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.     

Performance Index for a Preview Active Suspension Applied to a Quarter-Car Model

A simple and convenient matrix expression is derived for the performance index in the case of a linear vehicle model with two degrees of freedom and a preview active suspension, subject to a unit step road input and employing optimal control. The usual quadratic integral-type performance index is assumed and the effect of an additional form of constraint is described briefly. The effects of preview time on the performance index and the optimal feed-forward control are illustrated graphically for a particular example.     

Mathematical Modelling of Vibrations and Loading of Railway Tanks Taking into Account the Liquid Cargo Mobility

Dynamics and loading of railway tank cars transporting liquid cargo are investigated. The approach based on the mechanical-pendulum analogy for the liquid cargo mobility simulation is proposed. Hydrodynamic parameters of the mechanical analogy are determined using the solution of the boundary-value problem for the liquid cargo vibrations in a cavity with the tank boiler shape. The fitting of the developed mathematical models is proved by comparison of calculated results and test data. Vibration characteristics and loading of tank-cars under their shunt collisions and motion along straight and curved track in trains are evaluated. It is shown that as a rule the liquid cargo mobility has an essential influence on tank dynamic properties.     

Tractor-semitrailer model for vehicles carrying liquids

This article presents a model for solving solid-fluid interactions in vehicles carrying liquids. A tractor-semitrailer model is developed by incorporating suspension systems and tire dynamics. Owing to the solid-fluid interaction, equations of motion for the vehicle system are coupled. To simplify the complicated solution procedure, the coupled equations are solved separately using two different codes. Each code is analyzed separately; but as the parameters of the two codes depend on each other, the codes must be connected at the end of each time step. To determine the dynamic behavior of the system, different braking moments are applied. As the braking moments increase, braking time decreases. However, it turns out that increasing the braking moment to more than a certain level produces no significant results. It is also shown that vehicles carrying fluids need a greater amount of braking moments in comparison to vehicles carrying solids during braking. In addition, as the level of the fluid inside the tanker increases, from one-third to two-third of the tanker's volume, the sloshing forces applied to the tanker's walls increase. It was also concluded that the strategy used in this article to solve for the solid-fluid interaction by incorporating vehicle dynamic effects represents an effective method for determining the dynamic behavior of vehicles carrying fluids in other critical maneuvers.     

Study of in-vehicle route guidance systems for improvement of right-side drivers in the Japanese traffic system

A country can adopt one of two standards for traffic flow — cars may travel on the left or right side of the road. When drivers who are accustomed to driving on the right side of the road drive on the left side, and vice versa, the mental workload is likely increased due to the driver’s unfamiliarity with a new language, the position of the driver’s seat, different driving directions, and other factors that differ from those of their home country. One method of doing this is to make sure that the in-vehicle route guidance information (RGI) is not overly complicated — thereby assisting drivers in improving their safety. Consequently, the aim of this study was to facilitate mobility and improve safety for natural right-side drivers driving temporarily in left-side traffic. In this study, driver behavior and workload — given various types of RGI — were evaluated in a driving simulator with a variety of prescribable test conditions. This research was composed of two experiments. In the first, various types of in-vehicle route guidance systems were tested and evaluated in terms of their characteristics and associated driver behaviors (while driving). In the second experiment, systemic factors and effectiveness were evaluated by two combined systems, arrow and map-type information, based on the results of the first experiment. In light of both experiments, the various types of route guidance systems were discussed in terms of their results. A navigation system was proposed to alleviate some of the secondary tasks such as route selection.     

软土地基水下真空预压固结离心模型试验

采用新发明的真空吸水系统应用于离心机中,可以使土体产生向上渗流并模拟软土地基真空预压。为获得理想的水下真空预压固结对比效果,竖井采用2种不同井间距的砂井,密封膜采用完全覆盖的形式。用发明的装置产生水下真空得以模拟软土水下固结行为。介绍了模型制作、试验程序及真空发生系统,并分析了孔隙水压力、变形、不排水剪切强度的改变和不同井间距对固结速率的影响。     

The construction and use of continuous autoregressive models for traffic indices

This article discusses the use of continuous autoregressive models to describe the behavior of traffic indices. From discretely sampled data, second-order differential equation models are constructed to represent dynamic traffic fluctuations as the response of a linear system to a stochastic forcing function. The results are compared to the more common M/G/∞ queueing model approach, and the analysis is demonstrated on time series of aircraft concentration in thirty-one enroute air traffic control sectors.     

Highway expenditures and non-metropolitan employment

Using data on state highway expenditures and employment from 30 Minnesota non-metropolitan counties over a 25-year period, possible interactions between transportation and employment are investigated. While crosssectional analysis suggests no significant interactions, causality tests and time-series analyses indicate that highway expenditures affect manufacturing and retail employment, and employment influences expenditures. Although expenditure increases cause employment improvements in the short-term, long-term effects are less favorable. Highway expenditures respond quickly to increased needs caused by retail improvements.     

Validation of a schedule‐based capacity restraint transit assignment model for a large‐scale network

This paper describes the application of a capacity restraint trip assignment algorithm to a real, large‐scale transit network and the validation of the results. Unlike the conventional frequency‐based approach, the network formulation of the proposed model is dynamic and schedule‐based. Transit vehicles are assumed to operate to a set of pre‐determined schedules. Passengers are assumed to select paths based on a generalized cost function including in‐vehicle and out‐of‐vehicle time and line change penalty. The time‐varying passenger demand is loaded onto the network by a time increment simulation method, which ensures that the capacity restraint of each vehicle during passenger boarding is strictly observed. The optimal‐path and path‐loading algorithms are applied iteratively by the method of successive averages until the network converges to the predictive dynamic user equilibrium. The Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway network is used to validate the model results. The potential applications of the model are also discussed.     

Improved customs inspection at a small international airport: Case study: Colombo

The present procedures for processing arriving passengers at the Colombo International Airport cause inordinte waiting times. An alternate plan, which is based on state of the art customs procedures, and which can reduce waiting times significantly while maintaining a high level of enforcement, is proposed. The present and proposed procedures are analyzed and compared with respect to passenger waiting times, using deterministic queueing theory. An optimal inspection rate of passengers by the customs service is proposed taking into account the fraction of inspected passengers, the waiting time of passengers and the cost of customs processing.