Technology
uST Transport and Infrastructure Solutions based on the company’s patented engineering and know-how are characterized by high efficiency and minimal impact on the environment, as well as unprecedented reliability and safety in the transportation of passengers and cargo.
Key elements of the uST technology
uST Transport and Infrastructure Solutions are based on the technology of creating pre-stressed transport overpasses of a new generation, where the string rail is a key element. Such a rail is a steel or composite beam containing in its core a bundle of wires (strings) pre-stressed by tension and equipped with a rail head, along which passenger and cargo electric vehicles on steel wheels – uPods – move automatically at speeds up to 150 km/h (up to 500 km/h in the future).
Steel wheel:
- differences from railway wheel pair: independent suspension, cylinder-shaped wheel supporting surface, flat rail working surface
- 99,8% efficiency
- no slipping in the contact patch
- insignificant contact stress (about 200 Mpa)
- minor wheel rolling resistance
- symmetrical rail head wear
String rail:
- absence of joints and temperature seams
- high track evenness
- comfort and smooth running
- high movement speed
- minimum material consumption
Steel wheel
Steel rail head
String (a bundle of pre-stressed by tension steel cords)
Special filler
Rail body
- 1. Steel wheel
- 2. Steel rail head
- 3. String (a bundle of pre-stressed by tension steel cords)
- 4. Special filler
- 5. Rail body
The string rail track structure replicates the hanging bridge combining all of its primary components
String rail:
Support saddle
Rail body
(stiffening beam)
Suspension
(special filler)
String
(load-bearing cable)
Support
20 cm
20 cm
- 1. Rail body (stiffening beam)
- 2. Suspension (special filler)
- 3. Support saddle
- 4. String (load-bearing cable)
- 5. Support
Suspension bridge:
Load-bearing cable
Suspension
Support saddle
Stiffening beam
Support
15 m
15 m
- 1. Stiffening beam
- 2. Suspension
- 3. Support saddle
- 4. Load-bearing cable
- 5. Support
The horizontal load in the overpass (about a thousand tons, which, for example, is two orders of magnitude less than in hanging bridges) is taken by anchoring structures installed at a distance of up to 10 kilometers from each other. They can be combined with various purpose buildings, including passenger stations, cargo terminals and commercial premises. Supporting towers take up little vertical load, which eliminates the need to make them so massive and install them as often as in conventional elevated motor and rail roads or monorail systems. The spans without supports in uST can reach 2000 meters. This is important when crossing water barriers, passing over gorges, areas with residential or industrial buildings, lines of energy and transport communications, etc. Features of the prestressed structure and elimination of solid roadbed made it possible to reduce the material consumption and cost of string rail transport overpasses by an order of magnitude compared to traditional beam overpasses used in the construction of roads, railways and monorails.
The string rail track, pointwise installed on openwork supports, keeps the land intact, does not violate the established temperature regimes of permafrost, does not block the migration paths of animals and the movement of ground and surface waters. At the same time, a high level of safety is ensured by lifting the rolling stock to the second level above the ground, where there is absolutely no chance of a collision with moving objects located on the surface of the earth – cars, special and agricultural machinery, pedestrians, domestic and wild animals.
The uST transport overpass is resistant to frost (up to -60 °C), heat (up to +60 °C), snow drifts, river floods, earthquakes, storm winds, tsunamis and other extreme impacts, including vandalism and terrorist attacks, if such incidents are included in the project as possible with a probability of “1 time in 100 years”.
Competitive advantages
- Average capital expenses (CAPEX)*
- Travel speed in urban modes of transport*
- Comparison of carrying capacity of different modes of transport complexes
CAPEX $ mln/km
Monorail
Light rail transport
Ropeway
Metro
High-speed tram
High-speed railway transport
uST
* depends on the country of implementation and technical and economic indicators of the project (from open sources of information in average prices as of 01.07.2022)
Speed Average/Maximum, km/h
Ropeway
High-speed tram
Monorail
Light rail transport
Metro
uST
* based on public sources
Passengers per hour
Ropeway
High-speed tram
Monorail
Light rail transport
Metro
uST
* based on public sources
Comparison with different modes of urban transport
Passenger transport
rolling stock – 25 years
rolling stock – 25 years
rolling stock – 10-15 лет
Cargo transport
10 km/h – loaded stock
rolling stock – 25 years
rolling stock – 25 years
