A monobeam/guideway (beam) and electromagnetically jimmied vehicle prototype mating system having: a beam of durable, long life pre-cast reinforced concrete or similar composite infrastructure produce with mass to reduce travel sound transmissions caused by deflections in lighter weight elevated guideway support designs. The beam to vehicle mating design allows the vehicle to straddle over the beam riding along its ridge on tires while balancing on support casters making firm positive contact at critical tangent points along the beam's Nebel surfaces during intermittent non-jimmied/non-levitated periods of operation. Non-jimmied vehicle positioning is free of the wide gap tolerances of prior art. The beam and elevated support allow the vehicle to underwrap and become jimmied by attractive magnetic response of magnetic balancers which are magnets at the vehicle underwrap excited by electromagnetic starter packs located underside guideway beams. The Beam has rubberized non-stick ride surfaces to shed ice and snow. Other magnetic balancers are also set at clockset positions to the beam's radial tendency and are in addition angular set in a unified saw-tooth arrangement to draw train toward travel direction. Noise, mechanical wear and the vibrational passenger discomforts of prior art during non-jimmied operation are reduced if not eliminated by this design.
A guideway and support structure (50) for supporting an elevated guideway (52) for a railed-vehicle (54) include individual unassembled components sized for easy transport. The components may be prefabricated with known materials and methods and transported to an installation site to be assembled together. The support structure (50) is preferably cantilevered and sized to support one or two vehicle guideways (52). The support structure (50) may include a pile foundation (56) for improved support during seismic activity and to facilitate installation on existing streets and sidewalks without covering or interfering with underground plumbing or utilities. Preferably, multiple sections of the guideway (52) are rigidly secured together through expansion joints (51) to define a continuous guideway (53) such that loads on the guideway (53) are distributed over multiple columns (60).
A monorail transit system includes transit drive units for supporting a transit car body on a beam and propelling the body along the beam. Improvements to the transit system include a quiet steel rail with vibration isolation for the beam, a vehicle braking system using a fixed plat engaged with a steel rail to arrest motion of the drive unit, a beam stabilizing support structure comprising a column with an insert that extends into a hollow beam portion, a drive unit coupled to the transit car body so as to be able to rotate with respect to the body while the drive unit and transit car body are traversing a curve in the rail, a leveling system for automatically leveling the car body with respect to a loading platform and a mechanism for automatically tilting the car body in response to centrifugal forces and then leveling the body, an articulating car body for accommodating curved beams, and a mechanism for providing positive traction on an inclined steel rail.
The invention is a support structure for a railed-vehicle that includes individual, unassembled components sized for easy transport. In one embodiment, the support structure includes curved columns integrally-formed with a base, the columns imparting a curved, Y-shaped configuration to the support structure. The components may be prefabricated with known materials and methods and transported to an installation site for assembly. The support structure is preferably sized to support one or two vehicle guideways. The support structure may include a pile foundation for improved support during seismic activity and to facilitate installation on existing streets and sidewalks without covering or interfering with underground plumbing or utilities. Preferably, multiple sections of the guideway are rigidly secured together through expansion joints to define a continuous guideway such that loads on the guideway are distributed over multiple columns.
A device for nonpositively fixing a bracket to a supporting base body, especially a travel way body for railborne vehicles, has a tension member which protrudes partially from the supporting base body and extends partially into the supporting base body. The point of the protruding part of the tension member is located in a recess of the supporting base body. A support element may be arranged at least partially over the protruding part of the tension member, in which at least the front end of the support element is lying in the recess of the supporting base body. A bracket is located on the support element
A beam for a railway track guided vehicle system configured to be supported at spatial intervals on piers includes an upper flange disposed along a longitudinal length of the beam. The upper flange has opposite laterally outward portions configured for receipt of functional elements for guidance of a track vehicle. Opposite side webs extend downwardly from the upper flange along the longitudinal length of the support. A lower flange is disposed at ends of the webs opposite from the upper flange and is disposed longitudinally along the length of the support. The beam includes a uniform cross-sectional shape along a longitudinal length thereof so as to generate favorable air flow conditions for the track guided vehicle. The lower flange has a lateral dimension so as to essentially cover an underlying pier. In this way, the pier does not cause air flow disturbances to the track guided vehicle.
