DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR TRACKED AIR CUSHION VEHICLE GUIDEWAYS

The design of guideways as "roadways" for air cushion vehicle operation must draw heavily on the accumulated theoretical and practical experience from highway, airport and railroad design. However, this experience must be applied rationally and supplemented or replaced by new theory where it does not satisfy the physical realities of the new vehicle/guideway system. A few of the new conditions requiring rational solutions are: the controlling requirement of a successful guideway is ability to retain a very smooth surface satisfying a stringent surface variation tolerance for long wave lengths with some acceptable level of maintenance; The "footprint" or loaded area on the pavement is much larger than for highway or airport pavements, but exerts much lower pressures; Both local surface and long wave length roughness impose unusually stringent requirements on pavement contractors; The close vertical profile tolerances necessitate greater consideration of potential volume change within the subgrade or foundation soils. The fact that new concepts of design are required offers opportunity for and a responsibility to consider the guideway system in terms of redefined concepts of failure and performance and within the framework of an overall guideway management system. The design procedure must view initial design, construction, construction control and maintenance as interrelated phases of the guideway system to be simultaneously considered in order to arrive at an optimum design.

• Corporate Authors:

  International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems

  Box 4824, Duke Station
  Durham, NC  United States  27706

  Planning Transport Associates, Incorporated

  P.O. Box 4824, Duke Station
  Durham, NC  United States  27706
• Authors:
  • Rauhut, J B
  • McCullough, B F
• Publication Date: 1975-3

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 375-382
• Serial:
  • High Speed Ground Transportation Journal
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Design; Energy; Guideways; Pavements; Subgrade (Pavements); Surface course (Pavements); Texture; Tracked air cushion vehicles; Wavelength
• Uncontrolled Terms: Design criteria
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Highways; Pavements; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00097713
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 13 1975 12:00AM