Potential economic benefits of using a weather ship routing system at Short Sea Shipping

This contribution investigates the economic benefits of using weather ship routing on Short Sea Shipping (SSS) activities. The investigation is supported with the development of a ship routing system based on pathfinding algorithm, the parametrization of the wave effect on navigation, and the use of high-resolution meteo-oceanographic predictions. The optimal ship routing analysis is investigated in a European SSS system: the link between Spanish and Italian ports. The results show the economic benefits using ship routing in SSS during energetic wave episodes. The rate of cost savings may reach 18% of the total costs under particular bad weather conditions in the navigation area. The work establishes the basis of further developments in optimal route applied in relatively short distances and its systematic use in the SSS maritime industry.     

Shifting urban freight deliveries to the off-peak hours: a review of theory and practice

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the literature on off-peak hour deliveries (OPHD). The review identifies different approaches and policy levers used in the past, such as the laissez-faire approach, a road pricing approach, an incentives approach, and a regulatory approach. The paper also identifies different delivery reception schemes discussed in the literature. The authors complement the theory with a synthesis of pilot tests and the analysis of a set of interviews with practitioners (from the public sector and other organisations) in charge of OPHD programmes. The results from this review show the potential benefits that these programmes could bring about, the challenges faced in the early stages – along with potential solutions – and the significant progress that has been made in this domain in the last decade. According to the review, the results from the pilot tests tend to be positive, suggesting the importance of these programmes to reach more efficient and sustainable transportation systems.     

Airport taxi planning: Lagrangian decomposition

The airport taxi planning (TP) module is a decision tool intended to guide airport surface management operations. TP is defined by a flow network optimization model that represents flight ground movements and improves aircraft taxiing routes and schedules during periods of aircraft congestion. TP is not intended to operate as a stand‐alone tool for airport operations management: on the contrary, it must be used in conjunction with existing departing and arriving traffic tools and overseen by the taxi planner of the airport, also known as the aircraft ground controller. TP must be flexible in order to accommodate changing inputs while maintaining consistent routes and schedules already delivered from past executions. Within this dynamic environment, the execution time of TP may not exceed a few minutes. Classic methods for solving binary multi‐commodity flow networks with side constraints are not efficient enough; therefore, a Lagrangian decomposition methodology has been adapted to solve it. We demonstrate TP Lagrangian decomposition using actual data from the Madrid‐Barajas Airport. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Valuation of users’ benefits in transport systems

Transport projects involve costs and benefits. Benefits to users appear in the form of more and/or better trips. Once the neoclassical idea of demand is accepted, the variation of utility levels underlie the measurement of benefits. In the evaluation process, benefits have to be compared with costs, and this can be done converting utility into monetary units. This paper deals with the treatment of this problem, starting with the general relation among utility, demand and the various forms of consumers’ surplus, to move further into the particular forms that these relations take in the transport field. The rule‐of‐a‐half is followed from the intuitive initial justification to a strict (and general) analytical derivation. More rigorous forms of users’ surplus variation are then presented for fairly general cases, including both aggregate and disaggregate transport demand models, emphasizing the manner in which welfare measures are derived in each case. Discussion is centred around the comparative advantages and limitations of available approaches, searching for improvements in demand formulation and benefits measurement.     

浅水中高速排水型船舶尾浪的理论和试验研究

文章将势流理论方法与波谱分析方法相结合,对浅吃水中高速排水型船舶的尾浪进行了数值计算,采用势流理论方法对船舶近域的波浪进行计算,将获取的部分波高数据(或试验数据)作为已知数据,采用波谱函数法进行分析求解,获取波幅谱函数,从而求解远域船舶的尾浪.文中采用试验数据对理论计算结果进行了验证,两者吻合较好.同时结合船模试验结果,探讨了水深、浮态等对单、双体船船舶尾浪的影响,该研究结果可为低尾浪船型的设计和优化提供参考.     

基于焊缝疲劳寿命预测的后桥设计改进

运用焊缝疲劳寿命预测技术对某扭杆梁后桥进行疲劳失效重现,并提出了改进方案。通过物理台架和整车道路试验,建立了仿真分析-台架-道路3者之间的相关性,缩减了产品开发周期,降低了开发成本,提高了产品质量。     

通气空泡流中洞壁效应对空化数和压力场影响的研究

文章在均质平衡多相流模型的基础上耦合输运方程型空化模型,通过求解混合介质的RANS方程、RNG k-ε湍流输运方程以及各相的质量输运方程,采用通用CFD软件—FLUENT数值模拟了水洞中带圆盘空化器航行体模型的定常通气空泡流动,研究了圆形截面闭式空泡水洞中洞壁效应对通气空化数和压力场的影响。得到的阻塞空化数线性正比于圆盘水洞直径比,且与三维圆盘自然空泡流的势流近似解基本一致,分析了洞壁效应作用下空化流场内的压力分布特点,并根据计算结果拟合了一定适用条件下通气空泡长度、最大直径和模型阻力系数的近似公式。     

同步碎石封层技术在公路预防性养护中的应用研究

同步碎石封层技术是一种新型高性价比的公路预防性养护技术。文章介绍了该技术相对其他传统公路养护技术的特点,分析了其材料技术要求与施工工艺,探讨了同步碎石封层的路面选择标准,并给出同步碎石封层质量评定和验收标准。     

Representing mental maps and cognitive learning in micro-simulation models of activity-travel choice dynamics

This paper develops a model, based on Bayesian beliefs networks, for representing mental maps and cognitive learning into micro-simulation models of activity-travel behavior. Mental maps can be used to address the problem that choice sets in models of travel demand are often ad hoc specified. The theory underlying the model is discussed, a specification is derived and numerical simulation is used to illustrate the properties of the model.     

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.