Advantages of twin rudder system with asymmetric wing section aside a propeller

This study presents a new twin rudder system with asymmetric wing section, aside a propeller, as a new category energy saving device (ESD) for ships. The energy saving principle of the new ESD, which is called “Gate rudder”, is described and its applicability on a large bulk carrier is explored using experimental and numerical methods. The study makes emphasis on the cost-effectiveness of the proposed ESD and presents a potential energy saving up to 7–8 % with the new device as well as an attractive return investment in 0.37–0.9 year. These estimations are based on the conventional powering methods, whereas the accuracy of the ESD design method is confirmed by model test measurements.     

对地铁运营物资高效管理的探讨

随着城市轨道交通的快速发展,轨道交通网络加剧成型,物资供应和保障面临巨大挑战,探讨新的物资管理模式势在必行。本文着重围绕供应链中的各个实施要点阐述,从价格比对体系、采购计划、供应商、库存管理和物资配送等方面进行了论述,对于从事轨道交通物资管理的相关人员有一定的参考和借鉴意义。     

Application of digital image correlation method to in-situ dynamic strain measurement

Application of digital image correlation (DIC) method to determination of in-situ dynamic strain is presented in this study. Firstly, an integrative software is programmed based on the DIC algorithms and point-wise least-squares fitting technique. Then, simulated speckle images are generated to study the computational accuracy of this software. The experimental setup and procedures for measuring in-situ dynamic strain through both DIC and strain gauge are proposed. The DIC results are close to those measured by strain gauge. This fact reveals that DIC is a practical and effective tool for in-situ dynamic strain measurement. Finally, the full-field in-situ dynamic strain of another specimen is measured by DIC, and the overall distribution of the strain in the measurement area is clearly shown.     

大倾角中厚煤层软弱顶底板柔性护巷技术

在大倾角中厚煤层沿空留巷中,以往的支护方式难以满足大倾角中厚煤层巷道特殊的围岩结构稳定的需要,同时无法适应工作面内矸石垮落造成留巷困难。文章针对这一难题,首次提出并采用了"柔性护巷"技术,通过利用巷道上帮形成的由垮落矸石堆积在特制钢筋网上的"包护带",允许巷道顶板有一定的下沉量,从而使矸石充分为巷道顶板组合岩梁结构提供支撑力。在总结其施工工艺的基础上,通过现场试验,研究了巷道矿压显现规律、顶板移动规律、矸石垮落堆积规律和钢筋网变形规律;实验结果表明,在利用锚、网、索、支柱联合支护的基础上,应用"柔性护巷"技术能有效地解决大倾角中厚煤层沿空留巷技术难题。     

基顶支撑不均匀度对道面板厚度影响分析

为研究土基基顶反应模量不均匀性对机场跑道结构力学性能的影响规律,针对基顶反应模量分布不均匀度及交通荷载耦合作用对混凝土道面板的受力进行有限元分析,分析相同轮载下为保证刚性道面板受力安全时基顶支撑不均匀度对混凝土道面板厚度的影响,探讨不同机型轮载对应不同道面板厚度情况下的基顶支撑不均匀度控制的临界参数。分析结果表明:混凝土板弯拉应力随着基顶支撑不均匀度的增加而增大,其影响随飞机轮载不同而存在差异,为避免道面产生严重损伤,需要增大道面板厚度。对于需要运行A320飞机的跑道,当道面铺设厚度为0.36、0.38和0.40 m时,基顶支撑不均匀度最大值分别不宜超过38%、57.5%和70%。对于拟运行B737-800飞机的跑道,当板厚为0.36 m时板的弯拉应力超过限值而发生弯拉破坏;道面铺设厚度分别为0.38、0.40 m时,为保证道面板受力安全的基顶支撑不均匀度最大值分别不宜超过33%和62%。     

CT reconstruction with priori MRI images through multi-group datasets expansion

Computed tomography (CT) reconstruction with a well-registered priori magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image can improve reconstruction results with low-dose CT, because well-registered CT and MRI images have similar structures. However, in clinical settings, the CT image of patients does not always match the priori MRI image because of breathing and movement of patients during CT scanning. To improve the image quality in this case, multi-group datasets expansion is proposed in this paper. In our method, multi-group CT-MRI datasets are formed by expanding CT-MRI datasets. These expanded datasets can also be used by most existing CT-MRI algorithms and improve the reconstructed image quality when the CT image of a patient is not registered with the priori MRI image. In the experiments, we evaluate the performance of the algorithm by using multi-group CT-MRI datasets in several unregistered situations. Experiments show that when the CT and priori MRI images are not registered, the reconstruction results of using multi-group dataset expansion are better than those obtained without using the expansion.     

Seafarers’ perceptions of competency in risk assessment and management: an empirical study

Past analysis of accident investigations suggest an absence of or inadequate practices of risk assessment and management on board vessels. Although the International Management Code for the Safe Operation of Ships and for Pollution Prevention (ISM Code) requires that the risk management process must not only be correctly formulated and implemented but also be periodically evaluated in order to verify that these objectives are attained, the correct and effective implementation and application of the process cannot be achieved without active involvement of competent seafarers on board. Due to the limited investigation of seafarers’ competencies in risk management, the reasons for the inadequacies in the process that are leading to accidents were not evident. Hence, using a survey, this paper conducted a pilot study investigating seafarers’ perceptions of competency in the various components of the risk management process conducted on board vessels. The findings of this paper suggest an overall satisfaction with the risk assessment process. However, there is certainly room for improvement as far as seafarers’ performance is concerned. The findings of this paper provided valuable insights into the current training regimes in the area of risk assessment and management paving the way towards enhanced safety procedures on board vessels.     

Automatic outer surface extraction of femoral head in CT images

Computer-aided hip surgery planning and implant design applications require accurate segmentation of femoral head and proximal acetabulum. An accurate outer surface extraction of femoral head using marching cubes algorithm remains challenging due to deformed shapes and extremely narrow inter-bone regions. In this paper, we present an automatic and fast approach for segmentation of femoral head and proximal acetabulum which leads to accurate and compact representation of femoral head using marching cubes algorithm. At first, valley-emphasized images are constructed from original images so that valleys stand out in high relief. Otsu’s multiple thresholding technique is applied to seperate the images into bone and non-bone classes. Region growing method and threedimensional (3D) morphological operations are performed to fill holes in the bone. In the reclassification process, the bone regions are further segmented, and the boundaries of the bone regions are further refined based on Bayes decision rule. Finally, marching cubes algorithm is applied to reconstruct a 3D model and extract the outer surface of femoral head and proximal acetabulum. Experimental results show that this method is an accurate segmentation technique for femoral head and proximal acetabulum and it can be applied as a tool in medical practice.     

Comparison on travel scheduling between driving and walking trips by habitual car users

Research on walking behavior has become increasingly more important in the field of transportation in the past decades. However, the study of the factors influencing the scheduling decisions related to walking trips and the exploration of the differences between travel modes has not been conducted yet. This paper presents a comparison of the scheduling and rescheduling decisions associated with car driving trips and walking trips by habitual car users using a data set collected in Valencia (Spain) in 2010. Bivariate probit models with sample selection are used to accommodate the influence of pre-planning on the decision to execute a travel as pre-planned or not. The explicative variables considered are: socio-economic characteristics of respondents, travel characteristics, and facets of the activity executed at origin and at destination including the scheduling decisions associated with them. The results demonstrate that a significant correlation exists between the choices of pre-planning and rescheduling for both types of trips. Whether for car driving or walking trips, the scheduling decisions associated with the activity at origin and at destination are the most important explicative factors of the trip scheduling and rescheduling decisions. However, the rescheduling of trips is mainly influenced by modifications in the activity at destination. Some interesting differences arise regarding the rescheduling decision processes between travel modes: if pre-planned, walking trips are less likely to be modified than car driving trips, showing a more rigid rescheduling behavior.     

Hybrid process of fabricating high-quality micro wine-glass fused silica resonators

A new hybrid method, which combines improved glass-blown technology with wet etching, is reported to fabricate micro wine-glass resonators with high-quality fused silica. The optimum placement is compared to achieve the resonators with good shell shape. The typical shell diameter is about 4mm and its thickness covers from dozens to hundreds of micrometers. The etching rates in corrosion solutions with different ratios and at different thicknesses of hemispherical shells are studied. We also conclude how to precisely control the thickness. The corrosion solutions with different ratios of HF solution to NH₄F solution make the spherical shells rougher in different degrees. The best roughness is 0.581 nm in the 1: 8 ratio corrosion solution while the original roughness is 0.537 nm. This fact shows that the resonator remains atomically smooth surface. Based on the glassblowing spherical fused silica structure, the thickness of the resonator is effectively controlled by buffered oxide etch (BOE) technology according to the measured etching rate. The measured resonant frequency of the hemispherical shell at ambient pressure and room temperature is 1.75 kHz of rocking mode which is close to the simulated frequency. Using such a low-cost hybrid approach, we can fabricate high-quality microscale resonators in batch.