2010-08-06

Chinese Maglev Trains To Hit 1000 km/h Within Three Years

China develops record-breaking 600kph maglev trains


Maglev trains that reach a world record breaking speed of 600 kilometers per hour are being developed in China, the Beijing Times reported Monday.
The research, backed up by the theory of the vacuum magnetic suspension train, is being conducted by a state key laboratory research team of Southwest Jiaotong University, said the report. "The speed can be reached by making vacuum pipelines for maglev trains to run through, with no air resistance," said Shen Zhiyun, a member of the research team and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering.


Maglev (transport)

Maglev, or magnetic levitation, is a system of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles, predominantly trains, using magnetic levitation from a very large number of magnets for lift and propulsion. This method has the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than wheeled mass transit systems. The power needed for levitation is usually not a particularly large percentage of the overall consumption; most of the power used is needed to overcome air drag, as with any other high speed train.

China Plans 1,000 KPH Super Train

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) reportedly are preparing a record-shattering 1,000 kilometer per hour train, according to the Beijing Times.  

The new trains will make use of a vacuum tube to reduce friction losses.  They will first build a prototype vacuum magnetic suspension train capable of traveling between 500 and 600 kph.  That gives it a shot at breaking the record set by Japan's JR-Maglev train, which achieved a speed of 581 km/h (361 mph).  The record for a traditional railed train was set by France's TGV at 574.8 km/h (357.18 mph).

After the prototype, the group plans to implement a smaller train capable of speeds of as much as 1,000 kph.  Shen Zhiyun, a member of the research team, comments, "The speed can be reached by making vacuum pipelines for maglev trains to run through, with no air resistance."


Sources
China develops record-breaking 600kph maglev trains
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-08/02/content_11083037.htm
China Developing a Train That Will Run at 620 Miles Per Hour | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
http://inhabitat.com/2010/08/05/china-developing-a-train-that-can-go-620-miles-per-hour/
Maglev (transport) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maglev_(transport)#Southwest_Jiaotong_University.2C_China
DailyTech - China Plans 1,000 KPH Super Train
http://www.dailytech.com/China+Plans+1000+KPH+Super+Train/article19268.htm

Related
Chinese Maglev Trains To Hit 1000 km/h Within Three Years [Chinese Maglev Trains Use Vacuum Tube To Eliminate Friction, Reach High Speeds] » TFTS – Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities
http://nexus404.com/Blog/2010/08/05/chinese-maglev-trains-to-hit-1000-kmh-within-three-years-chinese-maglev-trains-use-vacuum-tube-to-eliminate-friction-reach-high-speeds/
China's maglev trains to hit 1,000km/h in three years, Doc Brown to finally get 1985 squared away -- Engadget
http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/04/chinas-maglev-trains-to-hit-1-000kph-in-three-years-doc-brown/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fengadget+(Engadget)&utm_content=Google+Reader
China hatches plans for 1,000 kph maglev trains for 2015 | DVICE
http://dvice.com/archives/2010/08/china-hatches-p.php
China's Proposed Maglev Train Will Reach Speeds of 1,000 kph
http://www.switched.com/2010/08/05/chinas-proposed-maglev-train-will-reach-speeds-of-1-000-kph/

Labels: ,