Further Research into Different Safety Mechanisms

A major concern many people will probably have upon seeing the Automated Transit Network (ATN) is "What if something breaks? Will the cabin fall?".  While the current design of the bogie mechanism lacks a fail safe mechanism, studying other safety systems could provide the team with insight on how to approach the problem.

I started by reading about the differences between supported and hanging vehicles off a report found in the INIST Library. The report discussed how it is better to focus on the one-way guide-way system due to having half the amount of bulk as a two-way guide-way which means the cost is lower.  For the supported-vehicle system, super-elevation in curves reduces the curve radii. Super-elevation is the defined as the difference in which the outer edge of a curve is banked above the inner edge in reference to roads or railroads.  The hanging-vehicle system has more freedom to swing which would eliminate the need for super-elevation.  The hanging-vehicle system is less complex and cheaper because it does not need the super-elevation.

A safety measure used for elevators is a hydraulic or gas spring buffer found at the bottom to help reduce the impact. Another safety measure found while digging could be borrowed from the trains. I came across an article where they reported people dying due to a train traveling at high speeds and derailing. The technology used is called positive train control (PTC) which uses digital airwaves and GPS to detect curves and slow down the vehicle accordingly to help prevent more derailment issues. This technology also prevents collisions and helps control the speed of the vehicle in required areas.

The diagram above shows how the train control system would operate. The center of this system that allows the information to be exchanged is the Radio Network which enables the on-board PTC systems, wayside interfacing unit and the PTC Back Office server to communicate.  The Wayside Interfacing Unit helps monitor the overall status of the train and reports back to the office servers. And the on-board system provides more control over the vehicle by controlling the speed and braking  with a stronger communication system. The sharing of information makes this system efficient and and able to prevent accidents.  This technology would be great to incorporate into the Spartan Superway because it has yet to have these kind of features.

Works Cited:

Anderson, J.E. "Tradeoff between Internal Combustion Engined Vehicles and Electric Vehicles in Hong Kong." (n.d.): n. pag. INIST Library. Web.

Glenza, Jessica. "Amtrak Crash: Safety Mechanism to Slow Speeding Trains Was Close to Operational." Theguardian. N.p., n.d. Web.

"Positive Train Control (PTC)." Tech Mahindra. N.p., n.d. Web.