12. How does the calculated minimum turning radius affect the possible routes th
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12. How does the calculated minimum turning radius affect the possible routes that a hyperloop could take if it were built between LA and San Francisco?
The one about the hyperloop The Hyperloop is a proposed form of high-speed transportation that accelerates cylindrical pods that can carry up to 28 passengers in a low pressure tube at speeds of 760 mph. In a whitepaper published by Elon Musk (http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/ hyperloop-alpha.pdf), a 380 mile route between L.A. and San Francisco is discussed, and the following constraints are introduced: The route should follow existing freeways i.e. I-5) as closely as possible, the maximum acceleration should be limited to 0.5 g for rider comfort. the maximum speed should be limited to 760 mph to avoid sonic booms. By levitating the pods using either air pressure or magnetism and evacuating most of the air from the tube, the pods can be made virtually frictionless. The pods would be accelerated up to cruising speed using linear induction motors (a line of electromagnets built into the track that act on the pod going over them) For this assignment assume an empty pod has a mass of 3100 kg, and that each rider has an average mass of 65.0 kg.Explanation / Answer
Given:
Maximum velocity, V = 360 mph
Distance = 360 miles
Acceleration = 0.5 g
Then,
Acceleration, a = 0.5g = 0.5 x 9.8 = 4.905 m/s2 = 4.905 x 10-3 x 36002 = 63568.8 km/hr2 x 0.62 = 39412.66 miles/hr2
Turning radius is given by the formula, r = (V2 / a)
r = 7602 / 39412.66 = 14.65 miles ~ 15 miles
Turning radius is around 15 miles. It is a big determinant in laying out a route. So hyperloop should make large curves for taking a turn, otherwise the passengers inside will feel the spin like merry-go-round. If huge curves are not possible, the capsules should be slowed down to a degree, so that the turn could be done by considering the comfort of the passengers. So unless hyperloop plans on making huge curves or slowing down the capsules, the tracks need to be fairly straight.
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