UST: News

Last week witnessed the completion of checkout tests on SkyWay strings and gripping collets for tensioning and anchoring. This was the last event finalizing preparations for stretching strings inside rails of the lightweight track, which confirmed the readiness of these elements of the track structure to their insertion arrangement and their compliance with design parameters.

Originally it was planned to test the "touring route" in a simulated emergency mode on-site the SkyWay EcoTechnoPark being under construction. For the speedy implementation of the project, this research was scheduled for winter just because it is better to do some other types of work - for example, concreting of key elements - at temperatures above zero to achieve a perfect result. Let us recall the results of the tests: even with a simulation of all the strings broken inside a rail, a unibike can travel at speeds up to 70 km/h exceeding the speed sufficient for movement in the city. It means SkyWay began to prove in practice its title of the safest transport and infrastructure complex among the existing and promising ones.

With the onset of spring and the successful completion of tests on rolling stock and track structure under simulation of emergency conditions, everything was actually ready for the arrangement of strings inside rails, i.e. for their tensioning, fixing and concreting. It only remained to check whether they and the devices for their clamping would withstand the design loads, because presently the world market has no ready-made solutions for the SkyWay technology due to its innovativeness. That's why all the above procedures were born inside the Design Bureau of SkyWay Technologies Co. The tests were conducted at the Center for scientific research and testing of building structures under the Civil Engineering Faculty, Belarusian National Technical University that has already prove itself as a reliable partner in scientific research.

Collets and strings were tested at the test-bench allowing to apply load to strings alternately and gradually, and then to apply force to the collet during their simultaneous stretching. The load at tensioning of strings and loading of collets was controlled by standard pressure gauges used at pumping stations. As a result, we have obtained the required evidence of compliance with incorporated design parameters, in other words, the safety margin of both the tested elements is more than enough to ensure safety of the SkyWay track structure. For example, the strings tested by performance specifications for steel reinforced stabilized ropes have withstood a 30-ton load, the collets turned out to be even stronger. Moreover, all the samples provided for research have withstood the breakdown test.

In the near future, work will begin to arrange strings at the lightweight transport system in Maryina Gorka, and it is planned to continue later the research on suitability of its design for heavier vehicles. For this purpose, the possibility of its strengthening using externally attached strings is being studied.