Damage Accumulation in Rail Steel under Rolling with Slippage and Its Analysis

Experimental research results of surface damage accumulation in rail steel under rolling with slippage are presented. Hertz contact for two rollers made of rail and wheel steels was realized in the test. The influence of loading regime upon wear of rail is considered. The estimation of characteristics of surface fracture resistance for rail steel is made. The method to predict the life of rail steel under given conditions of regular loading is proposed.     

Analysis of the capabilities of a two-stage turbocharging system to fulfil the US2007 anti-pollution directive for heavy duty diesel engines

This article presents a two-stage turbocharged heavy-duty diesel (HDD) engine designed to fulfil the US2007 anti-pollution directive. This directive imposes very restrictive limits on the NOx and particle emissions of HDD engines. In this work, the possibility of combining particle traps in the exhaust line to reduce soot emissions with very high EGR rates to reduce NOx emissions is considered. This new generation engine implements two-stage turbocharging in order to improve the bsfc when the engine is working on steady conditions as well as to optimize the engine transient response. After carrying out the tests, the results were analyzed and the engine settings were adjusted to maximise its behaviour and minimise pollutant emissions. NOx and soot emission peaks were also analyzed at engine transient conditions in order to keep them under certain levels, and thus maintain the overall pollutant emissions to a level that is as low as possible. In summary, a double-stage turbocharging configuration can greatly improve engine driveability (between 23% and 36% depending on engine speed), while reducing NOx emissions during transient evolution without increasing opacity peaks beyond the stated limits.     

Spatial variability of the barotropic M2 constituent tidal current over the Rías Baixas Galician shelf (NW Spain)

Using current meters and systematically repeated vessel mounted ADCP data legs, we describe the role of the semidiurnal and diurnal constituents in the tidal currents and investigate the mesoscale variability of the M₂ tidal currents field along three cross-shelf legs over the Galician shelf. We found that the estimated values of the semi-major axes of the main semidiurnal tidal constituents are closely related to those obtained in previous research and that the tidal currents are predominantly semidiurnal. Amplitudes of the M₂ and S₂ semi-major axes constituents are comparable, and important fortnightly variability should thus be expected in the amplitude of the semidiurnal tidal currents. Vertical profiles of the semi-major axes of the main tidal constituents reveal that, in the absence of stratification, and far from the bottom frictional effects, the tidal currents are mostly barotropic. Over the slope, the tidal ellipses tilt from a north–south orientation toward the northeast–southwest direction and, as we go further into the shelf, their amplitude is increased, a feature that is reasonably explained by the transition from the dynamics of a Poincaré wave offshore to the dynamics of a northward alongshore propagating Kelvin wave over the shelf. The Ría de Vigo exerts a notable influence over the tidal currents, acting as an extension of the shelf and introducing a meridional variation in the orientation of the ellipses from the alongshore direction in the southern straight coast toward the northeast–southwest direction at the latitude of the Rías. Finally, the spatial fitting methods we tried have proved to be successful in VMADCP data detiding in this region.     

Empirical approaches to combining revealed and stated preference data: Some recent developments with reference to urban mode choice

This paper replaces the nested logit ‘trick’ used in estimation of a modal choice model, when stated preference (SP) and revealed preference (RP) data are pooled, with an error component mixed logit model that can (i) relax the IID condition attached to subsets of alternatives in nested logit models, (ii) accommodate correlated observations, and (iii) reveal the relevant scale parameter for subsets of alternatives. Such a model can also incorporate state dependence between data types and preference heterogeneity on observed attributes. An example of choice among bus, train and car modes illustrates the difference in empirical evidence, especially elasticity outputs.     

Net tax incidence for urban public transit subsidies in New Zealand

This paper examines the impact of policy changes in the funding of New Zealand public transit modes.These changes, introduced in 1983, are evaluated in terms of the net incidence of public transit subsidy assistance, taking into account its source of funding and the income class of those commuters benefiting from the subsidy. The general conclusion is that the net incidence of subsidy assistance remains progressive (i.e., a transfer from high to low income commuters) following the introduction of shared funding on the predominant public transit modes (rail and bus), sourced from income tax (central government) and property tax (regional/local government). However, because of the predominance of medium to high income commuters on rail vis-a-vis bus and the traditional source of funding on these modes in terms of income tax (a progressive tax source) and property tax (a regressive tax source), the degree of progressivity previously associated with public transit subsidies has now substantially reduced.The analysis and opinions expressed in this paper are the responsibility of the author alone and do not purport to represent the views of the Ministry of Transport.     

Interval estimation in the calibration of certain trip distribution models

This paper argues for interval, rather than point, estimation when calibrating some variants of the trip distribution “gravity” models. Analytic expressions are derived for the approximate asymptotic covariances of least squares and maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters in the impedance function under a variety of conditions. A comparative numerical example, and an application using migration flows, are also presented.     

Satellite and resort offices in Japan

Environmental and qualify-of-life issues are taking on an increasing social and political significance the world over. Even in Japan, a country so often criticized for its economic-dominated outlook, talk is turning to these issues. Advances in telecommunications and a growing awareness of the need to change how we live and function in an increasingly threatened environment has brought telework to the forefront of the debate on the nature of work and how our cities function.After setting the broad Japanese social context, this paper will look at the progress of telework in Japan to date with especial emphasis on several current satellite and resort office pilots. It will summarize the findings and proposals of several available reports, and will also attempt to identify the overall outlook for telework in Japan.