With the introduction of Vactrain and Hyperloop you could be asking yourself why haven’t we tried this before? Many safety questions have been asked about this amazing model. In this blog I will be exploring how the Hyperloop that Elon musk has proposed could be a safe travelling method or it could be a disastrous way to travel. When Elon musk came out with this idea. He ensured that his two main priorities were speed and safety. For Hyperloop to work this needs to become a vacuum which means that 9.99% of the air inside the capsule needs to be removed. When a normal train is travelling they usually travel about 350-400 miles per hour. Hyperloop would be travelling about 760 miles per hour. If you were to travel in the Hyperloop you would be in a pod hovering at 760mph bouncing of the walls like a pinball (Vastone, 2015). The extreme dangers brought about by the environment in the pod when in the hyperloop causes great concern. If the Hyperloop went ahead there would be a major concern about the pressure that the pod needs to hold. It would need to sub stand 40 billion kilograms of pressure just so it wouldn’t implode on itself as shown in the video. (Foxx, 2008) (Baker, 2017) With the steel holding up major amount of kilograms another factor is also introduced. Thermal expansion is a key factor when thinking about the safety of the Hyperloop. When steel is moving at such a speed it will heat up and then cool off leading to the expansion of the metal itself. This will lead to the pod actually changing shape and weakening and this is not good when the steel is holding back 40 BILLION kilograms. If you are interested in learning more about the fascinating science behind Hyperloop and how far it can go stay tuned every week for a weekly upload. Don't forget to like us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! References Used:
Baker, M., 2017. interesting Engineering. [Online] Available at: https://interestingengineering.com/biggest-challenges-stand-in-the-way-of-hyperloop [Accessed 23 Febuary 2020]. Foxx, Z., 2008. Youtube. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz95_VvTxZM&feature=emb_logo [Accessed 23 Febuary 2020]. Vastone, L., 2015. the conversation. [Online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/elon-musks-high-speed-hyperloop-train-makes-more-sense-for-mars-than-california-43686 [Accessed 23 Febuary 2020].
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