birenboi@sal15.usc.edu (Aaron Birenboim) (10/13/88)
In article <528@sactoh0.UUCP> ejnihill@sactoh0.UUCP (Eric J. Nihill) writes: >In article <16665@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>, cc1@valhalla.cs.ucla.edu (R...for Rabbit) writes: >> ^In article <213@obie.UUCP> wes@obie.UUCP (Barnacle Wes) writes: >> Just do something like this: >> >> /\ >> / \ >> | | >> ~ ~ >> |==| >> /| |\ >> / | | \ >> ... =======--=================--============ ... >> oo oo oo oo >> ########################################## > If you could somehow get from point A to B with no overhead >obstructions... >The wind could also have fun with our transport... Firstly, I think the diagram may be a joke. Here is my solution. The SRB is not solidly attached to the cars. A large platform, spanning 4 or so flatbeds is constructed. This platform rests on movable runners. When the train turns, the edges of the platform are allowed to "stick out" a bit. The runners will have some degree of freedon in the perpendicular direction to the cars, as well as a little parallel play. Now the SRB can stay straight while the train turns. The only drawback to this is if you have a tight turn in a narrow tunnel, the SRB will scrape the walls. I do not think this will happen. A tunnel is built to avoid tight turns. The shortest distance is a straight line, and digging tunnels is costly. Thus I would bet all tunnels are pretty much straight as an arrow. Aaron "The Lumberjack" Birenboim|"In the begining, the Universe was created... | This made a lot of people angry, and was GO TROJANS!! | widely reguarded as a bad move." birenboi@castor.usc.edu | -Douglass Adams _The Guide_
roston@ragnarok.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Gerry Roston) (10/14/88)
>Thus I would bet all tunnels are pretty much straight as an >arrow. >Aaron "The Limberjack" Birenboim First, apologies about non-sequitor topics and bad spelling: Aaron, where on earth did you come up with the silly notion of tunnels being straight???? Get a book on the Anza-Borrego National Desert, (its about 3 hours from LA, just across the mountains from Palomar (worth seeing)). They have train tunnels though parts of that area which have NO STRAIGHT stretches at all. As to the origianl posting, I seriously doubt that one could transport an item as large as the shuttle booster from CA to FA because there would be too many obstructions along the way gerry roston, robotic systems research group jet propulsion laboratory, 4800 oak grove drive, m/s 23 pasadena, california, 91109, (818) 354-9124 (818) 354-6508 roston@robotics.jpl.nasa.gov
peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (10/14/88)
There are other problems with keeping the SRB straight while the train turns corners. These are, in order of the amount of damage they can do to the booster, hills, trees, and railroad equipment. -- Peter da Silva `-_-' peter@sugar.uu.net Have you hugged U your wolf today?
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (10/15/88)
In article <1621@nunki.usc.edu> birenboi@sal15.usc.edu (Aaron Birenboim) writes: >... The only drawback to this is if you have >a tight turn in a narrow tunnel, the SRB will scrape the walls. It goes farther than tunnels, unfortunately. There is a specific standard for how wide a loaded railcar can be, and things like signal lights and electrical boxes are often found just beyond that. Even on curves. Any long, inflexible load that has to (so to speak) go across corners rather than around them is going to be in big trouble very quickly. Won't work. In hindsight, the standard railroad gauge, car size, etc. is definitely a bit on the small side. It is much too late to do anything about it, on this planet at least. -- The meek can have the Earth; | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology the rest of us have other plans.|uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
glennw@nsc.nsc.com (Glenn Weinberg) (10/15/88)
You know, trains are not the only way to ship things long distances. Barges would be more than large enough to hold an entire SRB, and you don't have to worry about tight corners, bridges or trees! Sure, you can't build your SRB plant in the middle of the desert or high in the Rockies, but you aren't limited to coastal sites either. Virtually anywhere along the Mississippi or Ohio (maybe even the Tennessee now, I guess), or even along most of the shores of the Great Lakes would do just fine. What's wrong with a little pork barrel for the Rust Belt for a change, anyway? :-) Protection from salt spray during the final part of the trip (or the whole trip if your plant was on the coast) would certainly be important, but that isn't that hard. Besides, if the casings can stand actually being IN salt water like they are following a launch, they can't be too susceptible to damage. Anyway, the area of greatest potential damage would be the joints, and in a one-piece design there aren't any! So, I just wanted to point out that unless you absolutely must locate your SRB plant in Utah (:-), you don't have as severe a restriction from shipping limitations as you might think. -- Glenn Weinberg Email: glennw@nsc.nsc.com National Semiconductor Corporation Phone: (408) 721-8102 (My opinions are strictly my own, but you can borrow them if you want.)
jbvb@ftp.COM (James Van Bokkelen) (10/16/88)
Standard railroad freight cars get to be about 11 feet wide, 18 feet high (from the railhead) and 85 feet long. With low-profile frame and 26" wheels, this leaves about 15 eet of height for the load. Much longer loads have been shipped by rail (on the order of 150 feet long spread across three or four flatcars), but they have been less than 11 feet wide, due to clearance on curves. Weight is another issue; most track can only take about 30 tons per carrying axle. Some giant generator-rotor carrying cars have been built, which can hack up to 250 tons, but they use up to 24 axles in a complex articulated design. jbvb
peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (10/16/88)
In article <1988Oct14.171107.1946@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > It goes farther than tunnels, unfortunately. There is a specific standard > for how wide a loaded railcar can be, and things like signal lights and > electrical boxes are often found just beyond that. Not to mention clearance detectors. I can just see the booster wiping one of those off. The driver would get a (spoken) message from the Hotbox unit: <railroad> trackside analyser, milepost three two seven point five. First clearance alarm axle one one five from head of train. Critical. Second clearance alarm axle one one six from head of train. Critical. Third clearance alarm axle one one seven from head of train. Critical. Fourth clearance alarm axle one one eight from head of train. Critical. ... Oh well, at least they'd find out about the problem *real* fast, since they'd have to stop the train and walk it. -- Peter da Silva `-_-' peter@sugar.uu.net Have you hugged U your wolf today?
john@frog.UUCP (John Woods) (10/16/88)
In article <2818@sugar.uu.net>, peter@sugar.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: >There are other problems with keeping the SRB straight while the train turns >corners. These are, in order of the amount of damage they can do to the >booster, hills, trees, and railroad equipment. Well, the answer is simple: how about an SRB made entirely out of rubber? -- John Woods, Charles River Data Systems, Framingham MA, (617) 626-1101 ...!decvax!frog!john, john@frog.UUCP, ...!mit-eddie!jfw, jfw@eddie.mit.edu Goooooood Morning Discovery! -Robin Williams Abracadabra, 'press to MECO', America is back in space!