Tubeloop

Zeleros and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) have presented the “Tubeloop”, a novel tube manufacturing and assembly method, that will boost hyperloop infrastructure scalability, accelerating route deployment processes while reducing construction costs.

The tubes are made of a composite material that consists of three layers: The inner and outer layers are made of a material such as fiber reinforced plastic or a fiber metal laminate, giving the tube the structural resistance. The core layer in between is made of a polymeric or a cement-based foam that provides thermal and acoustic isolation properties to the tube.

The manufacturing of the tubes is simple and fully automatic At the factory, the inner and outer layers are created by getting two flat skins. Then, a chemical reaction binds these skins together with the inner core, obtaining a rigid structure that can be folded. Finally, the valves, the globes and the partially sealed vacuum bags are introduced and the tube is wrapped so it is ready for transportation. As the tubes are wrapped, one truck can transport dozens of tubes altogether, minimizing transportation costs and carbon footprint radically.

Once the trucks reach the construction site, the prefabricated composite material is unloaded and unwrapped. Then, the different globes can be inflated until they reach the desired size. The foam core is injected in between the fiber skins and starts curing. After that, the globe is removed and starts the infusion phase, where the epoxy resin is injected with the vacuum bag. and finally, the coatings are applied to give it the desired finish. The track mounting phase is simple thanks to the Tubeloop technology, as the tubes are lightweight and can be installed in parallel, accelerating the construction process while minimizing transportation costs Also, joints are simplified as the thermal expansion is minimized.

The main benefits of the Tubeloop technology are: resistance to corrosion, weight reduction, radically lower thermal expansion, dimensional stability, reduction of the carbon footprint of the transportation of tubes, lower risks due to lower tube weights, and good thermal and acoustic isolation

Tubeloop, a more scalable tube technology, to accelerate hyperloop development and the deployment of routes worldwide, made in Valencia by UPV and Zeleros.