Mark II Dual-Mode Vehicle Design and Analysis

In the Spring of 1998, the Virtual Corporation at Virginia Tech demonstrated the ability of Linear Switched Reluctance Propulsion (LSRP) to propel a vehicle on a track using only the interaction of a passive magnetic component carried on the vehicle with electromagnets built into the track. The Mark II project was a follow-on effort to complete a thorough design analysis of a second iteration vehicle which features the complete functionality of the original vehicle, with the addition of the ability to enter and exit the LSRP track system using remote control and an electric motor. The new vehicle also features certain design improvements in communications and structural rigidity. This paper elaborates on the process of design and analysis of the vehicle and ramp systems, including detail design drawings, finite element analysis of the vehicle chassis, powertrain subsystem analysis, and detailed analysis of the ramp surface contour design.