Dynamic Interactions and Optimal Design of PRT Vehicles on Elevated Guideways.

摘要

The report presents the results of a combined analysis and design study of a PRT vehicle/guideway system. This system is represented by one or more rigid mass vehicles traveling at a constant forward velocity over a series of simply supported straight or curved elevated elastic guideways. The dynamical performance of the system is the most complex design consideration since many different vehicle spacings and velocities as well as straight and/or curved guideway configurations are possible. Two different types of system models are defined which are of importance to the design study. The first is an infinitely long straight guideway composed of a series of equal length,rough elastic girders over which either one or many equally spaced vehicles travel at a constant forward velocity undergoing vertical and/or lateral motion and the second model is that of a single vehicle traversing a curved,rough section of the elastic guideway. It is shown that for the cost functions defined,minimum cost system designs have vehicle suspensions which are soft and underdamped and girder designs of intermediate length and moderately smooth surface finish requirements. Vehicle and guideway designs obtained using the straight track analyses also behave satisfactorily taking into account the curved guideway motion.