Federal‐state revenue sharing and resource management under outer continental shelf lands act section 8(g)

Abstract

Section 8(g) was added to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) in 1978. It mandated sharing of the revenues from tracts that included oil and gas pools underlying the federal‐state boundary 3 miles offshore. Revenues were to be split based on agreements negotiated by the secretary of Interior and the relevant coastal state governor or “fair and equitable”; divisions made by the federal district courts. Only one agreement was concluded. Texas and Louisiana sued to force distribution of their shares of $6.1 billion in 8(g) funds held in escrow. In 1986 Congress divided the escrowed 8(g) revenues approximately 27 percent to the adjacent states and 73 percent to the federal government and legislated the same split for all future 8(g) revenues. This article examines the complex issues that section 8(g), as amended, raises for the management of federal and state submerged lands. Cooperative federal‐state approaches to implementing amended section 8(g) are reviewed. Section 8(g)'s broader implications as the only federal‐state ocean resource, revenue‐sharing mechanism currently in place also are addressed.     

Contracting in highway maintenance and rehabilitation: Are spatial effects important?

Highway agencies around the world strive to improve practices for infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation, using project delivery policies that range from total ‘in-house’ responsibility to complete privatization, with a number of flexible contracting policies such as performance-based contracting, variants of design-build-maintain, and lane rentals among others between these two extremes. In this paper, we present a methodology that duly accounts for underlying spatial effects and estimates the expected cost savings of innovative contracting policies for highway maintenance and rehabilitation relative to in-house execution of these activities. Spatial econometric modeling is used to analyze highway contract data from 49 countries. We also investigate the marginal effects of key explanatory variables on contract cost savings using spatial multipliers. Our findings show that there are significant relationships between cost savings and contract characteristics, and that there is an apparent direct relationship between the average cost savings of contracts in a country and contract average cost savings and contract sizes in neighboring countries.     

Off-set crack propagation analysis under mixed mode loadings

An assessment was carried out herein to study the eccentricity of cracks subjected to mixed-mode loadings. Several loading locations relative to a central line were selected to induce mixed-mode loadings, which were computed using a finite element method. An adaptive meshing technique was adopted during the simulation of crack propagation to ensure the singularity of stress at the tip of the crack. The stress intensity failure criterion was used and programmed, and the node splitting technique was used when the stress intensity factor reached the fracture toughness of the material to simulate crack propagations. It was found that large variations in the stress intensity factor were observed when off-set cracks were used, and that K _II decreased when loading distance increased, but increased when the off-set crack distance was increased. Both crack eccentricity and loading distance played important roles in producing mixed-mode loading, compared to the influence of central cracks. Correction factors were introduced to modify the calculation of stress intensity factors under mixed-mode loadings. Simulations of crack propagation were also conducted to study the effects of crack eccentricities and loading distances. It was found that the crack length, the loading distance relative to the central crack and the crack eccentricity dominated calculations of the integrity of cracked structures.     

Development of a semi-empirical friction model in automotive driveshaft joints

High speed and sport utility vehicles with large joint articulation angle demand lower friction in automotive driveshaft joints to meet noise and vibration comfort levels. Thus a more thorough understanding of internal friction characteristics and mechanisms is required. In this paper, a friction model in automotive driveshaft joints was developed through the use of test data from an instrumented Constant Velocity (CV) joint friction apparatus with actual driveshaft assemblies. Experiments were conducted under different realistic operating conditions of oscillatory speeds, CV joint articulation angles, lubrication, and torque. The experimental data was used to develop a physics-based semi-empirical CV joint internal friction model as a function of different CV joint operating parameters. It was found that the proposed friction model captures the experimental results well. Also the friction model estimates the generated axial force (GAF) in tripod CV joints well, which is the main source of force that causes vehicle vibration problems.     

祁家黄河大桥拱座节点局部应力分析

祁家黄河大桥为主跨180 m的钢管混凝土拱桥。该桥采用重力式拱座,单个拱座体积达547 m3,受力复杂。采用空间计算软件,按实体单元对拱座进行分析,从而获得应力分布规律,为设计提供了依据。     

天然海水中15CDV6/MDN138及15CDV6/MDN250合金的电流相互作用（英文）

The galvanic corrosion behavior of the metal combinations 15 CDV6/MDN138 and 15 CDV6/MDN250, with 1:1 area ratio, has been studied in natural seawater using the open well facility of CECRI's Offshore Platform at Tuticorin for a year. The open circuit potentials of MDN138, MDN250, and 15 CDV6 of the individual metal, the galvanic potential and galvanic current of the couples 15 CDV6/MDN138 and 15 CDV6/MDN250, were periodically monitored throughout the study period. The calcareous deposits on MDN138 and MDN250 in galvanic contact with 15 CDV6 were analyzed using XRD. The electrochemical behavior of MDN138, MDN250, and 15 CDV6 in seawater was studied using an electrochemical work station. The surface characteristics of MDN138 and MDN250 in galvanic contact with 15 CDV6 have been examined with a scanning electron microscope. The results of the study reveal that the galvanic protection offered by15 CDV6 to MDN250 and MDN138 in natural seawater amounts to 93% and 98%, respectively, implying that the galvanic protection offered by 15 CDV6 is continuous and effective, which has been further evinced from the adherent nature of the calcareous deposit film comprising compounds such as CaCO_3(calcite, aragonite, and vaterite), MgCO_3(magnesite),Mg(OH)_2(brucite), and MgO(brucite).     

汽车智能化技术分析（Ⅰ）

现代汽车利用各种通信、网络、自动化等信息技术手段为人们提供各种舒适、安全、便捷、智能的服务,以实现更安全、更舒适、更便捷的汽车生活,这种技术称为智能化技术。本文通过对全球市场车型进行调查,总结出目前在售车型的所有先进智能化技术,并对各种技术进行逐一简述,分类归纳。     

余姚东旱门过江隧道线路设计

具备机非混行通过能力的过江隧道,其平面、纵断面线型的设计合理性,直接影响该工程在建设阶段的造价,与使用阶段的社会效益。结合工程实际,介绍了过江隧道路线设计的有关经验,可供相关专业人员参考。     

Development of a low-noise cooling fan for an alternator using numerical and doe methods

An alternator, which converts mechanical rotational energy into electrical energy, is an important component of a vehicle. Alternators operate over a broad range of rotational speeds, typically from 3,000 RPM to 18,000 RPM, which demands a cooling fan producing sufficient airflow, ideally with a minimum of noise. In the current study, an optimized alternator-cooling fan was developed through a linked DOE(Design OF Experiment) process and numerical analysis. The SC/Tetra and FlowNoise S/W programs were used to calculate flow rates and noise levels, respectively, for the newly developed fan. Compared with original model, the numerical results predicted a 3 dBA noise reduction; the measured reduction was 4 dBA.