Managing passenger behavioral intention: an integrated framework for service quality,satisfaction, perceived value,and switching barriers

This paper seeks to improve our understanding of passengers’ behavioral intention by proposing an integrated framework from the attitudinal perspective. According to the literature in marketing research, we establish a causal relationship model that considers “service quality-satisfaction-behavioral intentions” paradigm, perceived value theory, and switching barrier theory. Exploring passengers’ behavioral intention from satisfaction and perceived value help to understand how passengers are attracted by the company, while switching barriers assist in realizing how passengers are “locked” into a relationship with the current company. Furthermore, in order to capture the nature of service quality, we adopt a hierarchical factor structure which serves service quality as the higher-order factor. In this study, coach industry is selected as our research subject. The empirical results, as hypothesized, show that all causal relationships are statistically significant, and perceived value us the most important predictor of satisfaction and passengers’ behavioral intention. In conclusion, the managerial implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Statistical and dynamical analyses of propagation mechanisms of solitary internal waves in a two-layer stratification

The blocking effect of submarine ridges on the propagation of internal solitary waves (ISWs) over the topography of the seabed results in the fission of the solitary waves that accompany the generation of reflected and transmitted waves. In this study, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) is used to investigate the inseparable relationship between the transmission and reflection. An examination of the error sums of squares and cross-products (SSCP) matrix and the correction matrix shows that the correlation between the transmission (at/ai) and reflection coefficients (ar/ai) is quite low (0.284). Moreover, from multivariate testing, including Pillai’s trace, Wilks’ lambda, Hotelling’s trace and Roy’s largest root, we conclude that the ridge height has a large effect (η = 0.456) on both the amplitude of the transmitted and reflected waves, as well as large (η = 0.411) and very large (η = 0.469) effects on the amplitudes of the transmitted and reflected waves, respectively. In conclusion, the results in the present study highlight the importance of the role played by ridge height in coherent ISW transmission and reflection during oceanic wave–ridge interactions.     

Broaching prediction of a wave-piercing tumblehome vessel with twin screws and twin rudders

The new intact stability criteria which are under development at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are required to cover a broaching phenomenon, well known as a great threat to high-speed vessels which can lead to capsizing. Some reports exist which demonstrate that their numerical models can predict a highly nonlinear phenomenon of broaching. However, additional validation studies are needed for unconventional vessels, in addition to conventional ones, to develop direct stability assessment methods for the new intact stability criteria. In this research, we selected as the subject ship a wave-piercing tumblehome vessel with twin screws and twin rudders, a design expected to be one of a new generation of high-speed monohull ships. Firstly, a series of captive model tests were conducted to measure the resistance, the manoeuvring forces, the wave-exciting forces, the heel-induced hydrodynamic forces, and the roll restoring variation for the unconventional tumblehome vessel. Secondly, the existing mathematical model which had been developed for broaching prediction of conventional vessels with a single propeller and a single rudder was extended to unconventional vessels with twin propellers and twin rudders. Finally, comparisons between numerical simulations and the existing free running model experiments were conducted. As a result, it was demonstrated that fair quantitative prediction of broaching is realised when the rudder force variation, the roll restoring variation and the heel-induced hydrodynamic force for large heel angles are taken into account.     

Parametric rolling prediction in irregular seas using combination of deterministic ship dynamics and probabilistic wave theory

In recent years there have been reports of serious accidents of parametric rolling for modern container ships and car carriers. For avoiding such accidents, a prediction method of parametric rolling in irregular seas is required. Since parametric rolling is practically non-ergodic, repetitions of numerical simulations or experiments could be not feasible to ascertain the behaviour. Therefore, in this paper, a method combining a stochastic approach with a deterministic approach in order to estimate the probabilistic index without such simple repetitions is developed. The ship's response in regular seas is estimated by solving an averaged system of the original 1-DoF roll model, and random waves necessary for occurrence of parametric rolling is achieved by using Longuet-Higgins’s or Kimura’s wave group theory. As a result, a fast and robust computation method of the probabilistic index is established. Finally, it is concluded that the proposed method is considered to be one of the useful tools for discussing the new IMO Intact Stability Code.     

Hydroelasto-plasticity approach to predicting the post-ultimate strength behavior of a ship’s hull girder in waves

Dynamic collapse behavior of a ship’s hull girder in waves is investigated; post-ultimate strength behavior is the focus. Firstly, a simulation method is proposed. Assuming that a plastic hinge is formed during the collapse of the hull girder, the whole ship is modeled as two rigid bodies connected amidship via a nonlinear rotational spring. The post-ultimate strength behavior, such as the reduction of load carrying capacity due to buckling and yielding, is reflected in the model. Hydrodynamic loads are evaluated by using nonlinear strip theory to account for the effect of large plastic deformations on the loads. A scaled model for validation of the simulation is designed and fabricated. Then a series of tank tests is conducted using the scaled model to validate the simulation results. Post-ultimate strength behavior characteristics in waves are clarified by using the numerical and tank test results. It is shown that the hull girder collapses rapidly after reaching ultimate strength, and then the plastic deformation grows until unloading starts at the collapsed section. Finally, several parametric dependencies of the extent of the collapse behavior are discussed based on a series of the simulations.     

Investigation on transient dynamic behaviors of low-tension undersea cables

This paper presents a numerical analysis of the dynamic transient behaviors of undersea cables. In this numerical study, the governing equations based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory are adopted, and they can satisfy many applications no matter what the magnitude of the cable tension is. The nonlinear coupled equations are solved by a popular central finite difference method, and the numerical results of transient behaviors are presented when several kinds of surrounding conditions, such as different towing speeds of surface vessel, different currents and waves with various frequencies and amplitudes, are exerted. Then a detailed comparison of the results, including the upper end tension and cable shape in time-domain, is made under the above external excitations, and finally the possible reasons for these are further explained.     

Determination of interfacial heat flux of stainless steel solidification on copper substrate during the first 0.2 s

Interfacial heat transfer is a key issue in many solidification processes. In the paper, a novel experimental apparatus has been designed and on this basis, the instantaneous interfacial heat transfer between molten steel or solidified shell and copper substrate during the first 0.2 s has been studied. The investigated parameters include melt superheat, substrate temperature and surface roughness. The results show that the peak value of the interfacial heat flux in the first stage of liquid/solid contact increases with melt superheat and changes slightly with substrate temperature and surface roughness. The interfacial heat flux in the stage of solid/solid contact has a similar trend of slow decrease in most conditions.     

Industry foundation classes based integration of architectural design and structural analysis

The numerous construction projects in China provide the best environment for the development of information technology applied in building design. Various commercial CAD/CAE software applications are purchased by design firms for multi-disciplinary design tasks. However, researches on integration and interoperability are seldom considered. This study pursues a breakthrough point of integration in the architectural and structural domains and expects further development in other aspects. A central building information modeling (BIM) framework based on the industry foundation classes (IFC) is proposed to handle the data exchange between IFC-compatible architectural models and structural models. A central XML(extensible markup language)-based unified finite element model (FEM) is proposed for model conversion among various commercial structural CAE software applications. In addition to bidirectional data interfaces among IFC-based BIM, XML-based FEM and various commercial FEMs, some other components such as visualization, calculation and model editing/check are also equipped into the prototype system.     

Model test for dynamic construction mechanical effect of large-span loess tunnel

It has been a focus of debate for a large time on construction methods for large-span loess tunnel. Reasonable construction method has much effect on stability of tunnel and construction schedule. Deformation and failure of surrounding rock are quite complex. Associating with the large-span loess tunnel of Zhengzhou—Xi’an high-speed passenger rail line in China, large scale model test with geometric proportion 1:20 is applied to study on dynamic mechanical behavior of various construction methods. They include full-face excavation with support and no support, and benching method with support. It is found that pre-deformation and stress accumulation take place ahead of working face. The effects of three construction methods are further studied, particularly in terms of tunnel displacement and stress changes. It is revealed that benching method transfers load to an unexcavated area, limits horizontal deformation, reduces stress concentration effectively, lengthens the distance between location of peak for stress concentration and working face, and consequently increases stability. The model test results not only supply theoretical foundation for determination of reasonable construction method, but also can act as reference for similar tunnel and underground engineering construction.     

Evaluation and optimization of intersection process between voxelized mesh models and homocentric spheres

In the field of 3D model matching and retrieval, an effective method for feature extraction is spherical harmonic or its mutations, and is acted on the spherical images. But the obtainment of spherical images from 3D models is very time-consuming, which greatly restrains the responding speed of such systems. In this paper, we propose a quantitative evaluation of the whole process and give a detailed two-sided analysis based on the comparative size between pixels and voxels. The experiments show that the resultant optimized parameters are fit for the practical application and exhibit a satisfactory performance.