Abstract: A flexible branching apparatus in a superconducting magnetically levitated railway having a U-shaped guideway includes a flexible main beam, which is integrally disposed along the guideway at the center thereof and has cross-sectional rigidity that gradually decreases from a fixed end to a distal end thereof, the main beam consisting of paramagnetic steel; cross beams integrated with the main beam and consisting of paramagnetic steel; runway concrete panels laid between the cross beams and supported so as not to possess transverse rigidity; short-span concrete panels connected to vertical portions of the cross beams by hinge support means, the short-span concrete panels having ground coils mounted thereon and constructing side walls for guidance; a driving device for driving the distal end of the main beam so as to be capable of forming the main beam into an alignment that does not fall below a minimum radius of curvature decided from an acceleration level for riding comfort; and a stopping device and locking

Abstract: A side-wall beam is installed on a base for a guideway for a magnetic levitation vehicle. An elastic body is interposed between the side-wall beam and the base. Then, the side-wall beam is fastened to the base with a tendon on an imaginary line which extends through an intermediate portion of the elastic body in the transverse direction of the side-wall beam and which extends along the longitudinal direction of the side-wall beam. The elastic body is thereby held under compression between the side-wall beam and the base. The side-wall beam is supported on the base through the elastic body, and also fastened to the base, holding the elastic body under compression between the side-wall beam and the base. Reactive forces produced by the compression of the elastic body act to resist forces tending to cause the side-wall beam to fall over. Any displacement of the side-wall beam which may be caused by forces generated when the magnetic levitation vehicle passes can thereby be kept within a predetermined range.

Abstract: An improved propulsion system for a magnetically levitated vehicle comprising a vehicle mounted superconductor coil and a propulsion coil comprising an inner and outer coil wherein the levels of mutual inductance developed between the inner propulsion coil and the superconductor coil is about the same as the mutual inductance developed between the outer propulsion coil and the superconductor coil.

Abstract: A superconductive switch is provided with a pair of superconductive routes which are wound around a cylindrical core in a bifilar fashion. One superconductive wire is constituted of a pair of superconductive routes. The superconductive routes are twisted around each other at a uniform pitch. By virtue of the twisting, electromagnetic force which may exerted in the superconductive wires cancel each other, so that the wire-movement of the superconductive wire is restrained. Accordingly, the electrical current flowing through the superconductive switch can be increased.

Abstract: A superconductive magnetically levitated railway is provided with six phases of propulsion-levitation-guidance ground coils arranged on both side walls of a track, and with a pair of superconducting magnets, which are mounted on the vehicle, corresponding to the six phases of the ground coils. The ground coils are a U-phase coil, a negative W-phase coil, a V-phase coil, a negative U-phase coil, a W-phase coil and a negative V-phase coil arranged successively at a 60.degree. pitch along both side walls of the track. As a result, higher harmonics of the magnetic field produced by the propulsion-levitation-guidance ground coils can be reduced. In addition, the number of layers of the ground coils can be reduced one and the number of ground coils can be decreased.

Abstract: In order to produce a ground coil for a magnetically levitated railway, coils each composed of a conductor coiled in a plurality of turns are arranged in a metal mold, and a synthetic resin forming reactive liquid is injected and cured in the metal mold by reaction injection molding. Furthermore, a plurality of base coils are produced each composed of a coil conductor coiled in a plurality of turns in a desired shape, laid in two tiers and connected in series so as to form unit coils. Two unit coils are connected so that the winding directions of them are opposite to each other and guidance terminals are formed, thereby forming a pair of levitation and guidance coils. Two pairs of levitation and guidance coils are arranged on a single plane in a metal mold so that the positional relationship among the coils is constant, and a synthetic resin forming reactive liquid is injected and integrally cured by reaction injection molding.

Abstract: In a tire for a levitation-type vehicle for supporting a load which varies depending upon a change in speed of the levitation-type vehicle at landing and during subsequent traveling thereof, a configuration of a crown and rigidity of the crown are set so as to have a ground-contact configuration in which, when a load of the levitation-type vehicle is equal to or less than 45% at its full load, a ratio of a ground-contact length of a pair of shoulders in a circumferential direction of the tire with respect to a ground-contact length, in the circumferential direction of the tire, of a central portion of the crown in the widthwise direction is 0.6.about.1.5. Accordingly, the tire for the levitation-type vehicle has a wide ground-contact area at an initial stage of landing and traveling.

Abstract: A bogie frame for a railway vehicle has a pair of side beams made of fiber reinforced plastic material with a box-shaped cross section. A pair of cylindrical horizontal beams span between the paired side beams are formed of a fiber reinforced plastic material. A honeycomb core is filled up in an inner hollow portion of each of the side beams. A reinforcing member is further filled up in the honeycomb core. The coupling comprises a taper pad mounted to end portions of the horizontal beam and the taper sleeve. The taper pad is provided with tapering portions at its ends downwardly tapering from a central portion. The taper sleeve is fitted into a gap between an outer periphery of the tapering portion of the taper pad and an inner periphery of the hole of the side beam.

Abstract: A bearing is provided with a rolling element interposed between an outer ring and an inner ring thereof. The outer ring of the bearing is formed by integrating three elements, a metallic outer ring body having a path of rotation for the rolling elements, an insulating thin film made of a polymer elastic material having an electrical insulating property and covering a portion where the outer ring body is mounted to a housing, and a thin metallic plate provided on an outer surface of the insulating thin film.

Abstract: An aluminum composite material as a brake disk material for railroad vehicles is obtained by dispersing and mixing reinforcement particles of alumina, silicon carbide or the like into an aluminum alloy. The reinforcement particles are 5 to 100 .mu.m in diameter, and are dispersed uniformly in the alloy in an amount of 1 to 25% by weight. An extremely excellent brake disk material for railroad vehicles is thus provided which is light in weight and has high strength, good thermal conductivity and high wear resistance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a linear motor feeder system in which a linear motor is supplied with driving power from equipment on the ground. Divided armature coils are serially connected two by two to form sets of the armature coils, the junction between the two armature coils in each set is connected to one feeder and both ends of the set of armature coils are connected to two feeders via respective switches, and short-circuiting switches are connected between mutually adjacent ones of the feeders. By turning these switches ON and OFF in accordance with the position of a vehicle, the linear motor is driven by a single frequency converter connected across feeders which are in turn connected across both ends of the divided armature coils.

Abstract: A levitation, propulsion and guidance mechanism for an inductive repulsion-type magnetically levitated railway in which a vehicle runs along a track bed has superconducting coils fixedly arranged vertically on both sides of the truck of the vehicle at predetermined intervals therealong in a direction of travel of the vehicle. Propulsion coils are arranged on opposed walls of the track bed at predetermined intervals therealong in the direction of travel of said vehicle, and a propulsion power supply is connected to the propulsion conductor coils. Levitation-guidance conductor coils, each comprising upper and lower conductor coils positioned to have vertical symmetry, are disposed on sides of the propulsion conductor coils facing the superconducting coils and are arranged at predetermined intervals along the direction of travel of the vehicle.

Abstract: An inorganic hydraulic material composition containing reinforcing short fibers is sprayed without breakage thereof, by fluidizing reinforcing short fibers in a blast of compressed air, by blending the flow of the reinforced short fibers fluidized in the blast of compressed air with a dry mixture of an inorganic hydraulic material such as cement with an aggregate such as sand in a dry blending region, by introducing the resultant dry blend into a water-mixing region, by mixing the dry blend with water, and by spraying the resultant wet composition through a spray nozzle.

Abstract: A small-sized gas pressure welding machine for rails comprises a pressure application unit and an excess metal punching unit. The pressure application unit includes a positioning bed disposed along the rail feet of rails to be welded together, a movable pressure application clamp mechanism provided at one end of the positioning bed and a stationary pressure application clamp mechanism provided at the other end of the positioning bed. The movable clamp mechanism clamps the rail foot of one of the rails and provides an abutting pressure. The stationary clamp mechanism clamps the rail foot of the other rail and receives the abutting pressure.