UST: News

The professionals of SkyWay project designing organization comment on the process of SkyWay transport system certification

As you know, the underwater part of an iceberg is not visible, however it is 90% of its size. Similarly, a large part of the work that is being done while creating the SkyWay technology remains unnoticed. EcoTechnoPark is only the tip of the ice mountain, and today we will try to peep a bit under the water.

It seems clear to everybody what the need is in science, design, engineering, manufacturing and construction. However, the tricky word "certification" is not clear to many people yet. We will try to clarify today what kind of an "animal" it is with the help of SkyWay professionals.

It was in February 2017, when the SkyWay project designing organization of Skyway technologies Co. received a positive conclusion (in Russian) from the State expert assessment Department on the architectural project for the construction of SkyWay EcoTechnoPark, i.e. most of the required work has already been completed by the end of winter.

Innovativeness of SkyWay transport and infrastructure complexes often causes confusion among officials from the transport sector - as you know, it is one of the most conservative industries, but our highly trained professionals are able to explain the true state of affairs to any audience.

And finally, we're analyzing the present situation with the certification of rolling stock. Here everything is utterly clear and understandable, even about the timing for completion of certification, despite the huge amount of work that our employees had to do, because the certification doesn't cancel the technology's development, but, on the contrary, even facilitates it.

Work in this direction moves towards its climax, which is expected in mid-September and we wish our colleagues good luck, which is - certainly, with your support - will be ensured to them in the very near future!

Translation of the video:

Mikhail Kirichenko: Just as the underwater part of an iceberg is not visible, but it is 90% of its size, the lion's share of the work carried out while creating SkyWay technology remains unnoticed. EcoTechnoPark is only the tip of the ice mountain, and today we will try to peep a bit under the water.

"The key stage in the practical implementation of the SkyWay Transport System (STS) will become the creation of a test site for a full-scale pilot and industrial perfection of the track structure for this transport system. Research and testing of particular assemblies, units and elements of the transportation line, the module and infrastructure will also be carried out on specially designed laboratory stands. After the test trials with STS on-site, its standardization and certification, this high-speed transport system of new generation would be recommended for use in both developed and developing countries".

That's what Anatoly Yunitskiy wrote in the final report on the project of the UN Center for human settlements (Habitat) in 2000. In 2017, SkyWay transport approached very closely to this point. It seems clear to everybody what the need is in science, design, engineering, manufacturing and construction. However, the tricky word "certification" is not clear to many people yet. We will try to clarify today what kind of an "animal" it is with the help of professionals.

Valery Kochergin, Head of Managing Dpt. on testing certification and standardization: Certification is the confirmation of the conformity of products created by designers with certain requirements stipulated by regulatory documents and technological requirements to the project designing documentation. A man who has invented a machine, would like to see himself if it is capable to perform the things that were designed. For this purpose, checkings of possibilities to use the product as intended are carried out prior to certification. This procedure is called acceptance tests. The Certification Agency that is also in charge of commissioning our products, has compiled performance specifications on each product for us. I have to say this exam is not quite easy. For example, we have to pass 24 test trials with unibus, and 25 - with unibike. Accordingly, you can estimate and imagine the scope of work. The experts of the Agency have received technological information and project designing documentation from us. Currently, they are examining the design. Besides, according to the Agreement with us, they have worked out programs of methods to proceed with particular types of tests. These methods are handed over to the production facility. All our designers and engineers know about them and are getting ready to do the tests. The tests are planned for September 11 this year. Experts from the Certification Agency will come to us and within 2-3 weeks we shall jointly perform comprehensive tests to confirm all the properties laid in our products.

M.K.: Early this year we planned to complete the certification by late spring, with good reasons for this. In fact, in February SkyWay Technologies Co. received a positive conclusion from the State expert assessment Department on the architectural project for the construction of SkyWay EcoTechnoPark, i.e. most of the required work has already been completed by the end of winter.

Marina Tretyak, Dty General Director on project designing: Our work is divided into project designing and construction. The project documentation contains data for structures along the track system, the track system itself and the rolling stock. As regards the structures along the track system, everything is easier here, because there is a certain legal framework in the Republic of Belarus, there is a lot of documentation available, there are normative and legal documents. There are also documents allowing to work not only in Belarus, but also per Euro standards. There is a legal basis for calculations and drawings. Thanks to this legal basis, we can submit the documentation on track structures, approve it in the constructional Expert Agency and work in the framework of the Belarusian legislation on architectural and urban planning activities. As I mentioned, the basic regulation is done by the National construction Expert Agency that checks the conformity of this documentation with all the acting standards including safety norms that have to be confirmed based on the acting Technical Rules of the Republic of Belarus No. 2009-013. The principle of our calculations does not differ from that one for any structure: high-rise designs, chimneys, anchor supports in industry, etc. Now we have received one approving expert report and the expert examination of our objects continues. I cannot say everything is easy and simple. Certainly, this subject and know-how are somehow new for the Republic of Belarus. They do not treat our structures and anchor supports as separate objects. They consider us as in complex, as a track system. It causes many questions, because it is a know-how, it is an invention, it is a search for certain solutions and constant perfection of these systems. Special technical requirements should be worked out for this field of activities.

M.K.: Innovativeness of SkyWay transport and infrastructure complexes often causes confusion among officials from the transport sector - as you know, it is one of the most conservative industries, but our highly trained professionals are able to explain the true state of affairs to any audience.

Yury Kashchuk, Head of Managing Dpt. on track infrastructure, tooling and testing equipment: The problem in test trials is the availability of a high-speed transport. It would be quite difficult to estimate dynamic loads at 500 km/h speed. We hope to cope with it successfully enough. We have all the background for it and sufficient time. To reach this speed, we need a route of 20-22 km distance. That will be implemented further in the framework of our certification program. We are already measuring some parameters including noise and doing optimization of rail structure elements at EcoTechnoPark. Everything is in progress as scheduled.

Vyacheslav Babushkin, Head of design Bureau "Track structure": The lightweight track structure is already prepared for certification test trials. Currently we are working to improve the noise features. We have already reached much by now. Moreover, we are moving towards becoming totally noiseless and comfortable.

M.K.: And finally, the most mobile element of Yunitskiy's SkyWay transport - the rolling stock. Here everything is extremely clear and understandable, even about the timing for completion of certification, despite the huge amount of work that our employees had to do, because the certification doesn't cancel the technology's development, but, on the contrary, even facilitates it.

Andrey Zaytsev, Head of Managing Dpt. on rolling stock: During the whole period of methodical work, we took advantage of this time to carry out a number of research tests. In addition to acceptance and certification tests, we have been checking the technological solutions that were taken as a result of calculations, research or modelling under real physical conditions. At a real test site, with a real transport. For example, we have modernized the braking system. We have checked several algorithms of operation, several options of its layout arrangement including checking the operation algorithm of ABS and energy storage units that are now developing avalanche-like. We continue to perfect them. We had a separate cycle of tests to measure and determine the adhesion coefficients of wheel surfaces confirming theoretical calculations and the coefficient of rolling resistance in combination with various types of materials of carrying wheels. So we are forging ahead. The vehicles designed last year, now have already improved features.

Andrey Rudnitsky, engineer of Test Bureau: In the period after EcoFest at EcoTechnoPark, we have been actively working on the running test program for the rolling stock. Now all the vehicles have come back to the production facility and, under the recommendation and together with the representatives of the Research Institute under the "City Electric Transport", we are preparing the certification program for unibus and unibike primarily. The other day they came here to see our opened and disassembled objects to recommend the places for fixing sensors. We work with them closely and actively. In the next month, we shall have a lot of work in assembling and completing final specifications of our rolling stock: unibike and unibus.

M.K.: The certification procedure is moving towards its climax, which is expected approximately in mid-September. We wish our colleagues good luck that will be ensured to them with your support in the very near future. SkyWay Technologies Co. does not always manage to finish everything in time, but it does manage to finish everything!