SkyWay Group: Difference between revisions
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==Evaluation of the SkyWay technology== |
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===Russia=== |
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The technology promoted by the '''SkyWay Group''' was assessed in Russia in 2008 and 2016. An earlier prototype of this technology was assessed in 2008 by the [[Moscow State University of Railway Engineering]] but it was subsequently dropped after they concluded that the project was "not viable and unsafe". According to their assessment, this technology is filled with a "large number of system defects and (is) almost unrealistic because it doesn’t provide an even path for the traffic". The report also quoted that "Passengers are at altitude from the ground level. Destruction of any string leads to deaths. The system is associated with great risk." In 2016, a Russian government panel that evaluated the technology called it "innovative, but only in theory".<ref name="2017JulyETControversy" /> |
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SkyWay overpasses are structures pre-stressed with tensioning. It is for this reason that the transport is called a string one. For the same reason, SkyWay proves to be the most economical and efficient version of a transport overpass, because among the four types of materials in stress-strain state: stretching, compression, bending, twisting, — the most favorable is stretching in terms of the most complete use of physical and mechanical properties of materials. For example, with an equal payload, a stretched cable with 10 cm diameter and 500 m length is a structure that is a thousand times less material-intensive than the Ostankino TV tower or a motor-road bridge with a span of 500 m, which is subjected to bending. |
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== Unrealized projects == |
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=== Russia === |
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In 2007 and 2008 pilot projects of the SkyWay technology were planned in Russian cities. But specialists of the [[Moscow State University of Railway Engineering]] gave a negative assessment of the project and it was not implemented.<ref name="letteraemme"/> |
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=== India === |
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In May 2017 a [[Memorandum of understanding|Memorandum of Understanding]] was signed by [[Sudhir Sharma]] the minister of Urban Development of the Northern Indian state [[Himachal Pradesh]] government with one of the SkyWay group companies. Although [[Sudhir Sharma]] said the facility would be started in the next three years, in July 2017 the Economic Times reported that the project ran into controversy when doubts were raised over the credentials of this Belarus-based company along with concerns over the suitability of this means of transport for the region. The congress government was criticised for "the decision to sign a memorandum of understanding with a company with no operational projects anywhere in the world" and doubts were raised over the safety and viability of the project.<ref name="2017JulyETControversy">{{cite news|last1=Venugopal|first1=Vasudha|title=Doubts raised over Belarus company credential for Rs 250-crore skyway transport project in Dharamshala|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/doubts-raised-over-belarus-company-credential-for-rs-250-crore-skyway-transport-project-in-dharamshala/articleshow/59568813.cms|accessdate=15 July 2017|work=The Economic Times|date=13 July 2017}}</ref> |
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An overpasses consist of anchor supports accepting horizontal load from stretching and installed with a span of up to 5 km, intermediate supports located at a distance of 50—2000 m and more from each other, and thin composite string rails. Thus, the rail track, along which an electric car runs on steel wheels, can be at most light, durable and smooth, which ensures high speed and comfort of traffic. At the same time, if you make a track structure continuous, without extension seams along the whole length, then it is possible to increase the bearing capacity of the overpass twice. The small diameter of the composite string rail and its location above the ground at 5 m height allow to get rid of the so-called airfoil effect, which degrades the aerodynamic properties of transport when driving at high speeds at least twice and, as a result, increase the power consumption proportionally. The essence of this effect consists in a sharp increase in aerodynamic drag near the screening surface (earth, water, roadway) due to the dynamic air blowdown under the bottom of a vehicle. Nothing like this occurs in SkyWay systems, as there is no screening surface — the rail is actually stretched in the air. |
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== Financial irregularities == |
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=== Lithuania === |
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At speeds above 350 km/h (and SkyWay string transport is being designed for speeds up to 600 km/h), removal of the airfoil effect becomes one of the decisive factors, since in these speed modes more than 90% of the drive power is spent to overcome air resistance. The remaining 10% of the power is spent to overcome the rolling resistance of the wheel. In SkyWay, the "steel wheel — steel rail" support system is used having the efficiency factor of 99.8%, since it is possible to move a bogie weighing one ton along a horizontal rail track with a force of two kilograms. At high speeds, losses here are two orders of magnitude lower than those in the system "pneumatic tire — asphalt-concrete roadbed" and several times less than in other systems — with air and magnetic cushion. |
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In 2014, the company planned to build its first test site in [[Lithuania]], but this project was cancelled at the end of 2014 due to suspicions of financial fraud from the Bank of [[Lithuania]], which warned investors that unidentified individuals invited Lithuanian residents to invest in "next-generation string transport" by acquiring on-line shares of the private limited company without a prospectus approved by a competent authority.<ref name="lbltwarning"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/transport/?doc=96284|title=Investment project from Yunitskiy in Siauliai – threat to national security?|last=курс|first=The Baltic Course - Балтийский|work=The Baltic Course {{!}} Baltic States news & analytics|access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref> The prosecutor's office in Vilnius decided, however, to stop its investigations in May 2017.<ref name="lietuvos">{{Cite news|url=http://www.delfi.lt/verslas/verslas/lietuvos-bankas-oro-traukinius-zadancio-a-junickio-veikloje-sukciavimo-pozymiai.d?id=65880462|title=Lietuvos bankas: "oro traukinius" žadančio A. Junickio veikloje – sukčiavimo požymiai|last=Černiauskas|first=Šarūnas|work=DELFI|access-date=2017-03-01}}</ref><ref name="tbc2017>{{Cite news|url=http://bnn-news.com/genuine-investment-project-boondoggle-scheme-lithuania-national-security-threat-119828|title=A genuine investment project? A boondoggle? A scheme? Lithuania: a national security threat first|date=2014-09-25|work=Baltic News Network - News from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia|access-date=2017-03-01|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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The unmanned rolling stock in SkyWay runs along a string-rail overpass elevated above the ground, beyond the zone of possible collision with other vehicles, people, animals and other objects, which additionally increases the level of traffic safety and opens the possibility of all-weather operation by excluding the so-called human factor. The same aspect — movement of rail vehicles above the ground — combined with an unprecedentedly low level of energy consumption (up to 1 liter in fuel equivalent per 100 km at 100 km/h speed) makes SkyWay transport complexes friendly at most to the environment. The land under the tracks can be used for creating parks and farming. Natural biogeocenoses and migration routes of animals can be preserved in the extensive territories on the way of track construction. The hydrology of soil will not be disrupted, as it happens in case of building roads and railways today. |
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=== Belgium === |
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In September 2017, the Belgian [[Financial Services and Markets Authority (Belgium)|Financial Services and Markets Authority]] (FSMA) issued a warning concerning Skyway Capital who were offering investment to the public without a prospectus approved by the FSMA, as required by Belgian law. The FSMA further stated that "the scheme proposed by SkyWay Capital exhibits the characteristics of a pyramid scheme."<ref>[https://www.fsma.be/en/warnings/first-skyway-invest-group-limited-skyway-capital First Skyway Invest Group Limited ("Skyway Capital")], Financial Services and Markets Authority, 22 September 2017.</ref> |
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=== Italy === |
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In January 2018 The Italian Companies and Exchange Commission CONFOB – a governmental organisation – banned the advertisement and sale of SkyWay shares in Italy.<ref name="letteraemme">{{cite web|title=Sky Way, l’azienda del “tram volante” che non ha mai realizzato un progetto|date=2018-07-20|url=http://www.letteraemme.it/2018/07/20/sky-way-lazienda-del-tram-volante-che-non-ha-mai-realizzato-un-progetto/|website=letteraemme.it|access-date=2019-02-04}}</ref> |
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=== Other countries === |
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In 2018, the authorities of [[New Zealand]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Skyway Capital/Skyway Group |url=https://fma.govt.nz/news-and-resources/warnings-and-alerts/skyway-capitalskyway-group/ |website=Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand) |accessdate=16 February 2019}}</ref>, [[Germany]] and [[Greece]] issued an official warning about investing money in SkyWay, specifying that the company had no license to offer investments in the country.<ref>[https://behindmlm.com/mlm-reviews/skyway-capital-regulatory-warnings-issued-in-greece-germany/ Skyway Capital regulatory warnings issued in Greece & Germany] BehindMLM</ref><ref> [https://www.bafin.de/SharedDocs/Veroeffentlichungen/DE/Verbrauchermitteilung/weitere/2018/vm_181108_first_skyway_invest_group.html First Skyway Invest Group Ltd: Anhaltspunkte für fehlenden Verkaufsprospekt] BaFin</ref> |
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==See also== |
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* [[Suspension railway]] |
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* [[Automated guideway transit]] |
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==Notes and references== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==External links== |
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*[http://yunitskiy.com/author/english.htm Anatoly Yunitskiy official web-site] |
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*[http://rsw-systems.com Official website of SkyWay group of companies] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:String Transport}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:String Transport}} |
Revision as of 11:47, 26 February 2019
![]() | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (May 2017) |
SkyWay Group of Companies includes GTI, UniSky Corp., as well as the company-developer of SkyWay technology ― SkyWay Technologies Co. The above companies are not engaged in attracting investments, they own the intellectual property of SkyWay Project directly or indirectly, and also are engaged in its implementation.
The work on attracting investment is in charge of the investment companies SkyWay Capital and SkyWay Invest Group. They act as “stores” that sell the shares of SkyWay Group of Companies and retain part of the funds received as remuneration. Neither Anatoli Yunitski nor SkyWay Group of Companies are liable for their work - these investment companies choose themselves the methods that are suitable and profitable for them to work with.
SkyWay overpasses are structures pre-stressed with tensioning. It is for this reason that the transport is called a string one. For the same reason, SkyWay proves to be the most economical and efficient version of a transport overpass, because among the four types of materials in stress-strain state: stretching, compression, bending, twisting, — the most favorable is stretching in terms of the most complete use of physical and mechanical properties of materials. For example, with an equal payload, a stretched cable with 10 cm diameter and 500 m length is a structure that is a thousand times less material-intensive than the Ostankino TV tower or a motor-road bridge with a span of 500 m, which is subjected to bending.
An overpasses consist of anchor supports accepting horizontal load from stretching and installed with a span of up to 5 km, intermediate supports located at a distance of 50—2000 m and more from each other, and thin composite string rails. Thus, the rail track, along which an electric car runs on steel wheels, can be at most light, durable and smooth, which ensures high speed and comfort of traffic. At the same time, if you make a track structure continuous, without extension seams along the whole length, then it is possible to increase the bearing capacity of the overpass twice. The small diameter of the composite string rail and its location above the ground at 5 m height allow to get rid of the so-called airfoil effect, which degrades the aerodynamic properties of transport when driving at high speeds at least twice and, as a result, increase the power consumption proportionally. The essence of this effect consists in a sharp increase in aerodynamic drag near the screening surface (earth, water, roadway) due to the dynamic air blowdown under the bottom of a vehicle. Nothing like this occurs in SkyWay systems, as there is no screening surface — the rail is actually stretched in the air.
At speeds above 350 km/h (and SkyWay string transport is being designed for speeds up to 600 km/h), removal of the airfoil effect becomes one of the decisive factors, since in these speed modes more than 90% of the drive power is spent to overcome air resistance. The remaining 10% of the power is spent to overcome the rolling resistance of the wheel. In SkyWay, the "steel wheel — steel rail" support system is used having the efficiency factor of 99.8%, since it is possible to move a bogie weighing one ton along a horizontal rail track with a force of two kilograms. At high speeds, losses here are two orders of magnitude lower than those in the system "pneumatic tire — asphalt-concrete roadbed" and several times less than in other systems — with air and magnetic cushion.
The unmanned rolling stock in SkyWay runs along a string-rail overpass elevated above the ground, beyond the zone of possible collision with other vehicles, people, animals and other objects, which additionally increases the level of traffic safety and opens the possibility of all-weather operation by excluding the so-called human factor. The same aspect — movement of rail vehicles above the ground — combined with an unprecedentedly low level of energy consumption (up to 1 liter in fuel equivalent per 100 km at 100 km/h speed) makes SkyWay transport complexes friendly at most to the environment. The land under the tracks can be used for creating parks and farming. Natural biogeocenoses and migration routes of animals can be preserved in the extensive territories on the way of track construction. The hydrology of soil will not be disrupted, as it happens in case of building roads and railways today.