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IMPACT - The beneficial impact Terreplane technology will have is far greater than obvious benefits of saved money, saved time, and reduced environmental impact. Terreplane will: |
Slideshows on this page:
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Provide Social Security - Terreplane will make living better ... less expensive (costs of cars and car insurance can be eliminated, commuting farther is easier which keeps families together, lower cost competition to current dominance of cell phone markets and cable TV/data, lower cost travel/vacations). Social security should not be a check the government distributes; social security should be a quality life at a reasonable cost. Families need to stay together ... not being separated by job opportunities that are hundreds of miles away.
FAMILY is important!
Provide Energy Security - Terreplane is perhaps the only cost-effective technology that will substantially eliminate use of petroleum for jet fuel and will allow most of gasoline and diesel to be directly displaced with grid electricity.
Provide National Security - Nations will have energy security and total control of which countries benefit from their cash flow.
Provide Improved Health Care Access - Links from rural communities to metro center hospitals will be much faster and much better. Even small rural communities can have transportation capabilities on par with the major cities.
Provide Improved Higher Education Access - Costs of higher education will decrease by making it easier to live tens of miles from campus and due to inter-connectivity of campuses.
Provide Improved Parcel Service - Same-day parcel service will become common (sorry AMAZON, it is about parcel service and not internet pages).
Provide Aesthetic Cities and Neighborhoods - Broad streets, parked vehicles, parking garages, concrete driveways ... will be replaced with parks and trails. The noise/vibration of automobiles, trucks, busses, and trains will be substantially eliminated.
Provide Sustainability - The cost of $2-4 million per mile versus $30-50 million (Hyperloop and High Speed Rail) makes all the difference in the world. Both may reduce travel times versus current alternatives; however, the latter can cripple an entire nation by draining resources for their construction and putting in place an infrastructure/system that is too costly to maintain (requiring continued subsidy).
Innovations - Patent Pending (as slideshow)
FAMILY is important!
Provide Energy Security - Terreplane is perhaps the only cost-effective technology that will substantially eliminate use of petroleum for jet fuel and will allow most of gasoline and diesel to be directly displaced with grid electricity.
Provide National Security - Nations will have energy security and total control of which countries benefit from their cash flow.
Provide Improved Health Care Access - Links from rural communities to metro center hospitals will be much faster and much better. Even small rural communities can have transportation capabilities on par with the major cities.
Provide Improved Higher Education Access - Costs of higher education will decrease by making it easier to live tens of miles from campus and due to inter-connectivity of campuses.
Provide Improved Parcel Service - Same-day parcel service will become common (sorry AMAZON, it is about parcel service and not internet pages).
Provide Aesthetic Cities and Neighborhoods - Broad streets, parked vehicles, parking garages, concrete driveways ... will be replaced with parks and trails. The noise/vibration of automobiles, trucks, busses, and trains will be substantially eliminated.
Provide Sustainability - The cost of $2-4 million per mile versus $30-50 million (Hyperloop and High Speed Rail) makes all the difference in the world. Both may reduce travel times versus current alternatives; however, the latter can cripple an entire nation by draining resources for their construction and putting in place an infrastructure/system that is too costly to maintain (requiring continued subsidy).
Innovations - Patent Pending (as slideshow)
Licensing - The breakthroughs that will make the real difference in high speed rail, at travel times faster than Hyperloop, are novel and patent pending. Maglev (magnetic levitation) is not necessary when using aerodynamic lift where airfoil-shaped vehicles provide all the needed lift. The open-sided coil stator provides light weight propulsion and guidance, using the guideway as the armature. This novel approach to transportation has opened the flood gates to innovation and improved performance.
1. Wingless guideway-based flying vehicles where at least a third of the lift is from the front third of the vehicle (high nose, critical for
reasonable Lift:Drag ratios).
2. Open-sided coil linear motor stators capable of operating on wire rope guideways (self-centering cable armature in short stator, critical for
low noise and low maintenance).
3. Novel cable connectors that preserve cable strength while leaving 90% of the circumference unobstructed.
4. Novel self-assembling magnet core technology that reduces cost and weight of linear motors.
5. Suspended post supports that stop and cancel the accumulation of tension in guideway cables.
6. Novel high-speed vehicle-controlled guideway switching method (critical for non-stop service needed for high speeds of flight).
IMPACT (a slideshow)
reasonable Lift:Drag ratios).
2. Open-sided coil linear motor stators capable of operating on wire rope guideways (self-centering cable armature in short stator, critical for
low noise and low maintenance).
3. Novel cable connectors that preserve cable strength while leaving 90% of the circumference unobstructed.
4. Novel self-assembling magnet core technology that reduces cost and weight of linear motors.
5. Suspended post supports that stop and cancel the accumulation of tension in guideway cables.
6. Novel high-speed vehicle-controlled guideway switching method (critical for non-stop service needed for high speeds of flight).
IMPACT (a slideshow)
The following are some commercialization opportunities:
1. Passenger transit from local commuter to trans-continental.
2. The company that will replace AMAZON... with same-day freight and parcel transit at half the price of today's standard transit.
3. Self-assembling core technology making electric motors less expensive and lighter.
4. A tower network for communication cables and wireless communication networks.
5. A tower structure for electrical power distribution and transmission.
6. A tower structure for signs, lighting, and other pedestrian/traffic considerations.
7. A tower system for wind turbine power generation.
8. Horizontal elevators that provide easy building access to/from locations 1-5 miles away.
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Aerodynamics Made Simple (a slideshow)
The momentum theory of lift provides insight into how to design Terreplane vehicles with favorable Lift:Drag ratios. During flight, lift is equal to the weight of the loaded vehicle, and so, the energy consumed to overcome drag is: Energy = [weight] / [L:D ratio] Vehicles with vertical barriers (like winglets) to block the quick flow of air from the bottom of the vehicle to the top as well as smooth surfaces without sudden air flow direction reduce turbulence and can provide favorable L:D ratios. |
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A detailed paper under peer review on this topic is available per this link!
Terreplane is a tethered glider craft that would operate at a narrow range of pitch; this gives Terreplane distinct advantages in attaining high L:D ratios. Gliders have the best ratios; ranging from 15 (hang glider) to 70 (Eta glider). A L:D ratio of 21 is a reasonable target; this would increase the 5X fuel economy estimate to 7.5X (where the 5X estimate was based on a reference 14:1 ratio for a prop-aircraft operating with the engine going at standard flight velocity). A 7.5X value would put the fuel economy of Terreplane at an outstanding 330* person-miles per GGE. *This 330 value is based on comparison to a aircraft that is, on the average, half full of fuel.
The height of the passenger compartment is a primary factor that creates the challenge in obtaining higher L:D ratios. For parcel service, this height constraint is not present; and the certainty of obtaining fuel economies (per pound of parcel) greater than 7X that of commercial jet parcel service is quite high. While it is true that travel in evacuated tubes can result in near-zero aerodynamic drag, such travel would require magnetic levitation suspension resulting in magnetic drag that has been reported to considerably exceed the low aerodynamic drag at these high L:D ratios.
Terreplane is a tethered glider craft that would operate at a narrow range of pitch; this gives Terreplane distinct advantages in attaining high L:D ratios. Gliders have the best ratios; ranging from 15 (hang glider) to 70 (Eta glider). A L:D ratio of 21 is a reasonable target; this would increase the 5X fuel economy estimate to 7.5X (where the 5X estimate was based on a reference 14:1 ratio for a prop-aircraft operating with the engine going at standard flight velocity). A 7.5X value would put the fuel economy of Terreplane at an outstanding 330* person-miles per GGE. *This 330 value is based on comparison to a aircraft that is, on the average, half full of fuel.
The height of the passenger compartment is a primary factor that creates the challenge in obtaining higher L:D ratios. For parcel service, this height constraint is not present; and the certainty of obtaining fuel economies (per pound of parcel) greater than 7X that of commercial jet parcel service is quite high. While it is true that travel in evacuated tubes can result in near-zero aerodynamic drag, such travel would require magnetic levitation suspension resulting in magnetic drag that has been reported to considerably exceed the low aerodynamic drag at these high L:D ratios.
Five Common Myths (Errors) On Aerodynamics
Most of the more-developed theories in aerodynamics serve the primary purpose of either a) providing convenient equation formats for teaching and quick calculations or b) supporting known trends of aircraft that have been well studied. These simplified presentations of aerodynamics lead to considerable error when used outside their intended purpose, such as when used to identify L:D ratios possible with Terreplane. The 5 most-common myths/errors are:
Most of the more-developed theories in aerodynamics serve the primary purpose of either a) providing convenient equation formats for teaching and quick calculations or b) supporting known trends of aircraft that have been well studied. These simplified presentations of aerodynamics lead to considerable error when used outside their intended purpose, such as when used to identify L:D ratios possible with Terreplane. The 5 most-common myths/errors are:
- Wing vortexes generate drag. False! When air proceeds around the tip of the wing from the high pressure underside to the low pressure upper side lift is lost where the resulting lowered L:D ratio manifests as increased drag. The vortex is a result of this action. The vortex is an effect, not a cause.
- A high aspect ratio is needed for a high L:D ratio. False! Winglets can compensate for larger wing span. With proper incorporation of winglets, other factors become more important for obtaining high L:D ratios.
- Low pressure (e.g. 0.2 atm at 40,000 ft. elevation) is needed for low drag. False! The best L:D ratios are obtained by glider aircraft operating at near-atmospheric pressure.
- Rounded wing fronts are needed for high L:D ratios. False! Rounded airfoil fronts are needed to allow a smooth change of pitch with increased lift as is needed for lower takeoff velocities of commercial aircraft. Supersonic aircraft have sharp fronts to the airfoils where maneuverability (based on shape of airfoil front) is reduced in priority to reduce the energy of the shock wave.
- Steeply pitched undersides of wings cause high drag. False! High drag is caused by turbulence, and highly pitched wing undersides only cause increased drag to the extent that proper airfoil shapes are not incorporated to reduce turbulence.
Funding Mechanisms ... Toward Commercialization
The primary mechanism sought to validate Terreplane technology to date has been government-sponsored research funding. A copy of the DOE ARPA-E Concept paper is attached below. The following is from the February, 2018 ARPA-E Concept Paper:
Normally, a 20% increase in fuel economy for a travel mode would represent a decade-long industry-wide endeavor. Terreplane will provide more than 10X that 20% (200% to 400%) improvement for major transportation markets currently served by air, rail, bus, truck, and car travel modes; ready for private sector to commence commercialization at the end of this 3-year project. These improvements are for a system having less than 1/5th the cost ($2M-$4M per mile) of alternatives like high speed rail ($30M per mile). This ARPA-E project is on the development and fifth-scale demonstration of this technology.
The primary mechanism sought to validate Terreplane technology to date has been government-sponsored research funding. A copy of the DOE ARPA-E Concept paper is attached below. The following is from the February, 2018 ARPA-E Concept Paper:
Normally, a 20% increase in fuel economy for a travel mode would represent a decade-long industry-wide endeavor. Terreplane will provide more than 10X that 20% (200% to 400%) improvement for major transportation markets currently served by air, rail, bus, truck, and car travel modes; ready for private sector to commence commercialization at the end of this 3-year project. These improvements are for a system having less than 1/5th the cost ($2M-$4M per mile) of alternatives like high speed rail ($30M per mile). This ARPA-E project is on the development and fifth-scale demonstration of this technology.