Engineering

Funicular: two cars balance a mountainside

Compare passenger loads and watch the shared cable, traction motor and regenerative braking move two cars along an incline.

By Mykhailo Makarov

Actual application image

Try this

Make one car heavier. Compare motor power in both directions. Negative electrical power means energy is returned to the supply.

The model and its limits

Two masses on an inextensible cable, a bounded motor and regenerative efficiency. Straight 28-degree track, no cable elasticity or detailed wheel dynamics.

Equations used in the module

Equations
(m_A + m_B) dv/dt = F_motor - (m_A - m_B) g sin(theta) - F_drag
P_shaft = F_motor v

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