Re:SpaceX: “Close, but no cigar. This time”
by elif on Saturday January 17, 2015 @12:58AM
(#8903598)
forgive my amateur and completely unscientific postulation here, but is it possible that this conversation is moot seeing as normal train tracks do not have to extend at normal train stations, despite the rails being steel and continuous?
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Re:SpaceX: “Close, but no cigar. This time”
by schiffern on Saturday January 17, 2015 @12:32PM
(#8904850)
Continuous steel rails do have problems with large temperature swings. See the link I posted about "sun kinks." They cause about 50 derailments per year. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/climate-change-warp-railr...
Rail lines have more curves which can take up that slack, and the positional tolerances are much more forgiving. Because of its high speed operation the hyperloop is both incredibly straight and incredibly sensitive to kinking.