The development of the Suez Canal

This paper provides general background information relating to the physical characteristics and operations of the Suez Canal. In connection with the future development of the Canal, the research programme currently being undertaken by a British consortium is outlined, with particular reference to the traffic system presently operating.     

海运码头运营商在物流中的角色

在航运物流链中，所有的货物都要经由海运码头。不管海铁联运，还是海运-卡车联运，或是海上转运，码头都是货物运输的中转站。海运码头运营商（以下简称为MTO）的运营对货物运输影响巨大。     

Objective evaluation of door-closing sound quality based on physiological acoustics

This paper presents a new method to objectively quantify the sound quality of doors closing in premium passenger cars. In previous works, psychoacoustic parameters have been used for objective quantification. However, these parameters do not agree well with subsequent subjective assessments. Therefore, the correlation between the psychoacoustic parameters and the subjective rating of door closing sounds in sampled cars is low, and it is not sufficient to use psychoacoustic parameters as an objective metric to quantify the quality of door-closing sounds. In this paper, a new method is proposed to objectively quantify the sound quality based on physiological acoustics and statistical signal processing. A gammatone filter is used as a pre-processing method in models of the auditory system and kurtosis, which is the fourth-order moment of the temporal signal and is used to extract quantitative information about the quality of door-closing sounds. The new metric obtained from the proposed method is highly correlated to subjective ratings and has been successfully applied to the quantification of door-closing sound quality.     

Effect of punch angle on energy absorbing characteristics of tube-type crash elements

As a crash energy absorber, a tube-type crash element (expansion tube) dissipates kinetic energy through the internal deformation energy of the tube and through frictional energy. In this paper, the effects of the variation of punch angles on the energy-absorbing characteristics of expansion tubes were studied by quasi-static tests using three punch angles (15°, 30°, and 45°). A finite element analysis of the tube expanding process (m = τ _max /K) was performed using a shear friction model to confirm the variation of the shear friction factor with respect to punch angles using the inverse method. Additional analyses were performed using angles of 20°, 25°, 35°, and 40° to study the effect of the punch angles on the internal deformation energy, frictional energy, and expansion ratio of the tubes. The results of the experiment and finite element analysis showed that the shear friction factor was inversely proportional to the punch angles, and a specific punch angle existed at which the absorbed energy and expansion ratio remained constant.     

Application of Models in the Design of Underwater Electromagnetic Signature Reduction Systems

The susceptibilities of surface ships and submarines to electromagnetic influence mines and detection systems are generally determined with the aid of mathematical and physical scale models of the vessel's underwater field signatures. In addition, they are the primary tools used in the design of signature reduction systems. However, limitations of model accuracy need to be recognized and identified through verification and validation, and they should not be used blindly as a substitute for critical engineering analysis. The proper use of underwater electromagnetic field models of naval vessels in designing signature reduction systems will be presented.     

A Low-Cost Transfer Function Identification Technique for Automotive Suspensions

An alternative technique for identifying the transfer function of automotive suspension systems is presented in this paper. The method establishes a frequency response from which the transfer function can be determined by using a low cost test rig developed for the purpose. This results in a transfer function matrix which can include asymmetry in the suspension, tyre stiffness and damping. The technique is validated by comparing results for a two-wheeled trailer with those obtained on a conventional hydraulic test rig. Results from this procedure may be used to evaluate passive or active suspension systems or to feed into a suspension modelling process for such purposes as active suspension control strategy development.     

Postembryonic stages of Nucellicola holmanae Lamb et al., 1996 (copepoda, poecilostomatoida), an endoparasite of the dog whelk Nucella lapillus (gastropoda)

The external morphology of the first three larval stages of Nucellicola holmanae is described. These stages were cultured from eggs found with the adults in the viscera of dog whelks collected from Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire. The nauplius develops within the whelk. It moults to a metanauplius which is released as a free-swimming stage. The metanauplius moults to a free copepodid stage which exhibits a combination of characters typical of the first, second and third copepodid stages of other poecilostomatoid copepods. The infective copepodid stage which locates and penetrates the host is visible through the integument of this free-swimming copepodid.     

Design of Robust Controllers for Active Vehicle Suspension Using the Mixed µ Synthesis

Summary The mixed µ synthesis for active suspension problems is proposed. Applying this method the real parametric uncertainties can be taken into consideration, which is more realistic than the traditional approaches, and the design process yields a less conservative compensator than other robust control design methods. The concept of the active suspension design using full-car models to handle the uncertain components is presented. The result of the mixed µ method is compared with the complex µ synthesis, and the passive system.