Method for precise controlling of the at shift control system

The shift comfort and efficiency of Automatic Transmission in vehicle are highly influenced by the pressure of the clutch shift control system, especially by the electro-hydraulic clutch subsystem. In this paper, the new design principles of electro-hydraulic clutch systems developed and modeled in detail, the clutch-to-clutch control system is analyzed in three time intervals: oil filled phase, changing phase of clutch torque and synchronous phase of clutch speed. The demand pressures for the engaged clutches calculated in each phase and is precisely built up by using fuzzy slide mode control, the time of hydraulic pressure building-up is very sensitive to the dither current in simulation. All control parameters are optimized by Cosimulation between software Simulink and SimulationX. Finally, the optimal algorithm of the clutch shift control is written into the transmission control unit of a testing vehicle. The testing results show that the suggested control strategy is effective.     

Empirical analysis on the effect of design variables of automotive seat lumbar support on the initial sitting discomfort

An empirical analysis was performed in order to examine whether the height of the lumbar support installed on the driver’s seat in a vehicle makes a difference to the initial discomfort when sitting, and among the design variables of the seat lumbar support, which one is the main variable that affects the initial discomfort most when sitting. The subjects who participated in this study were 50^th percentile male in their 30s and 40s from Korea and America, had driving experience, and had not experienced any back pain in the last 12 months. In order to figure out the level of discomfort felt by a driver depending on the movement or the shapes of the lumbar support, subjective sensibility evaluation was conducted and sitting body pressure was measured, and the change of lumbar spine angle was observed using X-ray image. Based on the results, design variables that affect the initial discomfort when sitting on a car seat and the correlation among these design variables were verified through statistical significance testing. The empirical analysis suggested that, among design variables of car seat lumbar support, the degree of prominence is the main variable that affects the initial discomfort when sitting for both Koreans and Americans, while the height and support width have very little to do with it.     

Galvanic Interactions of Aluminium 3004 and∝Brass in Tropical M arine Atmosphere

The galvanic corrosion behaviour of alumiuium 3004 - ∝ brass with different area ratios was studied in the tropical marine atmosphere at Tuticorin harbour over a period of 426 days. The area ratios, viz. AAluminiurn：A∝ brass, studied were 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8. The galvanic corrosion behaviour of the metals was studied in terms of the relative increase in the corrosion rate of aluminium due to galvanic coupling with oc brass, the relative decrease in the corrosion rate of ∝ brass due to galvanic coupling with aluminium, and the susceptibility of aluminium to pitting owing to galvanic coupling with ∝ brass. The galvanic potential and galvanic current of the system were monitored. Pits of different dimensions ranging from mild etchings to perforations were experienced on the borders arid the surfaces of the interface of aluminium in contact with ∝ brass. The corrosion products resulting from galvanic corrosion were analysed using XRD and the pitting on aluminium as a result of galvanic corrosion was highlighted in terms of pit depth, size and density of pit, using a high resolution microscope. The most favourable area ratio of aluminium - ∝ brass in marine atmosphere in terms of gravimetric corrosion rate is 8：1 and the most unfavourable area ratio of aluminium - ∝ brass is 1：4.     

Hard Foulers Induced Crevice Corrosion of HSLA Steel in theCoastal Waters of the Gulf of Mannar （Bay of Bengal）, India

In the present study an attempt has been made toinvestigate the relationship between the variations in the foulingassemblage and corrosion behaviour of HSLA steel at three coastallocations in the Gulf of Marmar, India, over a period of 24 months.Oyster fouling was dominant in the Tuticorin open sea, whilebarnacles were the major foulants in the Tuticorin harbour andMandapam. The fouling load in the Tuticorin waters was higherwhen compared to the Mandapam waters. The corrosion ratesdecreased progressively with the immersion time at all three testlocations. In the Tuticorin open sea, the corrosion rates were higherwhen compared to the other two locations throughout the studyperiod. The surface of the coupons was characterized by crevicesbeneath the hard foulers in the Tuticorin harbour and Mandapam,whereas in the Tuticorin open sea, the coupons experiencedcrevices of a tunneling nature. The percentage of the loss of thetensile strength increased with time at all the test locations.     

Traffic safety in Gulf countries with special reference to Kuwait

A review of the problem of road accidents in Gulf countries is presented. A special reference is made to the road safety problem in Kuwait. Using cross‐sectional data from Gulf countries and six other Middle Eastern countries and time‐series data for Kuwait, significant relationships are established between fatality rates and motorization levels. Fatality rates per vehicle were found to be inversely related to vehicle ownership levels. Fatality rates are also related to some social and economical parameters including population per physician, population per hospital bed, school‐age population attending schools, vehicle ownership and gross national product per capita.     

Planning and control of paratransit services in Hong Kong

As paratransit services, Hong Kong's taxis and public light buses (PLB) carried some 30% of the 9.7 million daily public transport boardings in Hong Kong in 1988. Most of the vehicles are individually owned, and services are operated as commercially viable concerns. While operators have a high degree of operational flexibility, taxis and PLBs are closely regulated by the Government. The fleet sizes are controlled by licensing. There is a system of zoning for taxis, and operational prohibitions and restrictions for PLBs. Over the years, Hong Kong has developed some practicable means of operational control on taxis and PLBs. It has been 20 years since PLBs were legalized in 1969. The transition experienced by this mode, from no control to regulated operations, signifies a major step forward from the point of view of transport administration. The Government's participation in the planning for PLB services has guided the development of this mode. In this paper, the planning and control mechanisms for Hong Kong's paratransit modes are introduced. Identified deficiencies are also discussed.     

Platooning for sustainable freight transportation: an adoptable practice in the near future?

ABSTRACT

Platooning is an emerging transportation practice that has the potential to solve the problems of the burgeoning transportation industry. A platoon is a group of vehicles, with vehicle to vehicle communication, that travel closely behind one another such that the platoon can accelerate, brake and cruise together. Platoons can improve road safety, be energy efficient and reduce costs. Its complete socio-economic benefits include congestion mitigation, smoother traffic flow, better lane usage and throughput, incentives for green logistics and driver safety. The long-term effect of platooning on road transportation, if extensively deployed, would be better organised traffic flow and efficient tracking of vehicles on the road ushering a multilevel positive impact on the industry. In this study, we attempt to answer the critical question of whether platooning is an adoptable practice in the near future and discuss an agenda to take platooning closer to implementation on the ground by highlighting the opportunities for future research. We also present a conceptual framework to help researchers, academicians, policy makers and practitioners for the adoption of platooning into the transportation industry.     

Deregulating the bus industry in Britain: a reply

In the last four years, some 20 urban areas in the UK have commissioned or considered conducting Integrated Transport Studies, which are designed to develop a transport strategy for the next 20–30 years. Such studies represent a new approach to transport policy formulation, since they respond to a vision of the future for the area, treat a wide range of transport and land use policy instruments, emphasize synergy between those instruments, and provide a framework for facilitating action rather than a rigid blueprint for the future. They also differ from past studies in the speed with which they have been conducted, and in the analytical techniques which have made this possible. This paper reviews the background to these studies, the evaluation approach adopted, the policy instruments considered and the analytical methods developed for the studies. It concludes with an assessment of the policy implications stressing in particular the need to reduce trip length, the crucial impact of pricing as an instrument of transport policy, the importance of achieving synergy in strategy development, and the requirement for a common basis for evaluating and financing different transport policy instruments.     

Testing port choice models using physical and monetary data: a comparative case study for the Spanish container trades

ABSTRACT

Transport costs are useful explanatory variables in port choice research. Nevertheless, the availability of such information usually poses a problem. Thus, the formulation of an alternative approach, to be used as a proxy of these variables, would be desirable. The objective of this study is to improve the analysis of container port choice using logit models by adopting physical non-monetary indicators based on maritime distance and ship size. The statistical tests of logit models on port choice using these new variables are compared with the result of using cost variables for the same data set of choice positions. The statistical outcome is good and allows us to present this new approach as a contribution to the literature on port choice modeling.