Technical and Economical Results of the Use of Air Cushion in Guided Ground Transportation

A tentative summary has been made of the possible impact of the use of air cushion in the field of passenger ground transportation aboard a guided vehicle, derived from more than fifteen years of research and development including over 1,000 hours of full-scale tests. Basic technical features of air cushion and especially of plenum chambers are recalled with their consequences on guideway and vehicle design, guideway-vehicle interaction and passenger comfort.

After giving proper consideration to the speed range in which convenient modes of propulsion can be associated with air cushion suspension to develop a technically feasible system, economical data are proposed. They show clearly the wide areas where air cushion vehicles of the described technology can be used.