Vehicular pollution prediction modelling: a review of highway dispersion models

Air quality modelling plays an important role in formulating air pollution control and management strategies by providing guidelines for better and more efficient air quality planning. Several line source models, mostly Gaussian‐based, have been suggested to predict pollutant concentrations near highways/roads. These models, despite several assumptions and limitations, are used throughout the world, including in India, to carry out air pollution prediction analysis due to vehicular traffic near roads/highways. These models are being continuously upgraded and modified based on field experiments, and numerical and physical modelling results. An effort has been made in the present paper to review briefly the philosophy and basic features of most of the commonly used highway dispersion models. The paper also discusses various theories and techniques that led to the development and modification of these models along with the statistical analysis tools to evaluate the performance of these models. An attempt has also been made to summarize briefly the various line source models currently used in India and to highlight the difficulties being faced while using them in an Indian context.     

Use of third-party logistics services by large US manufacturers in 1997 and comparisons with previous years

The use of third-party logistics services by large US manufacturers continues to grow. Increasingly, those services are used to support international sourcing and sales activities. Use of these services is often triggered by specific events such as a corporate restructuring, a top management change or a benchmarking effort. Nearly two-thirds of users report they experienced significant impediments in implementing third-party agreements. After starting conservatively, the typical user buys a wide variety of logistics services. Users generally report that buying logistics services has had a positive impact on their organizations, particularly with respect to logistics costs and customer service. However, many also report negative impact on employee morale linked to downsizing the logistics workforce. More than two-thirds of users report cancelling at least one-third-party logistics contract. Nevertheless, if given complete responsibility to make the decision, >70% of users would increase their companies' use of such services.     

Study of the Impact of Single-and Double-tube Tunnel Systems on Rockburst in Deep-buried Extra-long Tunnelling北大核心CSCD

Rockburst is one of the main disasters for tunnelling under high ground stress. Taking the rockburst section of Ping'an Tunnel with high ground stress, which is located on Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway, as the study object, this paper adopts combined methods of filed measurement, numerical analysis, and laboratory test, and with respect to rockburst development mechanism, energy density change and rockburst strength it comprehensively analyzes the impact of two construction schemes (single-tube double-track tunnel system and double-tube single-track tunnel system) on the rockburst in deep-buried extra-long tunnels with high ground stress. The study results show that the order relation of maximum energy density at various locations of the tunnel is Uside wall >Uhance >Utunnel face >Uvault, and rockburst easily occurs at the working face of the tunnel section to be excavated and both side walls of excavated and supported section; compared with vault, hance, side wall and other locations, more energy would be released at the tunnel face, and the stress release holes shall be reasonably installed in the process of excavation; the doubletube single-track tunnel system scheme can effectively reduce the rockburst intensity and the rockburst hazards, so as to better avoid the occurrence of rockburst. © 2022, Editorial Office of Modern Tunnelling Technology. All right reserved.     

高海拔隧道施工劳动强度与供氧浓度关系研究北大核心CSCD

为研究高海拔隧道施工人员供氧浓度问题,文章通过骑行试验得到了不同人员在海拔高度为590~4000 m,氧气浓度为20.9%~29%,骑行功率为0、50 W、75 W、100 W工况下的生理指标,得到测试对象的劳动强度指数,分析研究得到以下结论:(1)在同一海拔高度、相同劳动强度工况下,提升环境氧气浓度,可以显著降低人员劳动强度指数;(2)劳动强度指数的减少与氧气浓度的增加并不是线性关系,当环境氧气浓度超过25%时,劳动强度指数的降低程度有限;(3)拟合得到了劳动负荷为100 W且氧气浓度为20.9%~25%时施工人员的劳动强度指数与海拔高度及供氧浓度的关系式。     

地震作用对盾构隧道管片张开量的影响及预测北大核心CSCD

为探索地震作用对盾构隧道管片张开量的影响,借助数值分析软件,分析典型工程在不同方向地震作用下管片张开量的分布规律。基于计算结果,对地震加速度与地震引起的管片张开量进行归一化处理,结合现有的管片张开量计算公式,提出了不同埋深隧道在地震作用下管片最大张开量预测方法。研究表明:地震作用对盾构管片环缝张开量有显著的影响,管片最大张开量的最大增幅为16%,平均张开量的最大增幅为27%;地震烈度为8度以下的区域,在静、动荷载作用下,盾构隧道管片抗震加固范围主要在工作井附近3~5环;地震烈度为8度及以上的高地震烈度区,应沿隧道轴向对环缝接头进行抗震加固。与数值计算结果对比表明,提出的考虑地震作用的管片最大张开量计算方法具备一定合理性。     

Who switches to hybrids? A study of a fuel conversion program in Colombia

Air pollution from mobile sources is an important environmental problem in larger cities. In 2001, a program was implemented to encourage the use of natural gas in vehicles in the Aburrá Valley in Colombia, with incentives to convert small cars from gasoline and diesel to hybrid engines with natural gas, most notably a cash subsidy. Using a survey administered to both commercial and private car owners we study the determinants of conversion under this fuel conversion program. We thus obtain information about the reasons for adoption of new technologies in vehicles. This allows us to discuss the possible outcomes of this type of policy. Results show that a large part of owners who switched would have done it anyway without the subsidy. Based on the findings, commercial vehicles are most likely to be converted to natural gas vehicles.     

Improving the performance of rail yards through dynamic reassignments of empty cars

This paper considers the problem of reducing the time that empty cars spend in classification yards of rail systems operating under real-time information and automated schedule-adjustment technologies. The proposed methodology performs dynamic reassignments of empty cars through a fast and efficient solution procedure based on the assignment algorithm. The procedure has been tested on real-life data from one of the major railroads in North America. Computational results show that the procedure runs fast and yields savings in the time that the empty cars spend in the yard.     

Valuing road noise for residents in Hong Kong

This study estimates the willingness-to-pay value for a one dB(A) change over a range of initial noise levels for a sample population in Hong Kong. It establishes a protocol for estimating the willingness-to-pay values by first establishing an annoyance–dB relationship. The protocol takes into account the characteristics that the probability of being annoyed at a particular level varied with the initial objective noise level, and the annoyance–dB relationship varied for a range of initial annoyance level. The study shows that household income level and initial annoyance levels exert considerable influences on the individual’s willingness-to-pay values. However, age and educational level were found not to exert any significant influence on individual’s willingness-to-pay values.