CONCEPTUAL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF THE TRACKED MAGNETICALLY LEVITATED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM (TMLV) - REPULSION SCHEME; EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report is an Executive Summary of FRA report OR&D-75-21 which summarizes studies to establish the technology of repulsion magnetic suspension for ultimate use in a passenger carrying high speed ground transportation (HSGT) system - at speeds on the order of 134m/s (300 mph). A baseline revenue system is described in terms of vehicle/guideway configuration, system performance and cost. Levitation and guidance is provided by eight superconducting magnets. The magnetic fields interact with a pair of L-shaped aluminum guideway elements. Propulsion alternatives are discussed but this is the area where much work remains to be done to provide adequate performance and cost data for a final selection. This technology, designed to free ground transportation from the speed and noise limitations imposed by steel wheel on steel rail, will make possible the short trip times of planes with the huge capacity of trains. Both speed and capacity are essential to meet the demonstrated demand for rapid travel in the nation's congested corridors.

• Record URL:
  • https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/conceptual-design-and-analysis-tracked-magnetically-levitated-vehicle-technology-program-4
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsorship was from Federal Railroad Administration, DOT.
• Corporate Authors:

  Ford Motor Company

  Research Staff, 23400 Michigan Avenue
  Dearborn, MI  United States  48124

  Philco - Ford Corporation

  Ford Road
  Newport Beach, CA  United States  92663

  Federal Railroad Administration

  Office of Research and Development, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1975-2

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 22 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: High speed ground transportation; High speed vehicles; Intelligent transportation systems; Magnetic levitation; Ride quality; Vehicle dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Advanced systems
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00129155
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Railroad Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FRA-OR&D 75-21C Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FR-40024
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 19 1976 12:00AM