A 2D+T VOF fully coupled formulation for the calculation of breaking free-surface flow

We present the results of simulations obtained with a free-surface flow solver based on the following method. The free surface is simulated by the volume-of-fluid interface capturing method. This code solves the Navier–Stokes equations using a finite-volume method adapted to a structured or unstructured mesh. The system is constructed using a fully coupled approach. This global approach allows the simulation of complex flow as a breaking or merging wave. Moreover, with the use of a 2D+T decomposition, it is possible to simulate three-dimensional steady flow.     

Investigation of the effectiveness of tandem oil fences under currents

The behavior of the flow passing a tandem oil fence, and the performance of the fence, were investigated by experimental and numerical methods. The flow characteristics between tandem fences were measured by the particle image velocimetry (PIV) method for the rigid and open free surface between the two fences in order to gather reference data for numerical investigations. A method of assessing a tandem fence by tracing the movement of an oil droplet around the fence is introduced. The effect of the current speed, the separation distance between the two fences, the relative draft of the two fences, and the water depth on the oil containment between the fences was investigated.     

An anti-wind-up controller design based on a two-degrees-of-freedom servosystem design approach

In actual control systems, many types of restrictions or nonlinearities exist. For example, owing to nonlinearities in the actuators or sensors, the controller may not be applicable in some practical situations. Such a nonlinearity is amplitude saturation in actuators. Although it may sometimes be ignored, failure to consider actuator saturation may severely degrade the performance of a closed-loop system, and even lead to instability. On the other hand, limiting the controller gain to avoid saturation sacrifices control effort, and may lead to loss of performance. Many approaches have been tired in order to overcome these undesirable problems, and some good results have been obtained. The saturation has been replaced with a gain which is calculated as a function of the variance of the signal at its inputs. Based on this assumption, some attractive control theories have been introduced. Here, we introduce a useful anti-wind-up control system. In other words, the control system proposed has a very simple design process and can guarantee good control performance, as it is based on the assumption that the saturation is replaced with a varying gain. The validity of the proposed control system will be shown by comparing some simulation results.     

Nonlinear analysis of parametric rolling in longitudinal and quartering seas with realistic modeling of roll-restoring moment

Parametric rolling of a containership in longitudinal and quartering seas is examined by applying nonlinear dynamics to a 1DOF mathematical model with realistic modeling of the wave effect on roll-restoring moment. In our previous work, we confirmed that a mathematical model with a roll-restoring moment in waves calculated with the Froude–Krylov assumption could considerably overestimate the danger of capsizing associated with parametric rolling. Therefore, in the present work, all numerical calculations based on nonlinear analysis were carried out with the direct aid of a measured roll-restoring moment in waves. For this purpose, captive model experiments were conducted for various sets of wavelengths in longitudinal seas. This experiment demonstrates that the Froude–Krylov prediction could not explain the wavelength effect on restoring moment as the wave-steepness effect. Using the numerical model with the aid of this measured roll-restoring moment, the Poincaré mapping technique was applied to identify bifurcation structures of roll motions not only in longitudinal seas, but also in quartering seas. As a result, it was confirmed that capsizing associated with parametric rolling is more likely to occur in following seas than in quartering seas. However, period-doubling and chaos appeared in quartering seas. Finally, an averaging method assuming a period-2 orbit was applied to the same model with the same conditions as the Poincaré map. Reasonably good agreement was obtained between the numerical results with a Poincaré map and those with the averaging method in longitudinal seas, but the averaging method has limited capability in quartering seas.     

Investigation of cavitation inception characteristics of hydrofoil sections via a viscous approach

Unlike traditional approaches based on potential theory, this work investigated the cavitation inception characteristics of hydrofoil sections by solving Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The viscous effects at high Reynolds numbers were taken into account through calculation of the eddy viscosity using a k- model. This viscous approach delivers the lift and drag forces in a more self-contained way, which cannot be obtained directly from the potential theory. A comparison with smooth surface measurements validates the proposed numerical method. Two approaches to include the roughness effects are also described. The predictions of cavitation bucket characteristics based on potential theory are more conservative than those reached by the proposed viscous computations. Hydrofoil sections with different camber ratios, foil thicknesses, and Reynolds numbers were studied numerically. A decrease in the Reynolds number tends to increase the cavitation-free region without changing the shape of the steep region. An increase in foil thickness gives a range increase in the angle of attack where no cavitation is expected. An increase in the camber ratio moves the cavitation-free location of the angle of attack, and slightly increases its range.     

Multioutput analysis of cargo handling firms: An application to a Spanish port

Cargo handling in ports is a multioutput activity, as freight can arrive in many forms such as containers, bulk, rolling stock, or non-containerised general cargo. In this paper, the operation of cargo handling firms in a Spanish port is analysed through the estimation of a multioutput cost model that uses monthly data on three representative firms located at the Las Palmas port. This permits the calculation of product specific marginal costs, economies of scale (general and by firm) and economies of scope, which help identifying optimal pricing policies and the potential cost advantages of increasing production.     

Modelling route choice behaviour in multi-modal transport networks

The paper presents new findings on the influence of multi-modal trip attributes on the quality and competitiveness of inter-urban multi-modal train alternatives. The analysis covers the entire trip from origin to destination, including access and egress legs to and from the train network. The focus is on preferences for different feeder modes, railway station types and train service types as well as on the relative influence of time elements and transfer penalties. Data from dedicated surveys are used including individual objective choice sets of 235 multi-modal homebound trips in which train is the main transport mode. The observed trips have origins and destinations within the Rotterdam–Dordrecht region in The Netherlands with an average total trip time of 50 minutes. Hierarchical Nested Logit models are estimated to take account of unobserved similarities between alternatives at the home-end and the activity-end of the trip respectively, resulting in two-level nesting structures which differentiate between intercity (IC) and non-intercity railway station types at the upper level and between transit and private access modes at the lower level. In order to reflect the multi-dimensional structure of the data a more advanced so-called Multi-Nested GEV model according to the Principles of Differentiation has been estimated which significantly improves the explanatory power and stresses the importance of the home-end of the multi-modal trip.     

Application of Ant System to network design problem

Network design problem (NDP) is the problem of choosing from among a set of alternative projects which optimizes an objective (e.g., minimizes total travel time), while keeping consumption of resources (e.g., budget) within their limits. This problem is difficult to solve, because of its combinatorial nature and nonconvexity of the objective function. Many algorithms are presented to solve the problem more efficiently, while trading-off accuracy with computational speed. This increase in speed stems from certain approximations in the formulation of the problem, decomposition, or heuristics. This study adapts a meta – heuristic approach to solve NDP, namely Ant System (AS). The algorithm is first designed, and then calibrated to solve NDP for the Sioux Falls test network. The behavior of the algorithm is then investigated. The result seems encouraging.     

Rural mobility and mode choice: Evidence from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey

This article uses data from the 2001 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to compare travel behavior in rural and urban areas of the U.S. As expected, the car is the overwhelmingly dominant mode of travel. Over 97% of rural households own at least one car vs. 92% of urban households; 91% of trips are made by car in rural areas vs. 86% in urban areas. Regardless of age, income, and race, almost everyone in rural areas relies on the private car for most travel needs. Mobility levels in rural areas are generally higher than in urban areas. That results from the more dispersed residences and activity sites in rural areas, which increase trip distances and force reliance on the car. Somewhat surprisingly, the rural elderly and poor are considerably more mobile than their urban counterparts, and their mobility deficit compared to the rural population average is strikingly less than for the urban elderly and poor compared to the urban average. Data limitations prevented a measurement of accessibility, however, and it seems likely that rural areas, by their very nature, are less accessible than urban areas, especially for the small percentage of car-less poor and elderly households.