Course-keeping control of underactuated hovercraft

The course-keeping control of underactuated hovercraft with two aft propellers was considered. The control of the heading error and cross-track error was accomplished by the yaw torque merely in this case. The hovercraft dynamic model is nonlinear and underactuated. At first the Controllability of course-keeping control for hovercraft was proved, then a course-keeping control law was derived that keeps hovercraft heading constant as well as minimizes the lateral movement of hovercraft. The proposed law guarantees heading error and sway error all converge to zero exponentially. Simulation tests were carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed control law. For further research, the disturbance influence would be considered in the dynamic equations.     

An approach to estimating the hull girder response of a ship due to springing

This article describes an estimation method for the hull girder response of a ship due to springing. The linear and nonlinear springing effects on the hull girder are evaluated. Previous studies on the springing response focused mainly on the symmetric response, or vertical response. In this article, however, the springing analysis is extended to asymmetric responses, or horizontal and torsional responses. The Timoshenko beam model was used to calculate the hull girder response and the quadratic strip method was employed to calculate hydrodynamic forces and moments on the hull. To remove irregular frequencies, a rigid lid was adopted on the hull free surface level and hydrodynamic coefficients were interpolated for asymptotic values. Applications to two ships for the symmetric and asymmetric responses were carried out and the effect of springing responses is also discussed.     

Factors influencing support for local transportation sales tax measures

Sales tax measures passed at the local level and dedicated to transportation projects have become increasingly popular in the United States. While revenues from fuel taxes stagnate, growth of local transportation sales taxes (LTSTs), most approved in local elections, has led to a gradual shift of the financial base for transportation projects away from user fees and toward broader-based taxes. In this study, the relationship between voter support and the social, political, and geographic characteristics of the voters is explored. Using precinct-level voting data and census demographic data for three local transportation sales tax elections in Sonoma County, in the San Francisco Metropolitan area of California, regression models were constructed to analyze this relationship. In addition, the relationship between the outcomes of the three measures was explored to better understand which transportation projects might have garnered more support for the successful measure. It was found that the closer voters lived to the transportation projects to be funded, the greater their support. Higher incomes were also positively related to support, controlling for other variables. Political leanings were found to affect support, with the direction of the effect dependent upon the project list in each measure’s expenditure plan. Finally, it appears that the latest measure, which passed successfully, benefited greatly from its multi-modal expenditure plan.     

资产证券化方式在城市轨道交通融资中的应用

目前我国的城市轨道交通建设步入了快速发展的时期,但是存在着巨大的资金需求缺口.介绍了资产证券化融资模式,探讨了我国城市轨道交通利用资产证券化融资的可行性.为了拓宽融资渠道,必须允许多方资金特别是民间资本进入该领域.资产证券化作为一种低成本的融资方式,能够极大地吸引民间投资和外资的投入,是轨道交通业融资方式的可行性选择之一.作为准公共产品,城市轨道交通本身的投资大、盈利性不高,但具有极大的外部正效应,应该使这种外部效应内部化,从轨道交通现有存量资产中选出适合证券化的原始资产,在人员流动量大,轨道交通处于优先发展地位,运输收入较稳定且市场环境与金融环境较有利的经济发达地区进行证券化试点,为城市轨道交通的融资渠道提供借鉴.     

我国海洋经济发展政策

海洋经济在我国国民经济中的地位和作用不断提升,正逐步成为国民经济发展新的亮点。然而,我国的海洋经济在迅速崛起的同时,也给我们带来了新的挑战。针对海洋经济发展现状和暴露出来的主要问题,从整体上制定一套切实有利于扶植海洋经济健康发展的政策是当务之急。     

Multigrid fictitious boundary method for incompressible viscous flows around moving airfoils

In this paper, an efficient multigrid fictitious boundary method (MFBM) coupled with the FEM solver package FEATFLOW was used for the detailed simulation of incompressible viscous flows around one or more moving NACA0012 airfoils. The calculations were carried on a fixed multigrid finite element mesh on which fluid equations were satisfied everywhere, and the airfoils were allowed to move freely through the mesh. The MFBM was employed to treat interactions between the fluid and the airfoils. The motion of the airfoils was modeled by Newton-Euler equations. Numerical results of experiments verify that this method provides an efficient way to simulate incompressible viscous flows around moving airfoils.     

Application of H∞ control in rudder/flap vector robust control of a ship＇s course

Given the uncertainty of parameters and the random nature of disturbances that effect a ships course, a robust course controller should be designed on the basis of rudder/flap vector control. This paper analyzes system uncertainty, and the choice of weighting functions is also discussed. When sea waves operate on a ship, the energy-concentrating frequency varies with the angle of encounter. For different angles of encounter, different weighting functions are designed. For the pole of a nominal model existing in an imaginary axis, the bilinear-transform method is used. The ＂2-Riccati＂ equation is adopted to solve the H∞ controller. A system simulation is given, and the results show that, compared with a PID controller, this system has higher course precision and more robust performance. This research has significant engineering value.     

Structural safety assessment of a pontoon-type VLFS considering damage to the breakwater

 A structural safety assessment of a pontoon-type very large floating structure (VLFS) surrounded by a gravity-type breakwater was carried out for extreme wave conditions by considering the damage to the breakwater. Bending and shear collapses are considered to be a failure mode of the floating structure, while overturning damages the breakwater. The probability of the breakwater overturning, and the transmitted wave height before and after damage to the breakwater, are evaluated using design formulae for port and harbor facilities in Japan. The ultimate bending and shear strengths of the floating structure are calculated by the idealized structural unit method (ISUM) and FEM, respectively. The calculated failure probability for the floating structure is compared with the specified target safety level. It was found that the floating structure under consideration is most likely to fail by bending in transverse waves, and that the corresponding failure probability satisfies the target level. Received: September 12, 2002 / Accepted: October 4, 2002 Acknowledgment. The authors are grateful to Dr. Shigeo Ohmatsu, National Maritime Research Institute, Japan, for allowing us to use the program of hydroelastic response analysis. Address correspondence to: M. Fujikubo (e-mail: fujikubo@naoe.hiroshima-u.ac.jp) Updated from the Japanese original, which won the 2002 SNAJ prize (J Soc Arthit Jpn 2002;190:337–345)     

水库大坝渗流分析探讨

文章对水库大坝地质条件比较复杂的最大坝高断面进行渗流计算,计算结果可为其他土坝的渗流及稳定安全分析提供可供借鉴的资料。     

对我国MBA教育实现跨越式发展的一些思考

针对当前我国MBA教育在激烈的市场竞争中实现跨越式发展所面临的相关问题,在对其进行深入分析的基础上提出了相应的发展策略。