A new lost time estimation method for right‐turn traffic in Japan considering signal phasing and sneakers

Precise estimation of the capacity for right‐turn traffic (comparable to left‐turn traffic in the USA) is of great importance to determine signal phasing schemes at signalized intersections in Japan, where the left‐hand driving rule is valid. However, in most signal timing procedures across the world, the lost time of right‐turn traffic is simply determined by the duration of intergreen intervals and thus lacks considerations of various signal phasing and driver behavior. Meanwhile, sneakers per cycle are usually applied to account for the number of drivers completing right turns during the effective red portion of the clearance‐and‐change intervals. As a result, an initial cycle length must be hypothesized in order to assess the total number of sneakers within the analysis period. Consequently, a time‐consuming iterative calculation process often becomes necessary. Therefore, the present study aims to develop a new lost time estimation method for right‐turn traffic to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. Lost times of right‐turn traffic under three conventional phasing plans are theoretically formulated on the basis of a time–space diagram and shock‐wave theory. The new method is validated using field data, with case studies of its application in the signal timing procedure. Results indicated that the proposed method is capable of offering more accurate estimation than conventional approaches, which leads to shorter cycle length and simplifies signal timing process by eliminating an iterative check to determine the number of sneakers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher-order boundary element method for the interaction of a floating body with both waves and slow current

A hybrid boundary element method is suggested to solve the problem of the interaction of floating structures with both waves and slow current. A pulsating source and its mirror image referring to the sea bottom are adopted as the Green's function. The velocity potentials are expanded into an eigenfunction expansion in the outer region of the fluid domain while higher order elements are used to discretize the boundary surface surrounding the inner region. The method is validated by comparing calculated results for a circular cylinder with the semi-analytical solutions. The method is then applied to ellipsoids of various breadth and draft to investigate the influence of body shape on the wave drift damping.     

The hydrodynamic forces acting on a cylinder array oscillating in waves and current

The problem of the interaction of multiple cylinders oscillating in waves and slow current is considered. The interaction is represented by waves emitted from adjacent cylinders towards the cylinder under consideration. Wave drift forces and moment in the horizontal plane are calculated by the far-field method based on the conservation of momentum or angular momentum. A semianalytical formula for the calculation of the wave drift damping is then deduced. The conservation of the integrals in these formulae is proved. Special treatments to improve the accuracy of results are discussed. Comparisons between calculated results and experimental measurements are made, showing satisfactory agreement. Effects of various combinations of current direction and incident wave angle on the wave drift damping and damping moment are also examined.     

Reducing average comprehensive travel cost by rationally allocating trips to different travel modes

To study the effect of different transport policies on reducing the average comprehensive travel cost (CTC) of all travel modes, by increasing public transport modal share and decreasing car trips, an optimization model is developed based on travel cost utility. A nested logit model is applied to analyze trip modal split. A Genetic Algorithm is then used to determine the implementation of optimal solutions in which various transport policies are applied in order to reduce average CTC. The central urban region of Beijing is selected as the study area in this research. Different policies are analyzed for comparison, focusing on their optimal impacts on minimizing the average CTC utility of all travel modes by rationally allocating trips to different travel modes in the study area. It is found that the proposed optimization model provides a reasonable indication of the effect of policies applied.     

Evaluation of preview G-Vectoring control to decelerate a vehicle prior to entry into a curve

This paper describes the development of the braking assistance system based on a “G-Vectoring” concept. The present work focuses in particular on “Preview G-Vectoring Control” (PGVC), which is based on the “G-Vectoring Control” (GVC) scheme. In GVC, the longitudinal-acceleration control algorithm is based on the actual lateral jerk. PGVC decelerates a vehicle before it enters a curve, and is based on a new longitudinal-acceleration control algorithm which uses predicted and actual lateral jerk. Using the predicted lateral jerk makes it possible to decelerate the vehicle prior to curve entry. This deceleration can emulate a driver’s deceleration as the vehicle approaches a curve entry. PGVC is based on such deceleration algorithms and enables automatic deceleration similar to the action of a driver. It is thus possible to significantly improve the driver’s feeling when this system is activated. Driving tests with this new control system on snowy-winding course confirmed that the automatic brake control quality improved considerably compared to manual driver control considering both lap time and ride quality. These results indicate that PGVC can be a useful braking assistance system not only to improve the driver’s handling performance but also to reduce the brake-task during driving on winding roads.     

A minimization theory in Hilbert space and its application to two-dimensional cavity flow with a numerical study

A minimization theory, which is based on the Hilbert space theory, is proposed and applied to two-dimensional cavity flow past a strut with the assumption of potential flow. That is, the minimization of the cavity drag of the strut on the cavity flow is studied with the help of the optimization theory proposed. To accelerate the optimization process, the Euler beam theory is introduced to generate a small variation in the strut. The introduction of the Euler beam theory makes the mathematical formulation for the present theory ill-conditioned. To overcome this condition, the Tikhonov regularization and the Morozov's discrepancy principle are used to regularize the present optimal theory. From the numerical study, it is shown that the proposed minimization theory is able to find an optimized shape for the given strut and corresponding optimized cavity drag. Received: June 22, 2000 / Accepted: January 30, 2001     

Anti-seismic reinforcement strategy for an urban road network

This paper provides a novel practical method for analyzing an anti-seismic reinforcement (ASR) problem involving hundreds of transportation facilities on an urban road network subject to multiple earthquake risks. The relevant properties of the present method are: (i) it evaluates the performance of an ASR strategy, taking into account traffic congestion and travelers’ trip-making or route-choice behavior; (ii) it estimates the realistic damage patterns on the road network and their occurrence probabilities on the basis of recent advances in structural and earthquake engineering; (iii) it has clear, sensible logic and includes neither a black-box nor a “lottery” in the necessary procedures. We examine the computational efficiency and whether the present method is reasonable by applying it to a test scenario of the Kobe urban and suburban area.     

Wave responses of a coastal cargo ship consisting of unit modules

This article discusses the dynamic responses of a coastal cargo ship that consists of unit modules with advance forward speed in waves. We introduce a simple way of connecting the modules that has enough capability to link the modular parts of the ship as a unified whole. The flexible connection consists of male and female rubber fenders with additional pretensioned ropes. This kind of connection system is proposed for use in coastal regions with relatively calm waters wherein the modular ship can move at a moderate speed. The modules are assumed to be rigid compared to the connections. Computations were performed to investigate the vertical elastic responses of four modules connected end-to-end with the assumption that in the simple hinge, no gaps occur in the flexible rubber connections between adjacent modules. A simple method, which is an extension of the computational analysis we reported previously, is presented to study the hydroelasticity and rope tension forces of the modular ship with forward speed in waves. Experiments with a three-dimensional model at Froude numbers of 0 and 0.16 in head waves were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the calculation method. In the experiments, deflections for each part were measured using calibrated potentiometers. Force transducers were used to measure the rope tension force between the modules of the articulated cargo ship. Some slight differences were observed, but generally the calculated results showed the same trends as the experimental values.     

Development of a single-handed hydrofoil sailing catamaran

A new, high-speed, recreational dinghy has been developed. It is a catamaran with submerged hydrofoils, which allow the crew to control the trim and heel balances. The two hulls are allowed to rotate about a main beam. The hydrofoils, which are attached below each hull, change the angle of attack independently, and the difference between the lift forces acting on each hydrofoil makes the catamaran stable. The stability of the boat is examined by numerical calculations and one-third scale model tests. Received: September 14, 2000 / Accepted: July 3, 2001     

Estimation of the hydrodynamic coefficients of the complex-shaped autonomous underwater vehicle TUNA-SAND

Hydrodynamic coefficients strongly affect the dynamic performance of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Thus it is important to have the true values of the coefficients in order to simulate the AUV’s dynamic performance accurately. Although these coefficients can be predicted by many methods, most are only applicable for AUVs with streamlined shapes. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) can be applied to estimate the hydrodynamic coefficients of AUVs with complex shapes. In this study, CFD was applied to estimate the hydrodynamic coefficients of the AUV TUNA-SAND (which stands for terrain-based underwater navigable AUV for seafloor and natural resources development), which has a complex block-like structure. First, the validity of the CFD simulation was verified by comparison with experimental results. Second, the relationships between hydrodynamic loads and motions for all six degrees of freedom were analyzed using the simulated results. Third, the importance of each hydrodynamic coefficient was investigated based on these relationships. There are 16 key damping coefficients that relate to viscosity and 12 key inertial coefficients that relate to the potential flow around TUNA-SAND. Finally, the values of all the key coefficients were obtained and verified by comparing the solutions of the simulated dynamics with the experimental results.