Optimal allocation of turns to lanes at an isolated signal-controlled junction

Conventional design methods require the lane marking patterns, which are painted on ground showing road users the permissible turning directions on different approach lanes, as exogenous inputs to define the traffic stream grouping for analysis. This predefined grouping of traffic movements may restrict the design of signal timings in the optimisation procedures. More recently, a lane-based design method has been developed to relax the lane markings as binary-type control variables in a mathematical programming approach. The lane marking patterns and the signal timings can then be optimised simultaneously in a unified framework. This paper presents an extension work to further relax the numbers of approach lane in traffic arms as new integer variables which can then be optimised to give optimal lane arrangement in various arms of a junction to manage the given traffic demands more efficiently. All well-defined signal timings variables in the phase-based approach as well as the lane marking and lane flow variables in the lane-based approach together with their governing constraints are all preserved in the new formulation for the reserve capacity optimisation of isolated signal-controlled junctions.     

A dynamic modeling approach to investigate impacts to protected and low-income populations in highway planning

Environmental justice (EJ) assessment has traditionally focused on identifying distributive effects to protected populations. Federal and State highway improvement programs have been established to stimulate economic development for these populations. While this issue has long been recognized as part of EJ initiatives, no quantitative comparisons of highway construction impacts on protected populations have been reported in the literature. This paper presents a dynamic modeling approach to investigate impacts to protected and low-Income populations in highway planning using an integrated Geographic Information System (GIS) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs) optimization framework. Using census and county level parcel data, the model integrates various socioeconomic factors into a GIS while generating highway alignments using GAs. Examples using county level census data from North Carolina are demonstrated to test the sensitivity of generated highway alignments with constrained distances from protected populations. The results indicate that it is important to consider local social and economic effects, in addition to regional planning objectives when measuring the effectiveness of feasibility studies associated with highway construction. Within the proposed modeling framework attention is directed on various EJ initiatives, such as environmental health and safety laws in minority and low-income areas. The model would help planners, designers, and policy-makers understand the intricate interrelationships among local communities, while facilitating more scientific and economically equitable planning for highway construction projects.     

Evaluation of idle stability through in-situ torque measurement in automatic transmission vehicles

Idle stability directly affects a vehicle’s NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) and is closely related to driver satisfaction. The present study proposes a method of measuring an engine’s idle roughness, which is useful in quantifying the idle stability. Engine brake torque was measured directly using a torque sensor, which can be installed without modification of the engine’s mounting structure. In addition, angular acceleration was measured at the same position as the torque measurement, to compare dynamic characteristics of the angular acceleration with the torque variation. Both torque and angular acceleration oscillate between positive and negative values. In this study, torque data were divided into several regions, and each region starts from the point where the torque data changes its sign from negative to positive. The root mean square values of both torque and angular acceleration were calculated for each region. This calculation showed a very good correlation between the torques and the angular accelerations. The idle stability was evaluated with the standard deviation of the measured torque, and the cycle-to-cycle variation is a more dominant factor in the idle stability than is the cylinder-to-cylinder variation. Because it is easier to measure the angular acceleration than to measure the torque, the variations of angular accelerations are usually compared between engines. However, the present study showed that the moment of inertia of an engine and the angular acceleration should be considered together when comparing the idle stability between engines.     

Development of a path planning system using mean shift algorithm for driver assistance

The longitudinal and lateral vehicle control techniques have been widely used in several active driver assistance systems. The adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistant control, vehicle platooning and stop-and-go control are typical examples of the most important applications. In this study, a novel path planning method is proposed considering the driving environment such as road shape, ego vehicle and surrounding vehicles’ movement. The relative distance and velocity between the ego vehicle and surrounding vehicles are identified with respect to the predicted lane shape in front of the ego vehicle. Based on the identified information, the road shape and surrounding vehicles are mapped into the intensity image and the desired vector for the ego vehicle’s movement is determined by the maximum intensity density tracing method. The desired vehicle path is followed by the acceleration/deceleration control and the steering assist control, respectively. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed system, simulations are conducted and compared with ACC systems.     

Large-eddy simulation of air entrainment during diesel spray combustion with multi-dimensional CFD

Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) was used to perform computations of air entrainment and mixing during diesel spray combustion. The results of this simulation were compared with those of Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations and an experiment. The effect of LES on non-vaporizing and vaporizing sprays was evaluated. The validity of the grid size used for the LES analysis was confirmed by determining the subgrid-scale (SGS) filter threshold on the turbulent energy spectrum plot, which separates a resolved range from a modeled one. The results showed that more air was entrained into the jet with decreasing ambient gas temperatures. The mass of the evaporated fuel increased with increasing ambient gas temperatures, as did the mixture fraction variance, showing a greater spread in the profile at an ambient gas temperature of 920 K than at 820 K. Flame lift-off length sensitivity was analyzed based on the location of the flame temperature iso-line. The results showed that for the flame temperature iso-line of 2000oC, the computed lift-off length values in RANS matched the experimental values well, whereas in LES, the computed lift-off length was slightly underpredicted. The apparent heat release rate (AHRR) computed by the LES approach showed good agreement with the experiment, and it provided an accurate prediction of the ignition delay; however, the ignition delay computed by the RANS was underpredicted. Finally, the relationships between the entrained air quantity and mixture fraction distribution as well as soot formation in the jet were observed. As more air was entrained into the jet, the amount of air-fuel premixing that occurred prior to the initial combustion zone increased, upstream of the lift-off length, and therefore, the soot formation downstream of the flame decreased.     

Reliability-based topology optimization based on bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization using multi-objective sensitivity numbers

Reliability-based topology optimization (RBTO) is used to obtain an optimal topology satisfying given constraints, as well as to consider uncertainties in design variables. In this study, RBTO was applied to obtain an optimal topology for the inner reinforcement of a vehicle’s hood based on bidirectional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO). A multi-objective topology optimization technique was implemented to obtain the optimal topology for two models with different curvatures while simultaneously considering the static stiffness of bending, torsion, and natural frequency. A performance measure approach (PMA) with probabilistic constraints formulated in terms of the reliability index was employed to evaluate the probabilistic constraints. The optimal topology obtained by RBTO was evaluated and compared to that obtained by deterministic topology optimization (DTO). A more suitable topology was obtained through RBTO than DTO even though the final volume obtained by RBTO was generally slightly greater than that obtained by DTO. The multiobjective optimization technique based on BESO can be applied very effectively with topology optimization for a vehicle’s hood reinforcement.     

Design and use of an eddy current retarder in an automobile

In this study, the structure and working principles of an eddy current retarder acting as an auxiliary brake set is introduced in detail. Based on the principle of energy conservation, a mathematical model was developed to design a retarder whose nominal brake torque is 1, 900 N·m. According to the characteristics of the eddy current retarder, an exclusive test bed was developed and used for brake performance measurements. The main technical parameters, such as the brake characteristics, temperature characteristics and power consumption, were measured with the test bed. The test data show that the brake torque of the eddy current retarder obviously decreased in the continuous braking stage and that there is a certain amount of brake torque in the normal driving state because of the remnant magnetism of the rotor plate. The mathematical model could be used to design an eddy current retarder. The exclusive test bed could be used for optimization of an eddy current retarder as well as for R&D of a series of products.     

Nano-particle emission characteristics of European and Worldwide Harmonized test cycles for heavy-duty diesel engines

This study was conducted for the experimental comparison of particulate emission characteristics between the European and World-Harmonized test cycles for a heavy-duty diesel engine as part of the UN/ECE PMP ILCE of the Korea Particulate Measurement Program. To verify the particulate mass and particle number concentrations from various operating modes, ETC/ESC and WHTC/WHSC, were evaluated. Both will be enacted in Euro VI emission legislation. The real-time particle emissions from a Mercedes OM501 heavy-duty golden engine with a catalyst based uncoated golden DPF were measured with CPC and DMS during daily test protocol. Real-time particle formation of the transient cycles ETC and WHTC were strongly correlated with engine operating conditions and after-treatment device temperature. The higher particle number concentration during the ESC #7 to #10 mode was ascribed to passive DPF regeneration and the thermal release of low volatile particles at high exhaust temperature conditions. The detailed average particle number concentration equipped for golden DPF reached approximately 4.783E+11 #/kWh (weighted WHTC), 6.087E+10 #/kWh (WHSC), 4.596E+10 #/kWh (ETC), and 3.389E+12 #/kWh (ESC). Particle masses ranged from 0.0011 g/kWh (WHSC) to 0.0031 g/kWh (ESC). The particle number concentration and mass reduction of DPF reached about 99%, except for an ESC with a reduction of 95%.     

Optimization of drying performance considering driving conditions

Compressed air can be used as an energy source for brake systems in medium-heavy and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. The moisture in compressed air, which is due to high temperature and humidity, can be eliminated by using an air dryer. In this paper, drying performance data for a cartridge were obtained and used to develop a drying performance program, to predict the moisture and relative humidity in the air tanks of vehicles. The on-load time, off-load time, air flow, duty cycle, humidity and dew point temperature were calculated according to air consumption. The validity of the program was verified, and it was shown to be able to predict humidity changes in the air tank. The air tank capacity was increased from 100 to 130 to reduce the duty cycle. Therefore, the regeneration rate decreased from 18% to 15%, but the dew point depression temperature (ΔT) remained above 30°C. The duty cycle decreased from 50% to 43%, and the total operation time and power consumption of the air compressor were reduced. In conclusion, fuel savings were obtained by changing the parameters to optimize the system.     

Changes in Swiss accessibility since 1850

This paper discusses the changes in Swiss accessibility since 1850 after arguing that such spatially detailed measures are needed, if one wants to understand the impact of transport investment on the economy and land use patterns.The road-based accessibility overtook that offered by the railways around 1930 and has kept a steady relative lead since then. The relative advantage of the large cities has been eroded since 1950 through their population loss and the massive population gain of the metropolitan fringe. In absolute terms, though, they are still locations with the highest accessibilities.