Guideway prototypes

The research center has at its core the University of Texas Structural Engineering Group. The group is part of the Department of Civil Engineering, one of the top three departments in the U.S. The center is part of the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory, one of the largest structural engineering laboratories in the U.S. The testing and research facilities at the University will provide the technical resource to develop an optimized guideway design.

A key ingredient of the center is the partnering with Hirschfeld Steel, the only U.S. fabricator to ever fabricate a guideway. Their expertise and facilities will be used to fabricate a prototype guideway for installation at the test track in Germany. It is important that a fabricator be involved in all stages of the guideway development since it will be his fabrication costs which ultimately determine the economy of the design. In addition, engineering talent from consulting firms will be employed to broaden the design studies.

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Comments: fsel@www.utexas.edu