The ambivalence of ridesharing

Ridesharing is quite a popular topic of discussion among transport authority personnel. It is perceived to be a viable alternative to classical modes of transportation, and receives a great deal of political support from transport planners. However, not much objective information is available on ridesharing behaviors. We use travel survey data to study the evolution of the ridesharing market in an urban area. Our study is based on data from four large-scale OD surveys conducted in the Greater Montreal Area (1987, 1993, 1998 and 2003). In the latest survey conducted in Montreal, car passengers were asked to identify the driver who gave them the opportunity to travel in this way. Their answers were classified according to the type of driver; for instance, a member of their household, a neighbor or a co-worker. We use this information to calibrate a model matching car passengers and car drivers belonging to the same household. This will be referred to as IHHR (intra-household ridesharing). Preliminary results reveal that approximately 70% of all trips made by car passengers are the result of IHHR. Furthermore, around 15% of those trips are questionable, in that they were exclusively generated for another individual’s purposes, consequently generating an additional trip for the journey back home. Moreover, this percentage increased over time. Objective data regarding ridesharing and its evolution in an urban area will undoubtedly help decision makers gain a clearer profile of this means of travel and help to realign attitudes on the issue.

The role of paratransit: some reflections based on the experience of residents’ coach services in Hong Kong

Paratransit refers to urban transport services “somewhere between private passenger transport and conventional public transport in terms of cost and quality of service” [Rimmer (1980), Paratransit: A commentary. Environ. Plan. A 12, 937–944]. Since the 1980s, a new form of paratransit—residents’ coach, which provides exclusive transport services to residents living in private housing estates—has emerged in Hong Kong. What was the background underlying the emergence and subsequent growth of residents’ coach services? Also, what was the role of residents’ coach in the public transport system of Hong Kong? With the completion of more railway extensions, should residents’ coach services be replaced? If so, what are the potential impacts on people’s life? This paper addresses the above research questions through a large-scale questionnaire survey that examined not only people’s modal choice but also their residential choice, socio-economic background and attitudes. The findings suggest that transport policy makers should pay more attention to examine new forms of paratransit and the ways of integrating them into the overall public transport system, both spatially and temporally. It is only through the development of an efficient and multi-modal transport system can the maximum potential of paratransit in filling the transport gap between conventional mass transit and private cars be realized.     

高速公路零征地加筋拓宽路堤监测分析

为掌握高速公路零征地加筋拓宽路堤施工和运营过程中特性,对其进行了系统的监测和分析。监测为期2年,监测项目包括路基侧向水平位移、土压力、孔隙水压力等。监测表明,各监测指标的变化主要发生在拓宽路堤施工期与完工后3个月内,其后各监测指标变化较小;采用粉喷桩处理软土地基时,粉喷桩为刚性桩,桩与桩间土不是协调变形,以粉喷桩为主承受上部荷载。分析结果表明:设计方案和施工方案较好,能保证拓宽工程的变形和稳定性要求;零征地加筋拓宽路堤具有较高的稳定性和安全性;为避免拓宽路基的不均匀沉降导致路面开裂,对于拓宽路基宜采用先进行一段时间的堆载预压,然后再修筑路面的施工方法。     

公交线路对双车道交通流的影响分析

采用元胞自动机模型对具有公交线路的双车道混合交通系统进行建模和模拟分析. 通过绘制系统的基本图和右车道上车辆占有率分析了公交线路对双车道车流演化特性以及运行效率的影响,并针对港湾式和非港湾式两种停靠方式的优劣进行比较. 研究结果显示,系统中存在四个车流演化特性不同的密度区域;系统中公交车数量增多会导致最大流量降低;港湾式停靠站的公交线路系统对车流的影响小,系统流量大,优于非港湾式停靠站的公交线路系统.     

Experimental study of lightweight expanded polystyrene aggregate concrete containing silica fume and polypropylene fibers

We developed a new structural lightweight concrete by totally or partially replacing coarse and fine aggregates in high performance concrete by expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads. In this work,the sizes of EPS bead were 1.0,2.5 and 6.3 mm. Lightweight EPS concretes with a wide range of concrete densities and compressive strengths were successfully developed. Compressive strength,splitting tensile strength,shrinkage,and water absorption were examined. Additionally,fine silica fume (SF) and polypropylene (PP) f...     

Mesh motion approach based on spring analogy method for unstructured meshes

Mesh motion strategy is one of the key points in many fluid-structure interaction problems. One popular technique used to solve this problem is known as the spring analogy method. In this paper a new mesh update approach based on the spring analogy method is presented for the effective treatment of mesh moving boundary problems. The proposed mesh update technique is developed to avoid the generation of squashed invalid elements and maintain mesh quality by considering each element shape and grid scale to th...     

H_∞ Autopilot Design for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

The design approach of H∞ autopilot for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is proposed. Comprised by the three sub-controllers,i.e. speed,heading and depth controllers,the designed autopilot has advantage over existing H∞ control of AUVs. The overshoot in speed,heading and depth control systems under step commands is restricted by refining the weighting function for robust stability. The dynamic performance of heading and depth control systems is improved by feeding back yaw rate and pitch angle,respecti...     

Method for workspace calculation of 6R serial manipulator based on surface enveloping and overlaying

Aiming at the workspace calculation problem of multi-joint serial manipulators, a surface enveloping and overlaying (SEO) method is presented to identify and visualize the manipulator workspace. The SEO method is composed of two stages: the first stage is to choose reference points of the manipulator and calculate their boundary surfaces using the nth enveloping method; the second stage is to overlay these boundary surfaces to identify the final workspace. The SEO method is basically a combination of the analytic method and the numerical method. By delineating the graphic representation of the workspace step by step, the SEO method is easy to analyze the existence and the shape of voids and holes. The basic theory of the SEO method and formulas for workspace calculation are presented based on a 6R serial manipulator. By showing the workspace calculation results, the SEO method is proved working correctly.     

Mechanical behaviors of the foot after individual releases of plantar fascia and ligaments during the balanced standing

To quantify mechanical effects of plantar fascia and ligaments on the arch structure, a 3D finite element model of the foot was created to simulate the balanced standing posture. Four cases after individual releases of plantar fascia, spring ligament, long and short plantar ligaments were simulated respectively to compare their consequences to the predictions of the intact structure. It was founded that the foot arch didn’t collapse obviously after any individual release of these structures. As plantar fascia was released, tensions of plantar ligaments were largely increased. Long and short plantar ligaments performed mutual compensation functions.     

Fuzzy optimization of storage space allocation in a container terminal

A fuzzy optimization model of storage space allocation is proposed, and a rolling-planning method is derived. The model takes the uncertainty of departure time of import containers and arrival time of export containers into account. For each planning horizon, the problem is decomposed into two levels: the first level minimizes the unbalanced workloads among blocks using hybrid intelligence algorithm; based on block workloads allocated in the above level, the second level minimizes the number of blocks to which the same group of import containers are split. Numerical results show that the model reduces workload imbalance, and speeds up the vessel loading and discharging process.