[14] Advances in transportation

Technological advances in transportation have included the development of superspeed trains, such as Japan’s ‘bullet train’ of the 1960s and Frances TGV (Train de Grand Vitesse) of the 1970s and 1980s. These advances gave engineers the inspiration to design such experimental railroad systems as the magnetic levitation*, or maglev train, which by the early 1990s had only short test systems set up in Germany and Japan. Improvements in power generation and transmission and concern for the air and noise pollution caused by diesel engines have prompted automobile makers to develop cars that will run on alternative types of fuel. One result has been the prototype of an electric car. A greater variety of ships, including submarine tankers and fast surface ships, have been developed. Other new types of vessels that are available include the hydrofoil**, which travels on sea wings with its hull*** above water, and the hovercraft****, which rides above the water on a cushion of air. The widespread use of atomic power for ship propulsion is a major research goal. STOL (short takeoff and landing), VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing), and supersonic aircraft have been adopted. These new technologies have made vehicles quieter. Passenger travel has improved in speed and comfort. Freight transport costs less because larger vehicles are used and operating efficiency has increased. The computer is used for record keeping, traffic control, navigation, and other routine operations.

In the more distant future, rocket transportation may become feasible, perhaps in combination with orbiting satellites, enabling all points on Earth to be connected in less than an hours travel time. Underground gravity vacuum tubes may permit freight and passengers to travel between stations thousands of miles apart also in less than an hour. Improvements may be expected in transportation management techniques. Some forms of transportation now under private ownership, management, and operation will increasingly depend on public financing or control, just as urban mass transit now does. Some forms of transportation will be integrated into multimodal organizations, both public and private, in order to move people and goods with a minimum of cost, inconvenience, and delay. Innovative communications systems, however, have already made much travel unnecessary. Teleconferencing enables people to hold meetings and see each other without having to travel. Computer networking makes cooperative work possible, without the workers leaving home or office.

Notes: *magnetic levitation – магнитная левитация (поднятие)

**hydrofoil – корабль на подводных крыльях

***hull – корпус

****hovercraft – судно на воздушной подушке

To be read after Lesson 6

[15] Bridges

The invention of the steam locomotive changed bridge building because stronger spans* were needed. Iron was first used for chain cables of a suspension bridge** over the Tees River, in England, in 1741. The flooring*** was laid directly upon the cables. Abraham Darby and John Wilkinson built the first iron bridge over the Severn River at Coalbrookdale, England, in 1779. This 100-foot (30-meter) arch bridge is still in service. Thomas Telford built the first modern iron arch bridge in 1813. It is Craig Ellachie Bridge over the Spey River, Scotland, with a 150-foot (46-meter) span. It was not built up of cast-iron blocks in imitation of masonry as were previous iron arch bridges but was the first to use an arch made up of iron trusses****. In 1819 – 1824 Telford built the forerunner of the modern suspension bridges – the 570-foot (174-meter) span over Menai Strait in Wales. It had wrought-iron***** chains for cables.

The first to design railroad bridges was George Stephenson, who with his son Robert invented the Rocket, the first practical locomotive. Robert Stephenson built the Britannia Tubular Bridge over Menai Strait in 1846. Its two boxlike tubes were made of iron plates riveted****** together. Many truss designs were patented in the 1850s for railroad bridges. After numerous failures of cast-iron bridges, wrought iron was used, then steel.

The first bridge to use steel extensively was the triple-arched Eads Bridge over the Mississippi at St. Louis, Mo., in 1874. It was an important link in the transcontinental railroad and made St. Louis a crossroads. This bridge was named after James B. Eads who designed it and was in charge of its construction. The modern era of steel arch building began in the 20th century. The Bayonne Bridge, completed in 1931 over Kill van Kull between New York and New Jersey, has a 1,652-foot (504-meter) span. Australia’s Sydney Harbor Bridge, finished in 1932, is only 2 feet (0.6 meter) shorter. At the turn of the 20th century, the construction of masonry arch bridges reached its peak. Then the more economical and easier to use concrete became common for arch bridges. Later, reinforced concrete******* and then prestressed concrete******** were used.

Notes: *span – пролёт моста

**suspension bridge – висячий мост

***flooring – настил

****truss – балка, ферма (моста)

*****wrought iron – кованое железо

******to rivet – приковывать

*******reinforced concrete – железобетон

********prestressed concrete – предварительно напряжённый бетон

To be read after Lesson 7