A mathematical model for acceleration phase of aerodynamically alleviated catamarans and minimizing the time needed to reach final speed

Racing catamarans use aerodynamic alleviation concept which in existing extreme ground effect significantly enhances the performance. Beside design measures, controlling strategies may be employed as convenient solutions to improve the performance and address concerns regarding poor stability in these crafts. Being of substantial importance for a racing catamaran to reach the final speed as soon as possible, this study attempts to find the optimal form of changing the drive angle (as control variable) to minimize its acceleration time. In this regard, a mathematical model is developed for forward acceleration phase of these catamarans based on empirical and theoretical methods. Then the formulation and solution algorithm for the time-optimal problem are described according to an indirect method. Results for a representative racing craft have been presented in uncontrolled and controlled conditions. Problem in controlled condition has been solved without and with a predefined constraint regarding stability margin. Optimal controlling of the drive angle without stability constraint during the acceleration results in 40 % reduction in time required to reach the speed of 110 kn and 14 % reduction in resistance at this speed in comparison to the uncontrolled case. Addition of the stability constraint changes optimal solution for drive angle and causes craft trim angle follow a decreasing trend at higher speeds.     

The relationship between maritime education and employer trust: the structural equation modelling (SEM) perspective

The research is aimed to identify factors in the maritime education and training (MET) system and its relationship on maritime labour employers’ (MLEs) trust based on current practice in Malaysia. A questionnaire survey was used, and the respondents were the participants of a related conference in Malaysia. The structural equation modelling technique was used to explain the relationships in the stipulated research model. The test of structural model confirms that the model is adequate in explaining the MLEs’ trust. The results reveal that the perceived MET institutions’ efficiency has significant direct effects on the MLEs’ trust and the perceived seafarers’ competency. In addition, the perceived implementation of International Convention was found to significantly affect the seafarers’ competency. However, the perceived seafarers’ competency was not found to directly affect the MLEs’ trust. This study suggests that the MLEs’ trust is an important indicator and feedback on it can be used to further enhance the current MET system and its policies. Thus, one of the strategies is to develop a policy in order to achieve an effective maritime education and training. This is to support the maritime communities in progressing towards a more sustainable development in the MET in the context of enhancing the maritime safety.     

Investigation of the capabilities of yield functions on describing the deformation behavior of 5754O aluminum alloy sheet under combined loading paths

The combined loading tests of 5754O aluminum alloy sheet are used to verify the yield function. Three yield functions are implemented into the commercial finite element model (FEM) code ABAQUS as a user material subroutine UMAT for the FEM simulation of the combined loading tests. The comparison of the simulating and experimental results shows that the modified Yld2000-2d yield function can describe the mechanical behavior of 5754O aluminum alloy sheet under combined loading paths reasonably while other three yield functions do not. The performance of the modified Yld2000-2d yield function on describing the mechanical behavior under combined loading paths is analyzed in detail. It is concluded that the modified Yld2000-2d yield function can be adopted to describe the deformation behavior of 5754O aluminum alloy sheet for industrial applications.     

“I can do perfectly well without a car!”

This article presents the results of a study exploring travellers’ preferences for middle-distance travel using Q-methodology. Respondents rank-ordered 42 opinion statements regarding travel choice and motivations for travel in general and for car and public transport as alternative travel modes. By-person factor analysis revealed four distinct preference segments for middle-distance travel: (1) choice travellers with a preference for public transport, (2) deliberate-choice travellers, (3) choice travellers with car as dominant alternative, and (4) car-dependent travellers. These preference segments differ in terms of the levels of involvement and cognitive effort in travel decision making, the travel consideration-set and underlying motivations. The study showed that for most people there is more to travel than getting from point A to point B, and that there is considerable heterogeneity in middle-distance travel preferences. Policy implications for reducing the need for travel and promoting a modal shift from car to other travel modes are discussed.     

Construction of eukaryotic recombinant vector of renalase and its expression as a eukaryotic protein

Renalase is a secreted amine oxidase that metabolizes catecholamines. It has been proposed to modulate blood pressure and heart rate and its downregulation might result in hypertension. Despite its potential relevance for human health, the biochemical characterization of renalase is still scarce. The aim of this study is to synthesize the human renalase eukaryotic protein by genetic engineering. The human renalase gene was amplified by polymerase chian reaction (PCR). After digestion by BamH I and Xho I enzymes, the DNA fragments were cloned into the transfer vector, pFastBacHTb-Fc, to generate the pFastBacHTb-renalase expression vector. The ligation products were transformed into E. coli DH10Bac to obtain recombinant transposon rBacmid-renalase. The recombinant transposon was further transferred into insect high-V cells, and the recombinant human renalase eukaryotic protein was expressed successfully.     

紧跟生产资料发展的大趋势实现铁路物资低成本高质量采购

随着我国工业化的快速推进,生产资料供需缺口逐渐加大,经济社会发展的资源成本大幅增加,因此需要适时进行物资采购政策的调整,即切实转变经济发展方式,引入多种采购模式;加强合作,增加产业配套能力;重视生产资料配置的国际化战略。     

船用液控蝶阀节流调速系统的数字仿真(英文)

Hydraulic butterfly valves have been widely applied in marine engineering because of their large switching torque, low pressure loss and suitability for large and medium diameter pipelines. Due to control problems resulting from switching angular speeds of the hydraulic butterfly valve, a throttle-governing control mode has been widely adopted, and detailed analysis has been carried out worldwide on the structural principle concerning speed-regulation and the load torque on the shaft while opening or closing a hydraulic butterfly valve. However relevant reports have yet been published on the change law, the error and the influencing factors of the rotational angular velocity of the hydraulic butterfly valve while opening and closing. In this article, research was based on some common specifications of a hydraulic butterfly valve with a symmetrical valve flap existing in a marine environment. The throttle governing system supplied by the accumulator to achieve the switching of the hydraulic control valve was adopted, and the mathematical models of the system were established in the actual conditions while the numerical simulations took place. The simulation results and analysis show that the rotational angular velocity and the error of the hydraulic butterfly valve while switching is influenced greatly by the drainage amount of the accumulator, resulting in pressure loss in the pipeline, the temperature of hydraulic medium and the load of the hydraulic butterfly valve. The simulation results and analysis provide a theoretical basis for the choice of the total capacity of the accumulator and pipeline diameters in a throttle governing system with a hydraulic butterfly valve. It also determines the type and specification of the hydraulic butterfly valve and the design of motion parameters of the transported fluid.     

The two-dimensional study of the interaction between liquid loshing and elastic structures

Sloshing phenomenon in the liquid cargo carriers has caught the attention of researchers as the interaction between the sloshing waves and structure is one of the key point and difficulty in the study of sloshing. In this paper, we captured the free surface with a volume of fluid (VOF) method and then calculated the motions and responses of the structure by adopting the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for the whole fluid domain. With the use of user defined functions (UDF) in Fluent, the interaction between fluid and structure was then simulated. As a reasonable simplification, the authors studied the response of a single cantilever in a tank under sloshing loads; Further study should pay more attention to the mechanisms of interaction between sloshing waves and elastic structures.     

Research of scalability of the belt-type sensor networks

For the large-scale application requirements of the belt-type networks, the mathematical modeling as well as quantitative analysis for the scalability of the network based on average path length is completed in this paper, and the theorem for the scale scalability of the belt-type networks is derived. The theorem provides a calculation formula for the upper limit of node scale theory of the belt-type networks and a calculation formula for the upper limit of single node load theory.     

Evotherm温拌再生沥青混合料路用性能研究

通过沥青混合料车辙试验、冻融劈裂试验、小梁弯曲试验,对Evotherm温拌沥青混合料及热拌沥青混合料的高温性能、水稳定性能、低温性能进行了试验研究。试验结果表明:Evotherm温拌剂对沥青混合料的高温性能、水稳定性有一定的影响,对其低温性能的影响不显著;掺加旧沥青混合料,有利于提高Evotherm温拌沥青混合料高温稳定性能,而其低温弯曲性能则有显著降低;温拌再生沥青混合料的水稳定性能随着旧沥青混合料掺量增加呈现先增加后减小的趋势。