Will PRT guideways withstand earthquakes and high winds?
The elevated guideway is designed to the local code for maximum accelerations during earthquakes and the maximum expected wind load. The guideway is a small, light-weight, flexible, steel structure with thermal expansion joints in every span, a configuration well suited to surviving earthquakes and high winds. The possibility of aeroelastic coupling such as caused the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge has been studied, and it was found that features that prevent such catastrophes are exactly those selected for the Taxi 2000 guideway for other reasons. Return to Top of Page.
