JPH0436201B2 - - Google Patents

Abstract

The guideway is comprised of upper horizontal stringers (20, 22), lower horizontal stringers (24, 26) vertically oriented diagonal members (30, 32) affixed to the upper and lower horizontal stringers (20, 22 and 24, 26) and horizontally oriented diagonal members (34) are affixed between the lower horizontal stringers (24 and 26). These features present a guideway having an upwardly extending U-shape construction which can be supplied with wheel supporting channels (38), upper support channels (35) and the entire structure can be reinforced by ribs (60) and enclosed by a cover (50).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle support guideways, and more particularly to the field of vehicle support guideways, and more particularly to U-
The present invention relates to a guideway having an upwardly opening cross-section.

<Prior Art> The present invention was made on January 10, 1983 under the name of Swiss Mechanism.
Relates to the invention of co-pending application No. 456860 filed on

With the increasing cost of fuel and the cost of constructing roads that utilize automobile-type surfaces, the need for fuel-efficient and economical high-speed transportation has increased. Today's forms of mass transit include surface-based bus and rail systems, subways, elevated trains, and others. All of these systems are intended for moving large numbers of people in large vehicles.

As a result, the vehicle must stop at numerous stations to allow passengers to board and alight as desired. Therefore, the effective average speed of a vehicle is reduced by constant stops and departures, and most passengers travel in large numbers between the point where they board the vehicle and the destination to which they are going. You will encounter outages.

Personal rapid transit systems are problematic because each vehicle carries a very small number of passengers who wish to go to the same destination, and each vehicle passes through all intermediate stops. Eliminate some of the points. Therefore, the average speed of the vehicle can be significantly increased even though its maximum speed remains the same, and the delays associated with stopping at intermediate points are eliminated. Although the advantages of this design are well known to those skilled in the art, the prior art does not provide a guideway system or guideway equipment construction that is economical to construct and durable enough for practical use. can't see it.

General basic information about transportation systems can be found in the Journal of Advanced Transportation.
Transportation), especially its Volume 15, No. 2 (1981
Summer issue), Day of Lexington, Mass. Fundamentals of Personal Rapid Transit by Jack H. Irving, ph.D., published in 1978 by DCHeathand Co.
It can be found in particular in Volume 22, No. 8 (published October 1980) of the magazine Environmemento, which contains a section entitled Personal Rapid Transit, and Personal Rapid Transit. Other information on this subject was published at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, in Spring 1972 and February 1974.
Books published in May and June 1976 respectively,
Personal Rapid Transit Volumes 1, 2 and 3 (Personal Rapjd Transit, and)
can be found within.

Eliminating the need for vehicles to stop at all intermediate points generally requires that all stops be located at roadside stops or on sidings off the main tracks, so that stopped vehicles does not impede the passengers of passing vehicles. The construction of tracks or guideways for systems of this type is therefore attractive.

The structure of guideway equipment supported above ground offers several advantages over track equipment located either above or below ground. Underground systems present the obvious drawback of requiring the provision of tunnels or other expensive rights of way. Above-ground tracks also require substantial site grading and right-of-way provision, and can transmit harmful vibrations to nearby structures and people. Grade level tracks are also dangerous to intersecting traffic and require crossing gates and safety lights. A raised or elevated guideway above ground level offers clear advantages. However, the construction of elevated guideways suitable for use with personal rapid transit facilities remains a challenge.

The problems associated with elevated systems for guideway installations having multiple siding stops are numerous and include problems with harmonic vibrations of the guideway as vehicles pass along its length. Guideway structures that are strong and light enough to support large numbers of individual vehicles passing at moderate or high speeds create significant vibration problems. Attenuating the frequency of harmonic vibrations requires increasing the mass of the guideway, which further complicates the vibration problem and increases the cost of the guideway.

It is desirable to construct guideways in prefabricated condition to save manufacturing and installation costs. Typically, prefabricated guideways suffer from not having the ability to resist vibrations. This problem is addressed by typical constructions in which the guideway supporting struts are placed below each guideway section, so that the point of support for each guideway section is the same as the point of attachment to the adjacent guideway section. It gets even worse. Due to the construction of such a design, the center of each guideway section vibrates the guideway support column, which acts as a resting point for the vibration waves along the length of the guideway.

Guideway vibrations create a variety of problems, including the need for reinforcement or reinforcing structures along the guideway;
This increases the weight and cost of the guideway. If the weight of the guideway is increased, the magnitude of the vibrations will also be increased, thereby exacerbating the problem. In addition, vibrations in the guideway greatly reduce the ride comfort within the vehicle and accelerate damage to the guideway itself caused by bending. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,703, issued Dec. 28, 1965, discloses an apparatus having a plurality of beams whose ends are attached to support columns. This type of device includes a dart-like device that governs the transmission of forces between adjacent beams.

Since the success of a rapid transit system depends directly on its reliability, its ride quality lies in the system's function and structure, and the elimination of vibration and its associated problems is economically possible and practicable. There is an urgent need for the construction of transportation systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A transportation system or facility for use with wheeled vehicles for transporting passengers along a raised or elevated guideway supporting the vehicle is disclosed. The guideway includes a plurality of guideway sections connected in an end-to-end relationship. Each guideway section has a pair of upper horizontal ridges arranged parallel to each other. These upper horizontal rungs generally define the width of the guideway and are positioned above the pair of lower horizontal rungs and parallel to the lower horizontal rungs. The four beams extend the entire length of the guideway. A plurality of vertically oriented diagonal members are attached to each of the upper and lower horizontal struts, with the diagonal members disposed in the vertical plane between each pair of horizontal struts. A plurality of horizontally oriented diagonal members are attached to the lower horizontal vertical beams to connect the horizontal vertical beams, so that both sides and the bottom surface connected by the plurality of diagonal members are generally used for guideways. It forms a U-shaped profile that extends upward.

The guideway has a plurality of guideway support struts, and one
One book at a time is placed below each guideway section. The guideway further has a U-shaped reinforcing rib and an all-weather cover that aesthetically covers the guideway. The guideway sections are joined with expansion joints in an end-to-end relationship at their connection points, the connection points being among the points of zero bending moment in the guideway between adjacent support struts. substantially located in one of the

Embodiments The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the system or equipment of the present invention. Identical components in each drawing are designated by the same numbers. FIG. 1 shows a guideway 10 supporting a vehicle 12 and having a track section 14. As shown in FIG. The track section 14 is held above the ground by a plurality of struts 16, with support brackets being provided between the track section 14 and the struts 16.

Vehicle 12 has a main body portion and a bogie portion. The bogie runs substantially inside the guideway on a plurality of wheels, and the vehicle is driven by a plurality of linear induction motors mounted on the vehicle. Vehicle details are not shown.

The structure shown in FIG. 1 represents a transport system, ie a transport installation, used with a wheeled vehicle 12 supported on a guideway 10. The guide path 10 has a U-shaped cross section that opens upward (for example, see FIG. 7).
forming a generally open trough with a
The guideway consists of a number of guideway sections 40 fixed end to end in relation to form a continuous guideway.
Each guideway section is supported by a guideway support column 16. Expandable joints 42 are located at substantially zero bending moment points inside the guideway. Static mechanics define the point of zero bending moment for a uniformly loaded beam gripped at both ends as a point approximately 21% of the total length of the beam inward from each end of the beam. In other words, the points of zero bending moment are at about 21% and about 79% of the uniformly loaded beam length.

As shown in FIG. 7, the guideway consists of a pair of upper horizontal ridges 20, 22 arranged parallel to each other and generally defining the width of the guideway 10. A pair of lower horizontal elongates 24, 26 are parallel to each other and the upper horizontal elongates 20, 22, respectively.
It is placed below and parallel to the upper horizontal beam. a plurality of diagonal members 30 oriented diagonally in a vertical plane;
32 is an upper horizontal vertical bar 2 as shown in FIG.
0 and the lower horizontal vertical ridge 24, or the upper horizontal ridge 22 and the lower horizontal vertical ridge 26 in a triangular shape. A plurality of diagonal members 34 oriented diagonally in the horizontal plane are secured to join each of the lower horizontal struts 24, 26 to form a diamond shape. In this way, the guideway 10 is defined as a generally upwardly extending U-shaped structure;
The structure has an upper horizontal ridge 22 and a lower horizontal ridge 26 as one vertical leg of the U-shape and vertical diagonal members 30, 32 therebetween. Lower horizontal vertical beams 26, 24 and horizontal diagonal member 3 between them
4 defines the bottom of the U-shape, and the upper horizontal ridge 20 and lower horizontal ridge 24 and the vertical diagonal members 30, 32 therebetween define the second vertical leg of the U-shape.

A pair of main wheel support channels 38 made of right-angled L-shaped members are fixed to the guideway on horizontal diagonal members 34. The support channel 38 is generally between the vertical diagonal members 30, 32 and is adjustable both horizontally and vertically inside the U-shaped guideway.

The support channel 38 is adjustable by means of adjustment bolts or shims 39 located between the support channel 38 and the guideway 10. These adjustment bolts or jambs 39 are connected to the main support channel 38.
along the horizontal diagonal member 34 and vertical diagonal member 3 below the support channel 38 to make contact with the
placed on the inner surface of 0,32. These bolts or jambs 39 provide a means for adjusting the relative position of the main wheel support channel above the horizontal diagonal members and between the vertical diagonal members. In this way, sufficient adjustment of the support channels 38 of the guideway 18 to be able to maintain a perfectly aligned vehicle transport support track formed by the support channels 38 is costly, time-consuming and difficult to guide. This can be done without the difficulty of aligning the channels themselves when replacing them. The guideway is also provided with a plurality of upper support channels 35 which stabilize the vehicle as it passes through the guideway.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guideway structure consists of a plurality of guideway sections 40, each having a substantially uniform length. Guide path part 4
0 is a junction point 42 to form a continuous guideway.
It is installed with the ends abutting each other. The guideway section 40 itself is provided high above the ground at a desired distance. This high position is supported by multiple support columns 1
This is achieved by 6. Each of the support struts 16 is mounted below a respective guideway section 40. Expandable joint 42 is near the zero bending moment point of the guideway.

upper vertical beams 20, 22 and lower vertical beams 24,
26 is additionally increased in stiffness by the use of a plurality of reinforcing ribs 60 spaced along the length of each guideway section 40. A plurality of reinforcing ribs 60 are connected to each of the plurality of longitudinal beams extending along the length of the guideway section and are also attached to the vertical diagonal member 32. The plurality of reinforcing ribs 60 provide torsional stiffness to the guideway, thereby increasing the natural frequency of vibration of the guideway due to torsional action. The resistance to side wind loads and unevenly loaded vehicles is thus increased.

Vertical diagonal member 3 with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 60 held in compression within respective guideway sections 40
2 to strengthen its rigidity. The other vertical diagonal member 30 is kept under tension within the guideway. Of course, the weight of the guide section itself provides a force along the truss structure of the guideway section 40. These forces keep the vertical diagonal member 30 under tension so that the tensile force
0 and a biasing force is applied along the diagonal member 32 keeping the vertical diagonal member 32 under compression. By placing a plurality of reinforcing ribs 60 across the substantially central portion of vertical diagonal member 32, the resistance of diagonal member 32 to buckling is increased by a factor of four. The resistance to buckling of a member under compression is increased by a factor of 4 as the length of the member is reduced by a factor of 2. Thus, clearly greater strength is added to the guideway section 40 without increasing the weight of the beam by arranging the vertical diagonal members under compression to intersect and increase their stiffness.

As shown in FIG. 7, the reinforcing rib 60 itself has a generally U-shape and the size and shape of the guideway defined by the upper and lower ridges 20, 22, 24, 26. It comprises an inner channel 62 which is tightly fitted. Reinforced rib 60
It also has a generally U-shaped outer channel 64. The outer channel is joined at its free end to the free end of the inner channel 62. The outer channel 64 is slightly longer than the inner channel and is spaced apart from each other along its length except near the free ends of the inner channel 62 and the outer channel 64, respectively. A rigid bar or plate 66 is provided between the inner channel 62 and the outer channel 64, the rigid bar or plate 66 forming a plurality of alternating triangular shaped openings between the two channels. and is attached to the inner channel 62 and the outer channel 64. This design provides reinforcing ribs 60 with a guideway with sufficient torsional resistance.

A guideway constructed with a design as described above provides a guideway with the lightest overall weight for its low carrying capacity. A light guideway weight with a large load carrying capacity has the benefit of providing a guideway with a high natural frequency of vibration sufficient to allow adequate vehicle speeds. For example, guideways constructed from heavy materials have been found to have a natural frequency of vibration of one cycle per second. Assuming a guideway section length of 60 feet or 12 meters, a vehicle speed of only 12 meters per second is sufficient to cause severe vibration problems. These problems arise because the natural vibrations of the guideway are amplified by the vehicle passing over the guideway at a speed corresponding to the natural vibration frequency, ie one guideway section per second. This problem is further compounded by guideway designs that place support struts only below the joints of adjacent guideway sections.

Guideways with very high natural vibration frequencies (e.g. open truss designs supported by struts and with expansion joints between the guideways near the point of zero bending moment of the guideway) are
Vehicles moving at greater speeds can be supported without vibration problems. Vibration problems result in guideway damage due to flexing and bending, and more importantly, reduce ride comfort for passengers as they are exposed to vertical acceleration in response to guideway vibrations. . In addition, a guideway constructed with a design such as that described above is economical with respect to its production and maintenance.

The guideway itself is substantially surrounded by a cover 50 having a first half 52 and a second half 54 (see FIGS. 1 and 7). The two halves of this cover are hinged to reinforcing ribs 60 along the length of guideway 10. Cover halves 52 and 54 are hinged to the bottom of outer channel 64 of reinforcing rib 60 at hinge 70 . These two hinges 70 are placed slightly offset from the center of the outer channel. Cover halves 52 and 54 have pin mounting locations 72
and are attached by pins or other means to the tops of the upwardly extending portions 20 and 22, respectively. The cooperation of pin fastening 72 and hinge 70 allows the cover to be folded down for easy access to guideway section 40 for maintenance work or the like. This cover half 52 and 5
4 is reinforced by reinforcing ribs 55 (see FIG. 8) which provide strength for the attachment of hinges 70 and pins 72. The reinforcing rib 55 has a T-shaped cross section.
The cover 50 is subsectioned, ie it is composed of a number of small sections extending over a length approximately corresponding to the span between three reinforcing ribs 60. In this way, the cover halves are of a manageable size and provide convenient access to the guideway.

It should be noted that the cover 50 substantially surrounds the guideway but is provided with an upper slit 58 and a lower slit 59. Upper slit 58 provides a continuous opening extending the length of the guideway for the passage of supported vehicles. The lower slits 59 allow rainwater, snow, debris and other materials that accumulate within the guideway to be directed out of the guideway. Cover 50 reduces the amount of such materials that accumulate within the guideway. In addition, the cover improves the aesthetic appearance of the guideway structure. The cover also protects the guideway from light rays that would damage the guideway's electrical wiring used to drive and control the vehicle 12. Additionally, the cover 50 protects the guideway support channel 38 and power rail from nighttime weather conditions that can form frost on exposed surfaces during cold weather. The cover 50 also serves as a containment member against fires occurring inside the guideway and further protects the environment from electromagnetic disturbances generated by the entire system.

5 and 6, two guideway sections 4 are shown.
0 is shown in an end-to-end relationship with an expandable joint 42 between them. The expansion type joint 42 is connected to the vertical extensions 20, 2 of the guideway portion 40.
4 fixed to each end of 2, 24, 26
It has a cylinder 82 filled with several fluids. This cylinder 82 serves to dampen the transmission of vibrations from one guideway section to an adjacent guideway section.
It is expected that cylinder 82 will be filled with heavy grease or other viscous fluid. Cylinder 82 acts as a "shock absorber" and absorbs low frequency vibrations and transmitted high frequency vibrations.

In practice, the expansion joint 42 allows for thermal expansion within the guideway without affecting the ride quality or smoothness of the guideway.

The expansion type joint 42 further extends upwardly.
0, 22 and lower beams 24, 26 and has an end plate 84 for stabilizing each beam. Another embodiment of an expandable joint 80 is shown in FIG. A support channel 38 is provided to provide a smooth vehicle trajectory beyond the expansion joint 42.
are provided with support channel fingers 37 attached to the ends of support channels 38. The plurality of support channel fingers 37 are assembled in such a way that a smooth and continuous surface is provided for vehicle travel on the guideway when the plurality of support channel portions 40 are extended or retracted. Placed. Similar fingers (not shown) are located in the upper support channel 35. A smooth joint is created by locating the expandable joint at substantially the point of zero curvature, or zero bending moment, within the guideway.

9, 10 and 11 show the support strut 16 and the support bracket 1 on the guideway 10.
8 design and its arrangement are shown. The support bracket 18 is generally placed in a plane parallel to the guideway.
It has a shaped member 90. A sleeve 92 is provided to fit over the plurality of posts 16. A large number of reinforcing fin members 94 support the support bracket 1.
X-shaped member 90 and sleeve 9 to strengthen
2. The bracket itself is attached to the lower uprights 24 and 26 with a plurality of bolts 96 or the like.

Support bracket 18 and support post 16 are positioned along the length of the guideway section such that support post 16 is centered below the diamond-shaped opening formed by horizontal diagonal member 34. It should be noted that (see Figure 10). This positioning is important for understanding how the guideways are arranged as described below.

A preferred method for installing the guideway includes prefabricating the main components, including a plurality of support struts 16, a plurality of support brackets 18, and a plurality of guideway sections 40. These components are then transported to a prepared installation site. Support struts 16 of uniform length are placed at generally uniform distances along the desired trajectory of the guideway. In this position, the support bracket 18 can be placed over the top of the support column, or the support bracket 18 can be placed over the top of the support column prior to erecting the column. Next, one pre-made guideway section 4
0 is located on the support column 16 and support bracket 18. The exact height of the guideway section above the ground can be determined by vertically adjusting the support brackets on the posts and/or by using shims or other spacing between the support brackets and the guideway section itself. It can be changed by placing parts. The guideway sections 40 generally pass through the center of a diamond-shaped opening formed by the horizontal diagonal members 34 with the support struts 16 approximately 21% of the distance from the end of the respective guideway section 40. It is arranged like this.

The guideway section 40 is then attached to the support bracket 18.
The support bracket 18 is then slid vertically over the support column 16 until the guideway section 40 is at the desired height above the ground. The support bracket 18 is then welded or otherwise secured to the support column 16, and the excess length of the support column 16 can be removed using a cutting torch or the like. The guideway sections are then connected to each other using expandable joints 42 as previously described. The plurality of guideway sections 40 are abutted end-to-end by expandable joints 82 that stabilize the ends of the guideway sections and allow the guideway sections to be fully supported along their length. Linked by relationship. In this way, a continuous and smooth vehicle support guideway is provided.

It is expected that certain materials will yield satisfactory results when used in the manufacture of the aforementioned guideways. For example, octagonal tapered steel columns are expected to be satisfactorily applicable for support struts 16, and conventional roll-rolled steel material may be satisfactorily adapted for vertical supports 20, 22, 24, and 26. It is expected to demonstrate applicability. These should be of channel construction and positioned inside the guideways as shown to prevent accumulation of moisture or snow. The outer reinforcing ribs 60 may be constructed entirely of thin stock steel, or they may be constructed of a conventional or special alloy having a channel-shaped cross-sectional area. Support channel 38 should be made from steel right angle material or other magnetically permeable rigid material. These materials should then be provided with a coating layer of aluminum along their surfaces to improve their interaction with the linear induction motor that propels the vehicle (the linear induction motor is shown in the figure). (Not done). The cover 50 may be made from aluminum, a thin silicone steel alloy, or a glass fiber reinforced material. The cover panels or cover halves 52, 54 can have reinforcing members of steel or other materials to increase their rigidity and provide a conventional anchorage point for the hinge 70 and pin 72, respectively.

Numerous features and advantages of the present invention have been illustrated along with the structure and operation of the preferred embodiment of the guideway structure. The novel features of the invention are pointed out in the claims.
The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention and does not apply to the generic use of the terms set forth in the claims with respect to size, shape, choice of material construction, etc., within the principles of the invention. The full range of changes contemplated by the broad meaning may be made in the details.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial front view of a guideway according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the end of the guideway shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial front view of the guideway structure with the cover removed. 4 is a schematic partial bottom view of the guideway shown in FIG. 3; FIG. Fifth
The figure is a schematic enlarged partial front view of the expandable joint in the guideway. 6 is a schematic bottom view of the expandable joint shown in FIG. 5. FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the portion of the expandable joint shown in FIG. 6 with the cover partially shown and the support channel located; FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial front view showing the support strut, support strut bracket and guideway. Figure 10 is line 10-10 of Figure 9.
FIG. FIG. 11 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view taken along line 11--11 of FIG. 10...Guideway, 12...Vehicle, 16...Support column, 18...Support bracket, 20, 22...
Vertical upward, 24, 26... Vertical downward, 30,
32... diagonal member (in the vertical plane), 34, 36...
...Diagonal member (in the horizontal plane), 38... Support channel, 40... Guide path portion, 42, 180... Expandable joint, 50... Cover, 55, 60...
...Reinforcement rib, 62...Inner channel, 64...
Outer channel, 70...hinge, 72...pin,
82...Cylinder, 90...X-shaped member, 92...
...Sleeve, 94...Reinforced fin member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A transportation equipment for use with a wheeled vehicle and comprising a vehicle support guideway, wherein the guideways have substantially the same length and form a continuous guideway. a pair of guideway sections having a plurality of guideway sections connected in an end-to-end relationship, each of said guideway sections being disposed parallel to each other and generally defining a width of said guideway; an upper horizontal beam, a pair of lower horizontal beams disposed parallel to each other and below said upper horizontal beam and parallel to said upper horizontal beam; A plurality of diagonal members in a vertical plane attached to the vertical beam and the lower vertical beam, and a plurality of diagonal members in a horizontal plane attached to each of the lower vertical beams and joining each of the lower vertical beams. , a plurality of reinforcing ribs having a U-shape opening downward and spaced apart from each other, the plurality of reinforcing ribs being arranged to substantially surround the vertical beams, A general method in which the plurality of vertical beams and the plurality of diagonal members extend upward, each reinforcing rib comprising an inner member, an outer member, and a bar-shaped member connecting the inner member and the outer member. defines a guideway having a U-shaped structure, and the transportation equipment has means for raising the guideway portion to a desired distance from the ground and means for joining the plurality of guideway portions. , the elevating means is disposed below the plurality of guideway sections and includes a plurality of support struts, each of the plurality of support struts extending approximately a length of the guideway section from one end of the guideway section. 21% position below each of the guideway portions, a plurality of guide portion portions are joined by the joining means between the adjacent struts, and a plurality of guide portions between the adjacent struts are connected to each other by the connecting means; Transport equipment in which at least one inflatable joint is used in the joining means. 2. The plurality of vertical diagonal members are arranged to form a triangle along the guide path, so that the plurality of vertical diagonal members are divided into a portion subjected to compression and a portion subjected to tension in the guide path portion. Claim 1, wherein U-shaped reinforcing ribs spaced longitudinally of said guideway portion are fixed substantially near the center of said vertical diagonal member undergoing compression. Transport equipment as described in section. 3. The plurality of horizontal diagonal members are arranged in a diamond shape along the guide path to form a space between the horizontal diagonal members, and the support column is positioned directly below the space through an X-shaped member. The transportation equipment according to claim 1, which is fixed to the guideway portion. 4. A pair of main axle support channels are provided between the left and right vertical diagonal members respectively attached to the pair of upper and lower horizontal beams and above the horizontal diagonal members. Transportation equipment as described in Scope 1. 5. The transportation equipment according to claim 4, further comprising means for adjusting the position of the main axle support channel on the horizontal diagonal member and means for adjusting the position between the left and right vertical diagonal members. 6. Means by which said transport equipment substantially surrounds said guideway, with the exception of an upper vehicle slit located between said upper horizontal upright and a lower drainage slit located between said lower horizontal upright; The transportation equipment according to claim 1, comprising: 7. The means for enclosing the guideway comprises a cover and means for hingedly securing the cover to reinforcing ribs fixed to the outside of the horizontal diagonal member, the upper ends of the cover being attached to pins on the left and right upper horizontal vertical beams. 7. A transport facility according to claim 6, wherein said cover is constituted by a plurality of panels which can be opened and closed individually by means of hinges, and wherein said cover is constituted by a plurality of panels which can be individually opened and closed by means of hinges. 8. A method for installing a prefabricated vehicle support guideway comprising the following steps: (a) installing a plurality of support struts of uniform length at uniform intervals along the desired trajectory of the guideway; a step of installing; (b) a pair of vehicle support lower support channels extending substantially in the longitudinal direction; and a pair of upper horizontal vertical beams extending substantially in the longitudinal direction of the guideway portion;
a pair of lower horizontal vertical beams extending in the longitudinal direction of the guideway portion and located below the upper horizontal vertical beams; a plurality of upwardly open U-shaped reinforcing ribs substantially surrounding and in spaced relation to each other along substantially the entire length of the plurality of guideway sections;
Place each of the prefabricated guideway sections at a desired height above the ground at a position approximately 21% of the length of the guideway section from one end of the guideway section along the length of said guideway section. (c) arranging the guideway portions so as to be supported below the lower horizontal beam by the positioned support columns; and cutting the support column to a desired length after attaching the guideway portion to the support column; (d) repeating steps b) and c) for the number of desired support columns (e) Attach a plurality of other guideway sections to each other in an end-to-end relationship between the guideway sections on the support struts so as to form a continuous and smooth vehicle support guideway. Step.