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Design of Passenger Aerial Ropeway for Urban Environment

Article · January 2019

DOI: 10.1007/s40864-018-0099-z

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Urban Rail Transit
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40864-018-0099-z http://www.urt.cn/

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

Design of Passenger Aerial Ropeway for Urban Environment

Alexander V. Lagerev1 • Igor A. Lagerev2

Received: 16 November 2018 / Revised: 5 December 2018 / Accepted: 14 December 2018

 The Author(s) 2019

Abstract Aerial ropeway is an effective alternative to the Keywords Aerial passenger ropeway  Urban
conventional modes of land public transport in metropoli- environment  Step of towers  Height of towers 
tan areas and cities. Construction of passenger aerial Optimization  Cost
ropeways in urban environment is a very costly enterprise
in terms of engineering and economics, and requires sig- List of Symbols
nificant financial resources. This article is aimed at the aTnk The thermal elongation coefficient of the
development of the design method of the passenger aerial carrying rope
ropeway, ensuring the reduction in its construction cost. [b] The critical slope angle to the horizon of
For this purpose, the individual components of the con- the carrying ropes
struction cost are considered, and the approximate calcu- gm The coefficient of the wind reduction on
lation dependencies are proposed. It is shown that the cost the m-th carrying rope for the row of
of the aerial ropeway is mainly influenced by the installa- parallel ropes [28]
tion step, height of intermediate towers and carrying rope lm ; lwm The irregularity coefficients of distribution
tension. The task of the conditional nonlinear optimization of weight and wind loads on the m-th
of the given parameters is formulated and solved in the carrying rope from the passenger cabin
research. This task ensures the minimum cost of the aerial w The coefficient of the tower structure
ropeway. The optimization task is done by taking into reinforcement when there is tension
account possible limitations on the ropeway laying in the Tk max ¼ Rkn =½nk having the maximum
severely urbanized environment (the terrain, urban infras- value under the permissible strength
tructure arrangement, altitude performance of the urban condition
development, technical characteristics of the carrying rope, wf The coefficient of the permissible rope sag
etc.). Implementing the solution findings of the given between the towers
optimization task makes it possible to significantly reduce Acab The projected area of the cabin on the
the construction cost of aerial ropeways in urban vertical plane
environment. CA, CB The cost of the station buildings, A and B
CeA ; CeB The cost of the technological equipment
& Alexander V. Lagerev mounted at A and B stations
[email protected] Cti ; Cfi ; Cei The unit cost of the metal structures,
foundation and set of technological
1
Institute of Fundamental and Applied Research, Academician equipment for the i-th intermediate tower
I.G. Petrovskii Bryansk State University, Bryansk, Russia
241036
Ckt ; Ckn The cost of 1 running meter of the hauling
2
and carrying ropes
Academician I.G. Petrovskii Bryansk State University,
Bryansk, Russia 241036
CsAðBÞ The cost of 1 m2 of the station building
A(B)
Communicated by Xuesong Zhou.

123
 Urban Rail Transit

Cwkn ; Cwcab The aerodynamic coefficients of the Qcab The vertical concentrated load of the
carrying ropeway and cabin weight of passenger cabins
dkn The maximum diameter of the carrying Rkn The aggregate strength of the carrying
rope, determined from the condition of the rope
aggregate strength Rkn ðdkn max Þ The aggregate strength of the maximum
dkt max ; dkn max The maximum diameters of the hauling diameter of the chosen construction
and carrying ropes Sk The horizontal longitudinal tension force
dkn min The minimum diameters of the hauling of the rope
and carrying ropes SfAðBÞ ; hfAðBÞ The area and height of the building floor
f The maximum rope sag A (B)
hcab The vertical dimension of the passenger t The temperature
cabin along with the suspension system tmax The maximum ambient temperature
HAðBÞ The height of the location of the station Tk The axial tension forces of the carrying
boarding site A (B) rope on the tower
Htg The height of the intermediate tower udj ; Dudj The coordinate of the center and half-
Ht max The limiting height of the intermediate width of the j-th exclusion zone
height vmin The minimum permissible height of
½it  The permissible longitudinal slope of the proximity of passenger cabins to the
arrangement of the carrying rope fastener ground
assemblies to the neighboring intermediate w0 The regulatory wind pressure
towers
It The number of intermediate towers
Jd The number of exclusion zones
kwkn ; kwcab The coefficient of the wind pressure
increase, depending on the height for the 1 Introduction
rope and cabin
lk The length of the rope, taking into account Aerial ropeways are widely used as continuous transport
its sagging in the span between adjacent for organization of passenger and cargo carriage in many
intermediate towers countries worldwide [1, 2]. Passenger aerial ropeways are
LAB The distance between the boarding mostly used for rapid and convenient movement of people
stations to the sports, tourist, ecological and health-improving
Lcab The distance between the neighboring facilities within nature areas with difficult terrain which are
passenger cabins difficult to access [3, 4]. Cargo ropeways are used in many
Lt The distance between the neighboring sectors of economics for transportation of different cargos.
towers The industries where one can see the use of cargo ropeways
Lt max ; Lt min The maximum and minimum limiting are mining, coal, chemical, metallurgical, power, timber
distances between the intermediate towers and agricultural [5–8]. According to the data of the com-
nkn The number of carrying ropes parative techno-economic study [2, 9–11], aerial ropeways
ncab The number of passenger cabins, which are more economically and environmentally beneficial than
are within one span land transport (road, conveyor and rail), especially in cases
½nk The minimum rope safety factor when the terrain, high density of the housing and industrial
pcab The horizontal transverse statistic development and various urban planning restrictions
component of the wind pressure on the impede the development of the ground traffic.
passenger cabin The theory of passenger and cargo aerial ropeways was
pkn The horizontal transverse statistic actively developed in the middle of the 20th century. At the
component of the wind pressure on the same time, the studies in the area were conducted in
carrying ropes England, Austria, Germany, Italy, Russia and other coun-
qkn The vertical uniformly distributed load of tries [1, 2, 5].
the dead weight of the rope with intensity As it is shown in the related literatures [2, 6, 9, 11, 12],
qRkn The resultant of the transverse distributed aerial ropeways are an effective alternative to the con-
load on the carrying rope ventional modes of land public transport in metropolitan
areas and cities. Aerial ropeways may be labeled as high-
speed urban transport. The average speed of the passenger

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Urban Rail Transit

cabins may be from 18 to 40 km/h [9, 10, 13]. This value is directly depend on the number of intermediate towers
higher than an average travel speed of the conventional along the line of the ropeway, i.e., dependent on the step of
land transport in straitened urban conditions. In addition, their installation. The installation step and the height of
the problem of transport accessibility is becoming intermediate towers are related. With increasing step, it is
increasingly important when evaluating projects for the needed to increase the height in order to ensure the mini-
modernization of transport infrastructure in major urban mum permissible height of proximity of passenger cabins
centers [14]. This indicator is an apparent advantage of to the ground. Therefore, reduction of the installation step
aerial ropeways as well. of towers will result in the growth of their total cost due to
A detailed review of exploitation of aerial ropeways in the increase in the number of the towers. However, the unit
different cities is given in [2, 13, 15]. In the urbanized cost will decline due to the decrease in its height. With
environment, aerial ropeways have begun to play an active increasing step, the unit cost of the tower and the cost of
role in the last 10*15 years [16]. Therefore, due to the the cables will grow, although the number of the inter-
lack of theoretical studies and scientific publications on the mediate towers along the line of the ropeway will decrease.
topic, at present a lot of specific questions related to The influence of the step and height on cost of the ropeway
designing, calculation and modeling of operational pro- is shown in Fig. 1. At low height values of the intermediate
cesses in aerial ropeways should be considered specifically towers, an essential element of the ropeway cost is the cost
for the urbanized environment. Among the early publica- of the boarding stations (buildings and installed equip-
tions on the issue is the research presented in [17]. Ques- ment). Therefore, the influence of the step installation (i.e.,
tions related to the productivity, cost and possibility of the number of the towers along the line) is barely visible.
applying of cable-propelled systems in the urban environ- With increasing height of the intermediate towers, a per-
ment are considered in the article. A number of papers centage of their cost in the total cost of the ropeway line
addressed the issues of the effect of climatic factors (wind rises rapidly, and the influence of the tower step becomes
and air temperature difference) on the dynamics of pas- significant.
senger cabins and the cable system of aerial ropeways It is clear that the arrangement of the intermediate
[18, 19]; calculation of strength and tension of carrying towers of the ropeway is the task of technical and economic
ropes [20–22]; safety of passenger transportation [2, 3]. optimization. The aim of optimization is to provide the
The research problem of passenger aerial ropeways not minimum cost of the erection of boarding stations, inter-
only includes the technical aspect. For example, [4] deals mediate towers, procurement of hauling and carrying
with the questions of social and economic impact of aerial cables and the set of technological equipment installed on
ropeway construction on the development of adjacent the tower [24]. Statement and solving of the optimization
areas; [23] addresses the issues of acquiring rights to the air problem make it possible to substantially reduce the costs
space in urban environments for ropeways. To date, the of construction of passenger aerial ropeways in the
economic aspects of the construction of ropeways have not urbanized environment [2, 25].
been sufficiently discussed in previously published articles.
However, it is these aspects that determine the prospects
and economic feasibility of modernizing the urban trans-
port infrastructure on the basis of passenger aerial
ropeways.

2 Statement of the Research Task

Construction of the passenger aerial ropeway in the

severely urbanized environment is a very costly enterprise
in terms of engineering and economics [2, 24, 25]. The
construction cost includes the costs of development effort,
design and survey works, construction and assembling
operations, purchase of the necessary mechanical equip-
ment, creating an automated traffic management system,
etc. A significant component of the total cost is the cost of
construction of boarding stations, construction and erection
of intermediate towers along the aerial ropeway, procure- Fig. 1 The influence of the step and height of intermediate towers on
ment of hauling and carrying steel cables. The costs the cost of ropeway line

123
 Urban Rail Transit

3 Mathematical Model of Passenger Aerial The construction cost of boarding stations may vary
Ropeway Line considerably, depending on their architecture versions. At
the initial stage of aerial ropeway designing, the con-
A design diagram of the section of an aerial ropeway line struction cost of boarding stations CA and CB may be
between two neighboring boarding stations (stations A and determined as follows:
B) is shown in Fig. 2. In this figure, there are v0 ðuÞ—the  
earth surface profile along the aerial ropeway line; vðuÞ— CAðBÞ ¼ CsAðBÞ SfAðBÞ =hfAðBÞ HAðBÞ :
carrying ropes sagging line; vmin ðuÞ—the line of permis- The cost of the intermediate tower Ct depends on its
sible minimum proximity of the passenger cabin to the structure and height Ht. The cost may be approximated by
ground; vfact ðuÞ—the line of factual proximity of the pas- the power regression expression [24, 25]
senger cabin to the ground.
The construction costs of this section C comprise several Ct ¼ Ct0 Htat ; ð2Þ
components: where Ct0 and at —the empirical coefficients. For example,
• the cost of the buildings of boarding stations A and B; in [24, 25], they were obtained by the statistical data
• the cost of the technological equipment mounted inside manipulation of the cost of metal towers having the same
A and B stations; structure and different heights, which are produced by the
• the cost of the metal structures of the intermediate industry for aerial ropeways.
towers and the foundation under them; Due to the need for the tension of hauling and carrying
• the cost of the technological equipment mounted on the ropes, it is required to reinforce the structure of towers,
towers; thus increasing their mass and manufacturing cost. It is
• the cost of the hauling and carrying ropes. convenient to consider this fact by increasing the design
height of towers, compared to their physical height Htg , in
The cost value C is calculated as follows: proportion to the accepted tension of the carrying ropes Sk.
X
i¼It
  Therefore, in Eq. (2), it is necessary to use the design
C ¼ CA þ CB þ CeA þ CeB þ Cti þ Cfi þ Cei height of the intermediate tower:
i¼1  
ð1Þ Ht ¼ Htg 1 þ w½nk Sk =Rkn
X
m¼I t þ1

þ ðCkt þ nkn Ckn Þ lkm :

The performance specification and cost of hauling and
m¼1
carrying ropes for aerial ropeways are dependent of their
diameter dk. As it is shown in [25], they may be determined
using the approximate regression dependences:

Fig. 2 A design diagram of the optimized aerial ropeway section line between two neighboring boarding stations (A and B)

123
Urban Rail Transit

• dead weight of the 1 running meter of the rope length It is convenient to replace concentrated loads Qcab with
qk ¼ qk0 dk2 ; distributed ones with intensity
qcab ¼ Qcab =nkn Lcab :
• aggregate strength of the rope (breaking tension)
Rk ¼ rk0 þ rk1 dk þ rk2 dk2 ; The resultant of the transverse distributed load on the m-
th carrying rope is determined as follows [24, 26]:
• cost of 1 running meter of the rope length qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi
qRknm ¼ ðqcabm þqkn Þ2 þðpcab þpknm Þ2
Ck ¼ ck0 þ ck1 dk þ ck2 dk2 ; " 
2 Qcab 2
where qk0 ; rk0 ; rk1 ; rk2 ; ck0 ; ck1 ; ck2 —the empirical coeffi- ¼ qkn0 dkn þlm
cients, obtained from the statistical manipulation of the nkn Lcab
data on the dead weight, aggregate strength and cost of the   #0:5
2 Acab 2
ropes of different diameters (using the method of least þw0 gm Cwkn kwkn dkn þlwm Cwcab kwcab :
nkn Lcab
squares). For example, these coefficients for the ropes
employed in the Russian Federation are given in
[2, 24, 25]. The carrying ropes also undergo dynamic stresses from
A design diagram of the section of the aerial ropeway the swaying of passenger cabins during their movement
line between the neighboring intermediate towers is shown and swaying of the ropes themselves under the wind
in Fig. 3. The sagging of the carrying rope is formed under pressure. To take into account these dynamic effects, the
several forces: dynamic coefficient wd [ 1 is used.
Depending on the ratio of the horizontal tension of the
• vertical uniformly distributed load of the dead weight carrying rope Sk, length of the (i ? 1)-th span between the
of the rope with intensity qkn ; neighboring i-th and (i ? 1)-th towers Ltiþ1 and the dif-
• vertical concentrated load of the weight of passenger ference of the elevation marks of the rope fastenings on
cabins Qcab ; these towers
• horizontal longitudinal tension force of the rope Sk;
Dviþ1 ¼ ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ;
• horizontal transverse statistic component of the wind
pressure on the passenger cabin pcab ; various shapes of the carrying rope sagging are possible
• horizontal transverse statistic component of the wind [20]:
pressure on the carrying ropes pkn .

Fig. 3 The design diagram of

the section of the aerial ropeway
line between the neighboring
intermediate towers

123
 Urban Rail Transit

• shape I (the section of the maximum sagging is within the surface of the criterion Kf = 1 will shift along the axis
the span, between the intermediate towers, shown Dvi in direct proportion.
in Fig. 3); When the relative value of the rope bending deflection is
• shape II (the section of the maximum sagging is outside fi =Lti \ 0.1 (specific to aerial ropeways), with an error
the span); lower than 1.3% [7], the geometrical line of the carrying
• shape III (the section of the maximum sagging coin- rope sagging in shape I in the (i ? 1)-th span between the
cides with one of the towers). neighboring i-the and (i ? 1)-the towers in the coordinate
system x0y (Fig. 3) may be expressed with the parabolic
The sagging shape of the carrying ropes is determined
equation
by the criterion Kf [2, 25]
vkn ðui uuiþ1 Þ
qRkn L2tiþ1 qRkn L2tiþ1 8
Kf ¼ ¼ : > qRkn ðuui Þ2
2Sk Dviþ1 2Sk ½ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ >
> v þH w ; ui uui þaiþ1
< 0i tgi d
2Sk
When Kf 62 ð1; þ1Þ, shape I of the sagging is imple- ¼
>
> q ðL uÞ2
mented; when Kf 2 ð1; þ1Þ, shape II is implemented; >
: v0iþ1 þHtgiþ1 wd Rkn ti ;ui þaiþ1 uui þLti
2Sk
when Kf ¼ 1, shape III is implemented.
The criterion Kf is convenient for determining the level ð3Þ
difference value of the attachment point arrangements of The maximum rope sag fiþ1 is
the carrying rope on the neighboring intermediate towers,  
qRkn aiþ1 ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ
when the possible sagging shapes are implemented. If fiþ1 ¼ aiþ1 wd þ
2Sk uiþ1  ui
Dviþ1 \qRkn L2tiþ1 =2Sk ; ð4Þ
then shape I of the sagging will be implemented; otherwise, and it is situated in the section at a distance of aiþ1 and biþ1
shape II will be implemented; under conditions of equality, from the adjacent towers i and i ? 1 (Fig. 3):
shape III will be implemented.  
In Fig. 4, the surface configuration of the criterion Kf- 1 2Sk

aiþ1 ¼ Ltiþ1  ðv0iþ1 þHtgiþ1 Þðv0i þHtgi Þ ;

= 1 is shown, when there are the intervals of characteristic 2 qRkn Ltiþ1
changes Sk, Lti and qRkn ¼ const, specific for the aerial ð5Þ
ropeway lines. The locus of points below the surface cor-  
1 2Sk

responds to shape I of the carrying rope sagging; the locus biþ1 ¼ Ltiþ1 þ ðv0iþ1 þHtgiþ1 Þðv0i þHtgi Þ :
2 qRkn Ltiþ1
of points above the surface corresponds to shape II of the
carrying rope sagging; the locus of points immediately on ð6Þ
the surface corresponds to shape III of the carrying rope The length of the carrying rope in the span between the
sagging. For the values qRkn which are different from the towers i and i ? 1 will be approximately
value qRkn = 200 N/m, accepted for the graph construction,  2 2   2 2 
2 qRkn aiþ1 2 qRkn biþ1
lkiþ1  aiþ1 1 þ wd þ biþ1 1 þ wd
24S2k 24S2k

and its maximum diameter, determined from the condition

of the aggregate strength, can be found as the maximum
value of two values:
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 
dkn ¼ 0:5 2  4r ðr  ½n T Þ  r
rk1 =rk2 ; ð7Þ
k2 k0 k ki k1

qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi 
dkn ¼ 0:5 2
rk1  4rk2 ðrk0  ½nk Tkiþ1 Þ  rk1 =rk2 : ð8Þ

The axial tension forces of the carrying rope Tki ; Tkiþ1

on the towers i and i ? 1 equal
Tki ¼ Sk = cos½arctgðwd qRkn aiþ1 =Sk Þ;
Tkiþ1 ¼ Sk = cos½arctgðwd qRkn biþ1 =Sk Þ:
Taking into account the required values of the minimum
Fig. 4 The criterion surface Kf = 1 when qRkn = 200 N/m diameter of the carrying rope for every It þ 1 bay of the

123
Urban Rail Transit

aerial ropeway line, completely its minimum diameter is • heights of the intermediate towers Htgi ði 2 ½1 ; It Þ and
selected to be equal to the maximum diameter determined heights of the boarding stations HA ¼ Htgi¼0 and
from Eqs. (7) and (8). HB ¼ Htgi¼It þ1 ;
Passenger aerial ropeways can be exploited in the • tension forces of the carrying ropes Sk.
environment conditions which have significant fluctuations
The vector of controlled characteristics is formed from
in air temperatures during the year or over the years.
them:
Exploitation of the aerial ropeway at temperatures t, dif-
ferent from the accepted design value t0, results in changes fxgT ¼ fx1 x2 . . . xn . . . xN g
of the carrying rope length between the intermediate towers ¼ fHA HB Sk u1 u2 . . . uIt Htg1 Htg2 . . . HtgIt g:
in proportion to the thermal elongation coefficient of the
carrying rope aTnk : The number of the vector components is N ¼ 2It þ 3.
When the distances (specific to aerial ropeways) between
lkiþ1 ðtÞ ¼ lkiþ1 ðt0 Þ þ aTnk ðt  t0 ÞLti :
the neighboring boarding stations are LAB from 3 to 5 km,
Thermal length change of the carrying ropes under the the number of variables in the optimization task will be N,
constant tension value Sk ðt0 Þ ¼ Sk ðtÞ ¼ const may be whose values is within 20 to 100.
expressed as the change in the tension force Sk ðtÞ 6¼ Sk ðt0 Þ The task of optimization of the aerial ropeway line
under the constant temperature equal to the design value between the neighboring boarding stations, taking into
t ¼ t0 ¼ const. From the condition of the change equiva- account the surface relief and characteristics of the urban
lence of the rope length in both cases, tension Sk ðtÞ for development, ultimately comes to minimizing the objective
shape I of the carrying rope sagging is determined by function (the total cost of construction) when the number of
solving the nonlinear equation: the intermediate towers is fixed It ¼ const. Taking into
 2 2   2 2  Eq. (1), the objective function is determined as follows:
2 qRkn aiþ1 ðtÞ 2 qRkn biþ1 ðtÞ    
aiþ1 ðtÞ 1þwd þbiþ1 ðtÞ 1þwd CsA SfA CsB SfB
24S2k ðtÞ 24S2k ðtÞ OðfxgÞjIt ¼const ¼ x1 þ x2 þ CeA þ CeB
  2 2   2 2 
hfA hfB
q a 2 qRkn biþ1 i¼It
X 
 aiþ1 1þw2d Rkn iþ1 þb iþ1 1þw d þ Ct 0i xaiþI
ti afi
þ Cf 0i xiþI þ Cei þðCkt þ nkn Ckn Þ
24S2k 24S2k t þ3 t þ3
i¼1
aTkn ðtt0 ÞLti ¼0: X
m¼I t þ1
  
w2 q2 a2
 am ðxmþIt þ2 ; xmþIt þ3 ; xmþ2It þ2 ; xmþ2It þ3 Þ 1 þ d Rkn2 m
ð9Þ m¼1
6x3
 2 2 2

w q b
In this equation, the distances aiþ1 ðtÞ and biþ1 ðtÞ are the þ bm ðxmþIt þ2 ; xmþIt þ3 ; xmþ2It þ2 ; xmþ2It þ3 Þ 1 þ d Rkn2 m ! min:
6x3
functions of the sought quantity Sk ðtÞ according to Eqs. (5)
ð10Þ
and (6).
The geometrical line of the carrying rope sagging in the The algorithm of the optimal design of the aerial rope-
(i ? 1)-th span and maximum rope sag fiþ1 at uncondi- way line includes multiple sequential minimization of the
tioned temperature t will be determined by Eqs. (3) and (4) objective function (10) when the characteristic It takes
or (9) when substituting the adjusted values Sk ðtÞ and various values. The absolute minimum will determine the
aiþ1 ðtÞ for the corresponding members in these equations. characteristics of the optimal option for the projected line.
When determining the minimum of the objective func-
tion (10), the following limitations in the form of inequa-
4 Problem Statement of Optimization of Aerial tions should be implemented:
Ropeway Line (1) to the mutual arrangement of the neighboring
intermediate towers along the aerial ropeway line
The task of optimization of the aerial ropeway line is based
u1 0;
on the criterion of minimizing the construction cost.
uiþ1  ui ; i 2 ½1; It  1;
Therefore, the objective function of the task is based on
Eq. (1). As variable characteristics of the task, the fol- LAB  uIt 0;
lowing characteristics which affect the value of the
(2) to the position of the intermediate towers outside the
objective function should be used:
exclusion zones (elimination of the possibility of installing
• number of the intermediate towers It; them within the exclusion zones, such as rivers, ravines,
• point data of the intermediate i-th tower arrangement water bodies, stadiums and motorways)
along the aerial ropeway line ui ði 2 ½1 ; It Þ;  
ui  udj   Dudj 0; i 2 ½1; It ; j 2 ½1; Jd ;

123
 Urban Rail Transit

(3) to the permissible variation range of the mounting (9) to the permissible maximum rope sag of the carrying
step size of the neighboring towers rope between the intermediate towers at the maximum air
Ltmax  u1 0; temperature
Ltmax  ðuiþ1  ui Þ 0 ; i 2 ½1; It  1; • when the rope sagging takes shape I
Ltmax  ðLAB  uIt Þ 0; 
w qRkn aiþ1 ðtmax Þ
u1  Ltmin 0; wf ðuiþ1  ui Þ  aiþ1 ðtmax Þ d
2Sk ðtmax Þ
ðuiþ1  ui Þ  Ltmin 0 ; i 2 ½1; It  1;  
ðviþ1  vi Þ þ Htgiþ1  Htgi
ðLAB  uIt Þ  Ltmin 0 þ 0; i 2 ½1; It þ 1;
uiþ1  ui
(4) to the maximum height of the intermediate tower
Ht max  Htgi 0; i 2 ½1; It ;
• when the rope sagging takes shape II or III
(5) to the permissible slope angle of the carrying ropes
when the cabin is moving between the neighboring inter- wf ðuiþ1  ui Þ  wd qRkn Lti =8Sk ðtmax Þ 0; i 2 ½1; It þ 1;
mediate towers at the maximum air temperature (10) to the minimum carrying rope tension force
• when the rope sagging takes shape I according to the safety specification [2]
Sk  10ncab wd Qcab =nkn 0;
½b  jarctgðwd qRkn aiþ1 ðtmax Þ=Sk ðtmax Þj 0;
½b  jarctgðwd qRkn biþ1 ðtmax Þ=Sk ðtmax Þj 0; i 2 ½1; It þ 1; (11) to the maximum axial tension forces of the carrying
rope, based on its maximum possible aggregate strength
• when the rope sagging takes shape I
• when the rope sagging takes shape II and III
Rkn ðdkn max Þ Sk
    h i 0;
 ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ wd qRkn Lti  ½nk cos arctg wd qRkn aiþ1

½b  arctg  0; Sk
Lti 2Sk ðtmax Þ 
   Rkn ðdkn max Þ Sk
 ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ wd qRkn Lti   h i 0; i 2 ½1; It ;
½b  arctg þ 0; ½nk cos arctg wd qRkn biþ1
Lti 2Sk ðtmax Þ  Sk
i 2 ½1; It þ 1;

(6) to the permissible relative positions of the high- • when the rope sagging takes shape II or III
altitude arrangement of the fastener assemblies of the
carrying rope on the neighboring intermediate towers Rkn ðdknmax Þ
  ½nk
ðv0iþ1 þ Htgiþ1 Þ  ðv0i þ Htgi Þ

½it     0; i 2 ½1; It þ 1; Sk
L   h i 0;
ti ðv0iþ1 þHtgiþ1 Þðv0i þHtgi Þ wd qRkn Lti
cos arctg Lti  2Sk
(7) to the permissible high-altitude arrangement of the
i 2 ½1; It :
passenger cabins when they are moving along the ropeway
path at the maximum air temperature To determine the minimum of the objective function
vkn ðui  u  uiþ1 Þjnpu tmax hcab  hmin ðui  u  uiþ1 Þ (10) taking into account the acceptable limitations, it is
necessary to use one of the direct methods of the condi-
 v0 ðui  u  uiþ1 Þ 0; i 2 ½1; It þ 1;
tional optimization [28], based on the immediate calcula-
(8) to the acceptable variation range of the diameter of tion of the objective function value OðfxgÞ.
the hauling and carrying ropes
dkt max  dkt 0;
5 Solutions Findings of the Optimization Task
dkt  dkt min 0; and Their Analysis
dkn max  dkn 0;
dkn  dkn min 0 The task of the optimal design of aerial passenger ropeway
for the conditions of a highly urbanized environment and
high irregularity of the earth’s surface is a very complex

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mathematical task. Indeed, with the distances between the rope Sk. Parameters Ht and Sk change with step DHt and
neighboring stations for boarding passengers, which are DSk within the intervals of their possible change
characteristic of ropeway lines, the number of variable (Ht  Ht max and Sk \Rkn ðdkn max Þ=½nk ). The experience of
parameters in the optimization problem can reach up to 100 carrying out test calculations showed that the recom-
unknown values. The number of these unknown quantities mended values of these steps are DHt * 10 m, DSk * 40
determines the dimension of the optimization problem. At kN. If a possible combination of parameters Ht and Sk
the same time, it is also necessary to take into account 11 satisfies the requirements for choosing the starting point,
types of various structural, strength and operational con- then the optimization problem is solved and the local
straints, which should be imposed on variables during the minimum point of the objective function OðfxgÞjIt ¼const
solution of the optimization problem. These constraints are (Eq. 10) is determined. As a result, one point is selected
expressed using 99 mathematical dependencies in the form from the set of points of local minima thus obtained, which
of inequalities. Thus, the practical implementation of the has the lowest value of the objective function. This point is
proposed mathematical model and the problem of mini- the global minimum point and, accordingly, the solution to
mizing the objective function (Eq. 1) are possible only the optimization problem.
through the use of numerical mathematical methods and The efficiency of the computer program ‘‘RopewayOp-
computer equipment. timization’’ was tested by solving several test tasks. The
To this end, the authors developed a computer program test tasks had a different dimension (the number of vari-
‘‘RopewayOptimization.’’ The original text of the program ables in the optimization problem varied within 10 to 400),
was protected by the Patent Office of the Russian Federa- various quantitative parameters of the shape of the earth’s
tion [29]. As a mathematical method of optimization, the surface and the location of exclusion zones. Regular and
method of the Hooke-Jeeves type was used [27]. The need irregular forms of the earth’s surface along the ropeway
to take into account a large number of constraints in the line were considered. The regular shape was modeled by
form of inequalities complicates the form of the domain of rectilinear (horizontal and oblique with a slope of up to 60
possible solutions of the optimization problem in the N- degrees) and sinusoidal functions. To simulate the irregular
dimensional space of variables. Also, the presence of a shape of the earth’s surface, real topographic maps of the
large number of unknown variables leads to the fact that large cities of Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk (Russian Fed-
the objective function OðfxgÞjIt ¼const (Eq. 10) has several eration) were used. At the same time, the real maps of these
local minima within the domain of possible solutions. cities were used to specify the location and size of the
When optimizing for test and real conditions of designing exclusion areas, and thus, the actual location of the street
ropeways, the authors recorded from 3 to 7 local minima of infrastructure objects was taken into account. On the basis
the objective function. Obviously, only one of these local of the calculated data, proposals were formulated for the
minima can be considered the best solution to the opti- development of promising projects for the construction of
mization problem (global minimum). However, some of passenger aerial ropeways in these cities [2, 11].
the local minima have objective function values that are To evaluate the capabilities of the developed mathe-
quite close in magnitude to the value of the objective matical model and the optimization task when using them
function in the global minimum. Therefore, when devel- for designing aerial ropeway lines, the calculations of the
oping a real project of a ropeway, it is also advisable to aerial ropeway model were performed. The terrain was
consider such local minima. Perhaps an additional con- modeled in the form of the sinusoid with various numbers
sideration of any other considerations (for example, polit- of the half-waves n along the length of the aerial ropeway
ical, legal or property reasons) will lead to the need to use line and at their different height Vmax :
the solution of the optimization problem not at the global vðuÞ ¼ Vmax sinð2pn u=LAB Þ: ð11Þ
minimum point of the objective function, but at a point of
the near local minimum. Thus, it is important to correctly The further calculation results of the aerial ropeway cost
set the initial optimization point (i.e., the initial combina- are expressed in conventional units (C.U.). As a conven-
tion of the values of all N variables). The starting point tional unit, the Russian rouble was used when setting the
must satisfy 1) all 99 constraints and 2) ensure that the cost indicators. When conducting cost optimization in other
global minimum of the objective function is found. In the countries, the summands in Eq. (1) should be expressed in
RopewayOptimization program, the optimization start the national currency. At the same time, the mathematical
point was set using the repeated iteration algorithm for model and calculation dependencies of the optimization
possible combinations of two variables—the height of task do not change.
intermediate towers Ht (it is assumed the same for all The construction cost of the passenger aerial ropeway
supports) and the horizontal longitudinal tension force of line is very sensible to the number of intermediate towers
and geometrical diversity of the terrain (Fig. 5). When the

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 Urban Rail Transit

number of intermediate towers is small (It  7), with sensible to the terrain diversity. Nonetheless, when the step
reducing It, the cost of the line rises sharply, up to two of the towers Lti is significantly lower than the step of the
times, from * 140 million of C.U. to * 280 million of terrain waviness (Fig. 6a, b), the height of the towers Htgi
C.U. This is a result of rapid growth of the towers height Ht and total cost of construction C are minimum. There is very
due to the need to balance the increase in maximum rope little difference in the heights of the intermediate towers
sag of carrying ropes with the growth of the distance along the ropeway line LAB, and the construction cost is not
between the neighboring towers. When It 2 ½8; 14, the line very different when the values n are the nearest. This fact
cost is minimum and virtually the same, accounting can be seen through the correlation Lti \LAB =2n. In cir-
for * 140 million of C.U. Then, it starts to rise since the cumstances where the installation step of the intermediate
tower height reaches its minimum under the condition of towers Lti becomes equivalent to the degree of the terrain
height of proximity of passenger cabins to the ground. A diversity, it is necessary to provide an increased tower
further increase in the number of towers and consequently height. This leads to a sharp rise in the construction cost of
the decrease in the distances between them lead to cost the aerial ropeway.
growth of the installing structurally unnecessary towers.
The graphs in Fig. 5 a show the influence of the terrain
diversity on the aerial ropeway line. (The terrain diversity 6 Conclusion
grows with increasing the number of half-waves n.) When
the terrain is slightly uneven (n \ 3), the line cost is The proposed mathematical model and optimization
minimum and virtually the same for the different number problem should be used at the initial stage of designing
of properties. However, when the terrain is considerably passenger aerial ropeways to analyze the influence of a
uneven (n [ 4), an increasing number has a positive impact substantial number of cost factors, as well as construction
on the cost due to the possibility of installing the towers in and geometric factors on the optimal placement, height and
the elevated areas. This leads to reducing the tower height number of intermediate towers and the tension force of the
and reducing their total cost despite the large number. supporting ropes.
In Fig. 6, one can see the ground arrangement and The optimal method put forward in this article would be
height of the intermediate towers (It = 15) for the optimal helpful in determining the most cost-effective construction
options of the aerial ropeway with the length LAB = 3000 option in aerial ropeway in the given conditions, taking
m, depending on the even number of the half-waves n of into account the terrain, urban infrastructure arrangement,
the sinusoid (11) with Vmax = 50 m. Regardless of the altitude performance of the urban development, technical
degree of the terrain diversity (the number of the half- characteristics of the carrying rope, etc.
waves n), the optimal arrangement of the intermediate Implementing the solution findings of the given opti-
towers barely deviates from the uniform distribution with mization task makes it possible to significantly reduce the
the step Lti ¼ LAB =ðIt þ 1Þ = 187.5 m. However, their construction cost of aerial ropeways in the urban
optimal height and total cost of the aerial ropeway are environment.

Fig. 5 The influence of the terrain on the cost of the aerial ropeway line the sinusoid half-waves; II—the even number of the sinusoid half-
when the surface shape is sinusoidal: (a) height (1—Vmax = 50 m; waves; 1—It = 9 pcs; 2—It = 12 pcs.; 3—It = 15 pcs)
2—25 m; 3—0 m); (b) longitudinal variation (I—the odd number of

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Urban Rail Transit

Fig. 6 The influence of the terrain diversity on the optimal arrangement and height of the intermediate towers of the aerial ropeway: (a) when
the number of the half-waves is n = 2; (b) n = 4; (c) n = 8; (d) n = 12; (e) n = 16

A promising direction for the further improvement in the Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the
technology for designing cost-effective aerial passenger Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://crea
tivecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
ropeways for the urban environment is to expand the distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give
functionality of the optimization mathematical model pre- appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a
sented in this article. To do this, it is necessary to conduct link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were
research and solve the following scientific problems: made.

1. consideration of important physical processes that may

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