy which are anchored by anchoring means 50 and tensile members 5.

The buoy 2 may be reinforced with reinforcing members extending in a direction normal to the line. Further, reinforcing members in the horizontal direction and in the direction of the line may be provided.

The reinforcing members in these three 2 GB 2 150 094A 2 directions also serve to hold the elements of the buoy assembly 2 in position together with bolts.

Further, it is possible to mount a pipe 11 on the underside of the buoy 2. In this case, neither anchoring means 50 nor tensile members 5 are used, but the horizontal position of the line is determined by horizontal reinforcing members.

The pipe 11 is provided with an underwater wing 15, which acts as vibration-proof device for the pipe 11 together with a spring 65 provided between a pressure-resisting unit 6, which mounts the pipe 11 on the buoy 2, and the pipe 11 in Fig. 11.

The lines of the evacuated railroad described above may be laid on or in waters such as seas, large rivers and lakes.

As has been shown, according to the inven- tion a line can be laid in a place where there are no wave forces, no high water pressure or no earth pressure. Also the operation of laying a line is comparatively simple. Further, it is possible to protect traffic from various marine accidents and also reduce the construction cost.

When a car 7 is run at a high speed through a pipe in which there is fluid, as shown in Fig. 11, a large resistance is offered by the fluid. Therefore, it is necessary to exhaust fluid ahead of the car and bring about a state of substantial vacuum as indicated at 10.

As means for introducing and exhausting fluid, a pump provided in the neighbourhood of a station, for instance, may be used.

The evacuating pump is connected to a cock provided in the pipe 12. Sometimes, the entire pipe section may be held in vacuum, that is, this section contains no fluid either ahead of or behind the car. In the case of a freight car, no air is needed inside the car. Further, sometimes loading and unloading may be carried out without need of workers or air.

Designated at 3 are two rails.

In the case of a passenger car, air is necessary inside the car 7 and at the passenger entrance/exit. Of course an air conditioning system and air and water tanks should be provided in the passenger car.

Air 71 may be introduced from the atmosphere, and may be admitted into the car from an air pipe having a cock provided in the pipe 12, by opening the cock.

Generally, in each section the vacuum pipe and air pipe may be provided adjacent to one another. Further, it is possible to use a cock having a common rod to open a vacuum port and an air port in perpendicular directions.

With this means it is possible to arrangve that the cacuum valve is held closed whenever air is being issued and no air is issued whenever the vacuum valve is held open.

Further, a communication line and power fine 130 are generally installed in the pipe 12.

Fig. 12 shows a horizontal sectional view of the pipe 12 in the case when the entrance/exit 76 of a car 7 which is stationary is opened. When a platform door 2.6 or a car door 7.6 is opened, air 71 is admitted into the entrance/exit 76. These doors may be sliding doors as shown in Fig. 12 or hinged doors. Designated at 5.2 and 5.8 are resilient seals which are provided on the opposite sides of the entrance/exit 76 at upper and lower, left and right positions. These seals serve to shut off air 71 when the doors are closed.

Designated at 5.7 are resilient seals pro- vided in the pipe or on the opposite sides of the entrance/exit 76 of the car 7 at upper and lower, left and right positions to shut off air 71.

Sometimes, the section of the line in front of the car 7 may be held in vacuum while air may be introduced into the section ast the rear of the car 7 to utilize the difference in air pressure for propelling the car.

In this case, a rear-end collision of the car can be alleviated or prevented with an increase of air pressure.

To make full use of this advantage, resilient seals 75 are provided in the pipe or on the upper and lower sides of the car 7 at upper and lower positions.

It may be sometimes necessary to introduce compressed air from a compressed air pipe into the pipe 12 at the rear end of a car running at a high speed.

The pipeline for the compressed air may be the usual line or a loop fine or a switch-back line. The introduced air is received by a resilient seal 75 provided at a point on the rear side of the car.

Fig. 13 shows an example of the resilient seal 75 which may be expanded by compressed air 71. Fig. 14 shows a water-proof door which also serves as a resilient seal. Further, it is possible to adopt a resilient seal 75 which is constituted by the pipe and car in Fig. 12.

In one application, the line may be filled with air in cases when the interval between adjacent cars is short, for instance several minutes, while the line is held in vacuum in cases when the interval between adjacent cars is sufficiently long, for instance several tens of minutes, so that there is no possibility of a rear-end collision.

In this case, power consumption by the car may be reduced.

For the maintenance of the line and also for repair in case of an accident, it may be necessary to have working cars, which have front and rear entrance/exits and carry batteries, vacuum suits, diving suits, repair tools, oxygen bombs, compressed air tanks and water tanks, and also it may be necessary to practice training for inspection, maintenance and repair.

3 GB 2 150 094A 3 If a great quantity of water leaks into the pipelines 1, 11, 12, this is again detected as a result of short-circuit between the two rails or from a current detector to produce a stop signal. After all the moving objects have retreated so that there is no moving object in the pipeline, retaining locks of water-proof doors provided in the pipelines 1, 11, 12 are unlocked by electromagnetic or other means to shut off air or water. The water-proof door is adapted such that it is automatically closed by spring force when the lock is unlocked. In this case, an operating team clad with diving suits may go to the leaking spot by opening small emergency doors provided in successive water-proof doors and close the leaking portion, and after the completion of the repair work water in the pipeline is drained out.

To drain out water, the vacuum pipe may be utilized. Accordingly, the inlet of the va- cuum pipe is located at a level lower than the floor of the line.

Claims (4)

1. CLAIMS 25 1. An evacuated railroad comprising a pipeline capable of

   introducing and exhausting air or water to and from a section in which a car is run at a high speed.
2. 2. A railroad according to claim 1, wherein a section in front of a car in the pipeline can be evacuated and a section behind the car can be filled with air.
3. 3. A railroad according to claim 1, which further comprises a plurality of air- or water- tight doors provided at a suitable interval in the pipeline, said doors being each provided with a working door openable and closeable by a man clad with a vacuum suit or diving suit.
4. 4. An evacuated railroad according to claim 1 substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

   Printed in the United Kingdom for Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Dd 8818935. 1985, 4235Published at The Patent Office. 25 Southampton Buildings. London, WC2A lAY, from which copies may be obtained-