US20020121217A1

US20020121217A1 - Saddlebag monorail car

Info

Publication number: US20020121217A1
Application number: US10/063,291
Authority: US
Inventors: Larry Bowlus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-04-09
Filing date: 2002-04-09
Publication date: 2002-09-05

Abstract

The preferred embodiment of the invention described here is the saddlebag form factor. It is very strong & stable and can be applied to the ALWEG monorail car configuration producing improved stability, safety and load carrying capacities. The essence's of my new car design is that the payload being transported is placed well below the top surface of the rail beam. This place's the center of gravity far below the balance plane that is formed at the interface of the wheels and the top flat surface of the monorail beam.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

The International Monorail Society, states there are three major categories of monorail systems, these are Straddle, Suspended and Hybrid. We are concerned with a sub-category of straddle called ALWEG. ALWEG type designs are the oldest and most recognizable form of classical monorail such as those seen at theme parks. They all share the same design characteristics such as wheeled assemblies (trucks) to support the rail car on the top of the rail beams usually with rubber tires. Also the main body the rail car which carries the payload of passengers & freight rides above the rail on top flat surface. From an engineering standpoint the main objective is to prevent the rail car from falling off of the rail beam. This is accomplished by the use of guide wheels that roll on the side of the rail beam. The guide wheels have a dual function, they guide the rail car alone the rail beam and they also prevent the rail car from off of the rail beam. This balancing act of engineering has its price, it limit the size of the payload and the speed of the monorail train. A problem we will correct with our present invention described here. In recent years, interest in monorails as a solution many twentieth century mass transportation problems has grown. Their is interest in augmenting the national highway system and the integration of new technologies into the current national transportation system. Many engineers are turning toward systems for the answer to their problems because these systems have many built in benefits. One of these benefits is a small footprint, this means it requires a fraction of the ground area to supply its function, as would be required by a roadbed. This is a positive aspect when trying to purchasing land for a transportation project through a crowded city region or through a pristine wilderness area. Also these systems have impact on the surrounding environment. What is needed is a new breed of monorail system that can fill the demands of future transportation, a safe and reliable system that can carry a large payload allowing it to financially compete with all other forms of transportation. One of the innovating aspects of the presented invention is, it is scalable to almost any capacity. It can be a light-weight very fast rail system or heavy-freight slower system and the basic design is the same. Of all the categories of monorail systems the ALWEG type is the simplest to build and engineer, however, the limits of speed and payload have limited its wide spread deployment. Our design will remove the limitations and usher in a new wave of ALWEG projects. Anyone familiar with the art and science of monorails has an appreciation for the level of complexity used by these systems. Those same people will appreciate the simplicity of our system, especially in light of the scalability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 101 is a frontal cut away view of the basic form factor of a saddlebag monorail car. Clearly illustrated is the low center of gravity, which is the essence of our design invention. I offer several models of cars & coaches as examples; however, this basic form factor (or shape) is not limited to these. It is easy to project how a fuel tanker would look or a log-carrying car for the timber industry. [0002]
FIG. 102 is a frontal cut away view of the basic form factor of a saddlebag monorail car. Clearly illustrated is a passenger coach, which show one example arrangement people and freight carried in this car, the passengers are facing outward for a full view of the scenery and there are several large compartments for storage. The compartment will extend for the total length of the car. [0003]
FIG. 104 The wishbone like frame components or ribs that would make up the of the super structure of the rail car can be scaled upward, by making the ribs therefore stronger they'll be able to support almost any type payload. This simple straightforward change demonstrates the versatility of this design. [0004]
FIG. 103 is an isometric view of an example of a coach passenger car. In this view the strength of the design is clearly seen, a low center of gravity for stability and It is hard to conceive of a situation where the saddlebag car could ever derail. Our example presented here is about sixty feet long, therefore the storage areas are basically sixty feet long demonstrating that large & long items could be placed their. [0005]
FIG. 105 is a side cut away view of the basic form factor of a saddlebag monorail Clearly illustrated is the mechanical room which is located above the main rail surface and between the trucks, in this mechanical room space their will be propulsion units, braking units and fuel tanks. To power this rail car we could use gas motors, diesel motors, electric motors and any combination thereof. The length of a saddlebag rail is scalable and can easily stretch out to one hundred feet. [0006]
FIG. 106 is a frontal cut away view of the basic truck (wheeled assembly) that support the car body, at least one truck at each end of said car. Shown here is the arrangement for the guide wheels that are perpendicular to the main tire, these wheels roll on both sides of the rail beam and stabilize or dampen any swaying from side to side. By comparison to a conventional ALWEG designed monorail car the wheels play a different role, their role is to keep the rail car from falling off of the beam. The stresses and strains are the result the payload being above the top rolling surface of the rail beam. With our form factor it is hard to conceive of a situation a rail car could fall off of the rail beam. A note on the trucks that can be used here, existing ALWEG style of standard trucks can easily be used with very little[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The preferred embodiment of the invention described here is the saddlebag form factor FIG. 101. It is very stable and can be applied to the ALWEG monorail car configuration producing cars & coaches with improved stability, safety and load carrying capacities. The essences of my new design is simple but powerful, the being transported is placed well below the top surface of the rail beam. These arrangements place the center of gravity far below the balance plane that is formed at the interface of the wheels and the top flat surface of the rail beam. The building of saddlebag rail car and the loading of passengers & freight is done in a balanced way. Also there is the arrangement of the guide wheels that are perpendicular to the main tire, these guide wheels roll on both sides of the rail beam and stabilize or dampen swaying from side to side. By comparison to a conventional ALWEG designed monorail car the guide wheels play a different role, their role is to keep the rail car from falling off of the rail beam. In conventional ALWEG rail systems tremendous stress are placed on these guide wheels, the result of the payload being above the top rolling surface of the rail beam. With our saddlebag form factor it is hard to conceive of a situation a rail car could fall off of the rail beam. A note on the trucks that can be used here, existing ALWEG style of standard trucks (wheeled support assemblies) can easily be used with very little modification. Also with the placement of the power plants, fuel tanks, braking units and trucks at the very top of the rail car above the rail beam FIG. 104, the lower portion of the rail car is removed from the mechanical noise. The passengers will enjoy a quite ride. The uses of rubber tires are excellent for reducing noise from infiltrating into the passenger cabin compartment and from radiating to surrounding countryside. [0008]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A superior design of ALWEG style monorail cars, to follow the form factor of a saddlebag, due to the saddlebag design a low center of gravity is with respect to the payload carried, the payload can be passengers or any kind freight including raw materials.

2. Increased load capacity is a result of the saddlebag form factor, because this shape is scalable, the limitations in older conventional ALWEG designed cars the result of trying to balance many tons on top of a rail beam.

3. Increased safety is a result of the saddlebag form factor due to the very low center of gravity, even at high speeds, it is hard to conceive of a situation saddlebag car could fall off of a rail beam.