Case Study: EPFLoop designs a SpaceX Hyperloop pod with COMSOL Multiphysics

EPFLoop designs a hyperloop pod for 500 km/h runs with Comsol

EPFLoop, a student team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, faced the challenge of designing a high-speed hyperloop pod for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. They needed to predict the performance of their complex, multidisciplinary design at speeds up to 500 km/h, which was impossible to test fully on their own short track. To overcome this, they used multiphysics simulation from the vendor Comsol.

Using Comsol Multiphysics® software, the team analyzed fluid dynamics, structural mechanics, and heat transfer to optimize their pod's aeroshell, pressure vessel, and braking system. The solution provided by Comsol enabled them to predict high-speed performance and identify the best materials, leading to a pod design praised by SpaceX judges for its high reliability. As a result, EPFLoop was one of only three teams to run in vacuum and achieved a first-place ranking for design reliability at the competition.

EPFLoop