Some Inverse Solutions to an Automobile Path-Tracking Problem with Input Control of Steering and Brakes

An approximate inverse solution for a laterally telescoped automobile is obtained where the two inputs, namely the steering angle and the brake/tractive forces, are determined so as to perform a specified lane change maneuver. The optimal control approach is shown to be useful in obtaining some of the many feasible inverse solutions where the same tracking task is performed with different steering inputs by applying different brake/tractive forces. A comparison is made between the tractive forces required for front and rear drive automobiles when the vehicle is to be accelerated to the same final speed during the same lane-change maneuver.     

Fuel conservation as a regulator of vessel routeing

The high cost of fuel for marine purposes, coupled with the trend towards longer sea routes indicates the substantial savings in fuel costs that might accrue from more efficient trading patterns. The author discusses fuel conservation with special reference to the combined carrier.     

How reliable is the bureau of motor carrier safety truck accident data?

This paper examines the degree of compliance with the accident reporting requirements imposed by the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety (BMCS) of the U.S. Department of Transportation on motor carriers involved in interstate and foreign transport. It also examines the reliability and validity of the accident information reported by these carriers to the BMCS. The study shows that there is a high degree of accident underreporting, especially by the private and exempt carriers, and that the information reported on variables such as cargo weight, gross vehicle weights, and usage of seat belts at the time of accident, is biased toward the interests of the reporters of the accidents.     

The marginal cost taxation of a transportation network

The paper shows that if the cost and demand functions satisfy certain weak smoothness conditions then the marginal cost taxation of a transportation network is optimal in the usual local sense. Interactions between the cost of travel along a link and flow along other links and between the demand for travel along a route and flow along other routes are permitted.     

Estimation of parking accumulation profiles from survey data

Parking accumulation profiles at car parks are time-dependent quantities that require data from lengthy observation surveys. However, it is found that car parks can be clustered into groups based on the similarity in the shape of their accumulation profiles. This procedure increases the efficiency of the survey data collected for this purpose. This paper describes a method developed to estimate aggregate parking accumulation profiles at different districts in a city. The planning of the survey conducted in Hong Kong in the year 2000 and the results of the data analysis are also described.     

Design of a Stroke Dependent Damper for the Front Axle Suspension of a Truck Using Multibody System Dynamics and Numerical Optimization

Summary A stroke dependent damper is designed for the front axle suspension of a truck. The damper supplies extra damping for inward deflections rising above 4 cm. In this way the damper should reduce extreme suspension deflections without deteriorating the comfort of the truck. But the question is which stroke dependent damping curve yields the best compromise between suspension deflection working space and comfort. Therefore an optimization problem is defined to minimize the maximum inward suspension deflection subject to constraints on the chassis acceleration for three typical road undulations. The optimization problem is solved using sequential linear programming (SLP) and multibody dynamics simulation software. Several optimization runs have been carried out for a small two degree of freedom vehicle model and a large full-scale model of the truck semi-trailer combination. The results show that the stroke dependent damping can reduce large deflections at incidental road disturbances, but that the optimum stroke dependent damping curve is related to the acceleration bound. By means of vehicle model simulation and numerical optimization we have been able to quantify this trade-off between suspension deflection working space and truck comfort.     

The Horsepower Reserve Formulation of Driveability for a Vehicle Fitted With a Continuously Variable Transmission

Summary A systematic methodology is developed for choosing the optimum ratio trajectory of a continuously variable transmission in a passenger vehicle. The optimum CVT ratio schedule is formulated as a constrained optimization problem with maximum fuel economy as the objective function and driveability concerns and physical limitations included as the constraints. The key notion to achieving good driveability is the introduction and definition of a horsepower reserve function that creates a consistent and desirable vehicle response under different driving conditions. Simulation results compare the optimized schedule's performance with several other possible ratio schedules, including the minimum brake specific fuel consumption map. Results from the optimized schedule indicate only a mild tradeoff between driveability and fuel economy relative to the other ratio schedules. The ratio optimization problem formulation and solution provide a novel and unique approach for systematically addressing driveability and fuel economy considerations associated with a continuously variable transmission.     

轨道运输噪音改善研析与对策——以台北捷运地下隧道为例

台湾因人口集中都会区且道路年增率远不及车辆年增率,形成都会区内及城际道路交通日益频繁与拥塞,台湾目前陆运交通主流与世界趋势相同,主要以轨道运输系统为陆运交通主要解决方案,同时近年来在降低环境污染及增加能源使用效能之呼声下,更使得铁路运输亦再度成为最佳解决方案.近年来台北捷运系统中和线古亭站穿越民房下方潜盾隧道段、维修线中华路区段及板桥线西门站至龙山寺站地下隧道,沿线接获越来越多居住其上的居民对振动噪音污染生活质量之抱怨与不满,同时因民众环保意识的日渐抬头,民众对捷运行驶的噪音愈来愈不能忍受,噪音陈情的地点也愈来愈多,目前虽采取许多改善措施,但似乎不能满足沿线居民的需求.此篇论文即针对轨道运输系统中台北捷运地下隧道分轨道噪音之成因进行分析,并经分析评估,拟定出各轨道噪音案在地下隧道的防治对策,并对部分防治对策做-长期监测,并对部分监测数据进行初步分析比对,厘清对策与成因在理论上及实务上之成效比对,从而进行设计上之回馈,以提供轨道运输在环境噪音防治之最佳方案.