Logistics and supply chain management

In this paper an introduction to the principles and methods used in logistics and supply chain management is presented. It begins by a discussion on fundamentals and explains the relevant terms. Next policy and practice associated with logistics and freight services are regarded with a focus on the EU policy for the sector which greatly influences the development of logistics chains and services. Mathematical formulation of typical transport and logistics-related problems is also presented followed by a discussion on the concept of sustainability.     

Fuzzy logic based decision making system for collision avoidance of ocean navigation under critical collision conditions

This paper focuses on a fuzzy logic based intelligent decision making system that aims to improve the safety of marine vessels by avoiding collision situations. It can be implemented in a decision support system of an oceangoing vessel or included in the process of autonomous ocean navigation. Although Autonomous Guidance and Navigation (AGN) is meant to be an important part of future ocean navigation due to the associated cost reduction and improved maritime safety, intelligent decision making capabilities should be an integrated part of the future AGN system in order to improve autonomous ocean navigational facilities. In this study, the collision avoidance of the Target vessel with respect to the vessel domain of the Own vessel has been analyzed and input, and output fuzzy membership functions have been derived. The if–then rule based decision making process and the integrated novel fuzzy inference system are formulated and implemented on the MATLAB software platform. Simulation results are presented regarding several critical collision conditions where the Target vessel fails to take appropriate actions, as the “Give way” vessel to avoid collision situations. In these situations, the Own vessel is able to take critical actions to avoid collisions, even when being the “Stand on” vessel. Furthermore, all decision rules are formulated in accordance with the International Maritime Organization Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), 1972, to avoid conflicts that might occur during ocean navigation.     

Study on the preciseness of hot spot stress of web-stiffened cruciform welded joints derived from shell finite element analyses

A new simple and accurate shell FE-based structural Hot Spot Stress (HSS) determination method for web-stiffened cruciform joints has been proposed. Local stress of welded joints in full-scale bulk carrier (BC)’s lower stool models subject to bending and pressure loadings are examined. HSSs determined by the proposed method are compared with those derived by Lotsberg’s method and the conventional 0.5t-1.5t extrapolation. As results, following are found:

(1)

The local stress of full-scale BC lower stool models with various stool angle and plate thickness can be calculated accurately solely from shell FE results by means of the proposed method.

(2)

HSSs of welded joints in full-scale BC lower stool models subject to bending and pressure loadings derived by the proposed method show good agreement with the target HSSs determined from fine solid models. This demonstrates the validity of the proposed method for actual ship structures under the real load.

(3)

The excessive safety allowance of HSS determined by the conventional 0.5t-1.5t extrapolation can be reduced substantially by adopting Lotsberg’s method or our proposal. The proposed HSS determination method gives more accurate estimates compared to Lotsberg’s method under the conditions chosen, and the application range of the proposed method is equal to or wider than Lotsberg’s method.

     

On structural design of energy efficient small high-speed craft

This paper presents an integrated design procedure for determination of structural arrangement and scantlings for the complete structure of small high-speed craft. The purpose of the procedure is to serve as a tool in the preliminary design stage where it enables generation of weight minimized designs with very limited effort. The design procedure is applied in a material concept study for a high-speed patrol craft. The various concepts include single skin and sandwich composites, aluminum and steel. It is demonstrated that the mass of the aluminum hull structure can be reduced from the original 11.7 tonnes to 9.6 tonnes through application of the presented design procedure. The most weight efficient material concept is a carbon-fiber foam-cored sandwich with a structural mass of 4.8 tonnes, which is about 50% less than the refined aluminum version. Through simple hydromechanic analysis, potential for fuel and CO2 emission reductions of 8% for the refined aluminum version and 27% for the carbon-fiber sandwich version in relation to the original craft are indicated.     

Challenges in the application of spatial computable general equilibrium models for transport appraisal

The use of spatial computable general equilibrium (SCGE) models for assessing the economic impacts of transport projects is one of the key items on the research agenda for project appraisal in the Netherlands. These models are particularly suitable for analysing indirect effects of transport projects through linkages between the transport sector and the wider economy. Potentially, according to the literature, indirect effects that are additional to first-order direct cost reductions can turn out to be up to almost 80% in magnitude of the direct impacts. Given the relevance of these models for policy appraisal, experiences with this new modelling approach are important to report. After two years of development and application of SCGE models for transport appraisal, we found that the translation of theory behind the spatial equilibrium models into practical model specifications and empirical applications is a challenging task, and may lead to problems in project appraisal in terms of inaccuracies in the assessment of impacts. This paper discusses some key challenges we encountered with the specification of the Dutch SCGE model RAEM. This chapter is especially useful for researchers developing SCGE applications for use in transport appraisal and those who want to get a better understanding of differences between theoretical and computable SCGE modelling.     

液化天然气船汽轮机推进系统建模与仿真

建立合理准确的液化天然气(LNG)船汽轮机推进系统数学模型与实时仿真,是研制LNG特种船轮机仿真系统的核心和关键.采用模块化建模方法和集中参数处理技术,以上海沪东中华造船厂建造的LNG船汽轮机推进系统为仿真对象,建立了LNG船汽轮机推进系统的实时仿真模块化数学模型;并进行了实时仿真试验.仿真结果与设计数据和部分试航数据进行了比较,结果表明模型具有较好的稳态精度和动态响应特性与实时性,适合于LNG特种船推进系统的实时仿真要求.目前此模型已成功应用于LNG特种船轮机仿真系统.     

喷水推进船平移机动操纵方法研究

为了实现喷水推进艇平移机动操纵,对其操纵方法进行了研究.首先采用船模斜拖试验获取平移操纵时船体水动力特性变化规律,然后求解喷水推进器在各种航速、转速、倒车斗位置以及喷口转向角条件下的推力.在此基础上,综合分析船体平移运动水动力特性和喷水推进器推力特性,提出了用双手柄同步等角度调节的平移操纵法,并制定了详细的平移操纵步骤...     

Experimental and numerical investigation of fuel mixing effects on soot structures in counterflow diffusion flames

Experimental and numerical analyses of laminar diffusion flames were performed to identify the effect of fuel mixing on soot formation in a counterflow burner. In this experiment, the volume fraction, number density, and particle size of soot were investigated using light extinction/scattering systems. The experimental results showed that the synergistic effect of an ethylene-propane flame is appreciable. Numerical simulations showed that the benzene (C₆H₆) concentration in mixture flames was higher than in ethylene-base flames because of the increase in the concentration of propargyl radicals. Methyl radicals were found to play an important role in the formation of propargyl, and the recombination of propargyl with benzene was found to lead to an increase in the number density for cases exhibiting synergistic effects. These results imply that methyl radicals play an important role in soot formation, particularly with regard to the number density.     

Dynamic correction of the steering-characteristic curve and application to an EPS control system

The steering torque of an electric-power steering (EPS) motor is interrelated with the performance of the EPS control system, therefore calculating an exact steering torque is critical in this application. This study presents a dynamic correction method that greatly decreases the calculated error in the steering torque; the PID controller demonstrated here is therefore suitable for the demands of this system. Based on an analysis of the detection process of the steering torque sensor, we first deduced that the variation of the system resistance torque equals the difference between the measured value of the steering torque and the ideal one in the previous cycle. Based on this result, we then proposed a dynamic correction method. Finally, a comparison of the simulated and experimental results for several vehicles evidenced the effectiveness of this dynamic correction method.     

Advanced hybrid energy storage system for mild hybrid electric vehicles

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) utilize electric power and a mechanical engine for propulsion; therefore, the performance of HEVs is directly influenced by the characteristics of the energy storage system (ESS). The ESS for an HEV generally requires high power performance, long cycle life, reliability and cost effectiveness; thus, a hybrid energy storage system (HESS) that combines different types of storage devices has been considered to fulfill both performance and cost requirements. To improve the operating efficiency and cycle life of a HESS, an advanced dynamic control regime in which pertinent storage devices in the HESS can be selectively operated based on their status is presented. Verification tests were performed to confirm the degree of improvement in energy efficiency. In this paper, an advanced HESS with a battery management system (BMS) that includes an optimal switching control function based on the estimated state of charge (SOC) is presented and verified.