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Student Engineers Build Hyperloop Test Pods That Set a New Speed Record (bbc.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the hyperloop-hat-trick dept.

Engineering students from the Technical University of Munich have won a hyperloop competition that aims to refine the technologies that could underpin the super-fast transport system. According to the BBC, "The team's pod hit 457km/h (290mph) on a 1.2km (0.75 mile) test track." This marks the third win in a row for the team. From the report: In the latest round of the competition, the Munich team, WARR Hyperloop, outpaced rival capsules, which could manage speeds of only 88mph (Delft University) and 55mph (EPF Loop, from Switzerland), to beat its own record speed, 323km/h, set in the second competition, in September 2017. In a change from earlier competitions, all the pods being tested this time had to be self-propelled. Previously, the pods could rely on a SpaceX-built "pusher" vehicle that helped them travel down the test tube.

5 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. Going about it backwards? by Jerry · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Rather than pump the air out of the tube, treat the tube like a wind tunnel and blow air through the tube, or through injectors along the tube, at what ever speed you want the vehicle to go. For 100 - 500 Km stretches pumping tons of air out of the tube would take hours and maintaining the vacuum would take a lot of expensive energy. The inside of the tube could be dimpled or treated in some way to reduce the Reynolds Number. The positive pressure would keep the weather out and make leaks easy to find ... they'd whistle.

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    1. Re: Going about it backwards? by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just the opposite. Pushing air down the tube is very energy intensive to get it up to speeds. The air will drag on the tube, so no, that is not good. Finally, while it will take energy to drop the pressure, it will be little to no energy to maintain, assuming tight seals.

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  2. Mixing units by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    TFS mixes mph and km/h. Poor practice to report the slower ones in mph and the fastest in km/h; it makes the difference look larger. It's large enough that you don't need to exaggerate it.

  3. Re:Is this a joke? by f3rret · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can it accelerate to that speed, and stop again in 1.2km

    No because competent engineers think about things like not killing their passengers.

    Cowards...

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  4. Re:290 mph is impressive by serviscope_minor · · Score: 3, Informative

    Even the TGV which is a normal rail train has hit 360mph in an experimental configuration.

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