Last week we told you about how a cable car works, but today we will talk about another type of cable car - rail. Vehicles that carry passengers or goods on them are called funiculars. For the first time, the use of the funicular as a passenger transport was proposed in 1825, and almost 30 years later the idea was implemented simultaneously in the Italian city of Genoa and the Austrian city of Sommering. Today there are about 400 cable cars in the world. Most of them are located in the USA and Switzerland. How does the rail cable car work - more on that in today's issue!
There are two main types of funiculars: one-car and two-car. The principle of operation of the first of them is quite simple: an engine located at the top of the cable car alternately raises and lowers the carriage using a rope. On some roads, the operator controls the movement using a mechanical grip. The gripper compresses the rope, which moves in a special groove under the surface. In order to stop the carriage, the operator only needs to release the gripper. At the same time, the rope continues to move non-stop.
The most common type of funicular is with two non-motorized carriages. They are rigidly connected by a rope thrown over a pulley. The pulley itself and the motor that turns it are also located at the top station of the funicular. The engine drives the rope laid between the support rails, at the ends of which the cars are fixed. Thus, they always move and stop at the same time, and disperse exactly in the middle of the line. Such a scheme is the most economical: energy is spent not on lifting and lowering the cars, but actually on moving the difference in weight between two cars loaded in different ways by passengers, as well as on overcoming the friction force and braking. It should be noted that the movement of the rope moving the cars is reversible. Its direction changes whenever a carriage or carriages reach the end of the line.
If a two-car cable car has only one pair of rails, then a two-track section is made in the middle of the route so that oncoming cars can separate. Cars on these roads have different wheels on opposite sides. The left side has a double flange rim and the right side has a smooth rim. When approaching the siding, the double-flanged wheels force the carriage to always switch to the left track.
If the rope bursts or its tension is weakened on the cable car, a spring is automatically triggered, compressing the rail with wedges on both sides. In the event of an accident, this prevents the possibility of uncontrolled rolling off the mountain.
Funicular trails are usually kept fairly short - typically a few hundred meters - with a steep incline of up to 35 degrees. The slope of the cable car is usually constant, but sometimes varies slightly on different sections. Funicular cars are designed individually for each route, taking into account its steepness. At the same time, the cable car lines never form networks, do not branch out or intersect.
Last week we told you about how a cable car works, but today we will talk about another type of cable car - rail. Vehicles that carry passengers or goods on them are called funiculars. For the first time, the use of the funicular as a passenger transport was proposed in 1825, and almost 30 years later the idea was implemented simultaneously in the Italian city of Genoa and the Austrian city of Sommering. Today there are about 400 cable cars in the world. Most of them are located in the USA and Switzerland. How does the rail cable car work - more on that in today's issue!
There are two main types of funiculars: one-car and two-car. The principle of operation of the first of them is quite simple: an engine located at the top of the cable car alternately raises and lowers the carriage using a rope. On some roads, the operator controls the movement using a mechanical grip. The gripper compresses the rope, which moves in a special groove under the surface. In order to stop the carriage, the operator only needs to release the gripper. At the same time, the rope continues to move non-stop.
The most common type of funicular is with two non-motorized carriages. They are rigidly connected by a rope thrown over a pulley. The pulley itself and the motor that turns it are also located at the top station of the funicular. The engine drives the rope laid between the support rails, at the ends of which the cars are fixed. Thus, they always move and stop at the same time, and disperse exactly in the middle of the line. Such a scheme is the most economical: energy is spent not on lifting and lowering the cars, but actually on moving the difference in weight between two cars loaded in different ways by passengers, as well as on overcoming the friction force and braking. It should be noted that the movement of the rope moving the cars is reversible. Its direction changes whenever a carriage or carriages reach the end of the line.
If a two-car cable car has only one pair of rails, then a two-track section is made in the middle of the route so that oncoming cars can separate. Cars on these roads have different wheels on opposite sides. The left side has a double flange rim and the right side has a smooth rim. When approaching the siding, the double-flanged wheels force the carriage to always switch to the left track.
If the rope bursts or its tension is weakened on the cable car, a spring is automatically triggered, compressing the rail with wedges on both sides. In the event of an accident, this prevents the possibility of uncontrolled rolling off the mountain.
Funicular runs are usually kept fairly short - typically a few hundred meters - with a steep incline of up to 35 degrees. The slope of the cable car is usually constant, but sometimes varies slightly in different sections. Funicular cars are designed individually for each route, taking into account its steepness. At the same time, the cable car lines never form networks, do not branch out or intersect.
In 1834, German engineer Albert Vogts invented a metal rope - from steel wires intertwined with each other. And three decades later, in the north of Switzerland near Schaffhausen, the world's first cable car for the transport of passengers appeared. With its help, tourists climbed to the observation deck. How does a modern cable car work?
There are two types of cable cars: one-cable and two-cable. A characteristic feature of the first type of overhead roads is that the functions of the load-bearing and traction element are performed by one steel cable, closed in a ring. The rope itself consists of wires twisted in strands around a rigid core. The cabins perform in a circular motion, being suspended from a continuously moving rope by means of special detachable clamps. Upon arrival at the station, the cabins are disconnected from the rope, transferred to the station overhead conveyor and moved along rigid rail tracks using traveling wheels. In this case, the speed of the cabin is reduced to 0.3 m / s. The doors open automatically and passengers exit the cab. Then the trolley continues to move on the station conveyor to the other side of the station, passengers enter the cab, the doors close automatically, the conveyor accelerates the cab to the speed of the rope, and when it leaves the rail track, it again engages with the clamping device. The rope itself is driven by a friction drive with a traction sheave.
Two-cable ropeways are more common nowadays. The cabins of such a cable car hang on a flexible carrying rope and move along it like a rail with the help of roller wheels located on the roof. The carrying rope connects the upper and lower stations of the road and rests on special masts. The second rope is traction. The booths are attached to it and serve as a support for it. However, with a large distance between the cabins, the rope sag can be significant, therefore, special supporting rollers are installed on the supports. The drive drives the traction rope and the cabins move in the desired direction.
The road is controlled centrally from the dispatching console. Each cable car is equipped with an anti-collision system that monitors the distance between the cabins and prevents them from colliding with each other. Some cable cars are also equipped with a wind system, which slows down the speed of the cabins in strong winds and informs the staff of the cable car. To prevent the rope from jumping off the rollers, each support has special sensors and traps next to the rollers that will prevent the rope from falling.
The carrying capacity of the passenger cable car can reach 2000 people per hour. And the angle of elevation of the cable car can reach up to 50 degrees. The longest cable car in the world, 96 kilometers, existed in Sweden. It was used to deliver iron ore from Lapland to the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. Its 13.2 km section has been converted into the world's longest passenger cable car.
Metal cables served as the basis for the creation of the world's first cable car. For the first time a metal rope was created in 1834 by an inventor from Germany named Albert Vogts. Several decades passed and the first cable car appeared on the territory of Switzerland, which was intended to carry passengers. This highway, unusual by the standards of those times, was used to transport tourist groups to the observation deck. A lot of time has passed since then and similar means of transportation have appeared in different parts of the world. Today we will try to understand what lies at the heart of the operation of the cable car.
Principle of operation
Currently, there are single-cable and dual-cable cableways. The first option is characterized by the fact that the same rope acts as a bearing and traction element, which is closed in a ring. It is formed from many steel wires that are twisted into strands around a rigid base in the middle. Passenger cabins move along a closed path and are attached to the rope using special clamps. Once at the end point, each booth is detached and moved to an overhead conveyor moving along the rails due to the traveling wheels. The speed of movement is reduced to a minimum, the doors are opened, after which the passengers can leave their seats. The car itself continues to move along the conveyor in the opposite direction, where new passengers get into it. Then the cab doors are closed, the speed is set to the same value as the rope moves. At the moment of derailment, the booth clings to the rope with the help of clamps and continues to move in a given direction. Moving the entire system is possible thanks to a friction drive with a special pulley.
Two-cable ropeways are arranged somewhat differently. In such a scheme, the passenger cabins are attached to the carrying rope and move along it due to special roller wheels placed on the roof. The load-carrying rope extends from the start of the ascent to the highest point and is supported by the load-bearing masts. The second rope in this design is traction. Booths are attached to it, playing the role of support. When the distance between the passenger cabins is large enough, the rope can seriously sag. To avoid this, support rollers are mounted on the supports. The traction rope is driven by a drive, due to which the entire chain moves.
Modern cable cars are equipped with a centralized control system, which is maintained by a dispatcher. To ensure safety, special sensors are used to monitor the distance between the cabins. This approach avoids collisions while driving. Sometimes a wind system is installed that can automatically reduce the speed of movement of the cabins in strong winds and send an appropriate warning to the dispatcher.
During peak hours, some modern cable cars can carry up to 2,000 people per hour. The longest cable car was built in Sweden. The 96 km long highway has been used in the past to transport ore from Lapland to the coastal region of the Gulf of Bothnia. Later, one of the sections of this highway was turned into the world's longest passenger cable car, the length of which is 13.2 km.
Recall that not so long ago we talked about how the rail cable car works. You can find out more about this by clicking on.
