What Is the Hyperloop?
In 2013, Elon Musk first made his idea of the Hyperloop public.
The Hyperloop is similar to the small vacuum tubes that can be found at banks and retail stores that are often used to move money quickly in sealed containers.
Now the concept is to make the tubes and capsules much larger in order to carry passengers and maybe even other vehicles.
Instead of using just air pressure alone to move, the Hyperloop will have similar technology to bullet trains that use magnets to propel themselves forward. The tube that the Hyperloop will travel through will have some of the air pumped out of it. This will allow the capsule to travel through much more easily without having to deal with a significant amount of air pressure.
The air that is left over in the tube will be pushed downward to create a cushion of air underneath the capsule. It works like an air hockey puck to glide effortlessly. If we take a step back, this type of travel eliminates friction everywhere. There’s very little friction due to air in the tube, and there’s almost no friction along the bottom of the capsule.
Because the Hyperloop has an extreme lack of friction means that it can move extremely quickly, and be incredibly energy efficient.
You might be wondering how quickly it can move. Well, estimates put it at 760 miles per hour (1200km/hr). That’s insanely fast, we’re talking Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 35 minutes, (That's normally a 6 hour car drive, or 1 hour flight!).
Article via Scientific American
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-the-hyperloop/
Reference:
http://m.gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/watch-hyperloop-team-arrives-in-dubai-1.1905788
#hyperloop #scitech #engineering #science
I could see this as a practical way to move cargo.....a positive effect would be to reduce the number of semi trucks on the road networks. Could reduce smog/fuel consumption/traffic jams.
ReplyDeleteDuring my childhood, I began writing some science fiction story – in which such vacuum rail, with magnet drive, was an important motif. It is a pity, that it was never finished... :-(
ReplyDeleteI've heard that one of the biggest risks is what could happen if the tube were punctured. Hopefully they make those things pretty damn tough.
ReplyDeleteAntenna Wilde but given the internal pressure created by the vacuum, couldn't that be an explosive force? I wish I remember where I read the explanation of that, but it was a few months ago, and I didn't save the link, sorry.
ReplyDeleteThis is not exactly the case, but it shows what can happen in the case of weakening the shell: https://youtu.be/E5pljUJ6b1k
ReplyDeleteBut it can be build as a multilayer structure - with several walls of different pressure spaces therebetween.
Antenna Wilde I think that I kind of understand that, but I'll probably have to read it again later to be sure. Thank you for taking the time to explain. We obviously don't cover a lot of aerodynamics in dental school. :-D
ReplyDelete