• Science

    Trans-Atlantic MagLev

    By Posted on 3.4.2008 20 Comments

    What: Submerged OCEANIC tunnel and supersonic train WHERE: New York London Cost: $88 billion $175 billion Crux: Neutrally buoyant vacuum tunnel submerged 150 to 300 feet beneath the Atlantic's surface and anchored to the seafloor, through which zips a magnetically levitated train at up to 4,000 mph.The idea is as wondrous as it is audacious: Get on a train at New York City's Penn Station and hit Paris, London or Brussels just an hour later. "From an engineering point of view there are no serious stumbling blocks," says Ernst Frankel, retired professor of ocean engineering at MIT.

    12.8.2008 at 06:43am - Comment by andriyko

    Also in other articles i read that it is supposed to reach speeds up to 5000mph but the equations change slightly and the force felt still comes out to be 1.02g. So it still comes out to be a nice ride at those speeds. Enjoy!

  • Science

    Trans-Atlantic MagLev

    By Posted on 3.4.2008 20 Comments

    What: Submerged OCEANIC tunnel and supersonic train WHERE: New York London Cost: $88 billion $175 billion Crux: Neutrally buoyant vacuum tunnel submerged 150 to 300 feet beneath the Atlantic's surface and anchored to the seafloor, through which zips a magnetically levitated train at up to 4,000 mph.The idea is as wondrous as it is audacious: Get on a train at New York City's Penn Station and hit Paris, London or Brussels just an hour later. "From an engineering point of view there are no serious stumbling blocks," says Ernst Frankel, retired professor of ocean engineering at MIT.

    12.8.2008 at 06:31am - Comment by andriyko

    In regards to the 1/10g acceleration: That is the horizontal acceleration only. The vertical acceleration will still hold at 1g plus the force to lower you 150-300ft initially and raise you at the end. For you to have a nice ride and to feel comfortable, you WOULD want the horizontal forces to be as close to zero as possible. Secondly, the train will not be accelerating for half an hour. As i read from some other sources, it will accelerate for 18 mins, remain at that top speed for 18 mins, and then decelerate for 18 mins. Therefore, its acceleration will be (4000mph)(5280ft/mile)(1hr/3600sec)/1080sec = 5.4 ft/sec2. this is 17% of the earth's gravitational pull. The total force due to acceleration that you will feel, therefore, is 32.7ft/sec2 (sqrt(32.2^2+5.4^2)) which is 1.02g into your seat. Not much difference - Enjoy your ride! I hope that it will be smoother than the ones you may feel in your city trains.



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