Interactions between driver information,route choice,and optimal signal timing on a simple network

The interaction between driver information, route choice, and optimal traffic signal settings was investigated using a simple two-route system with a single “T” intersection and a fixed O-D demand. The logit model and the method of successive averages (MSA) were used to calculate the route choice probabilities and the stochastic equilibrium assignment. Given an assignment, signal settings which minimized average intersection delay were calculated; flow reassignment and new optimal signal settings were then obtained and this iterative process continued until convergence. The calculations were performed either directly in a combined assignment/signal optimization model or in stages using the output flows of an assignment model as inputs to TRANSYT-7F and iterating between the two models. Results show that a unique joint signal timing/assignment equilibrium is reached in all cases provided that a certain precision in drivers' perceptions is not reached. If driver information increases to this precision (bifurcation point) and beyond, results show clearly that the unique joint signal timing/assignment equilibrium no longer exists. In fact, three joint equilibria points exist after the bifurcation point. Two of these points are stable and one is not. It was found that the system yields the lowest total intersection delay when the joint equilibrium is such that all traffic and hence the major part of green time is assigned to only one of the two routes. Although this may not be feasible to implement in practice, the results indicate clearly for this simple example that there is a trade-off between a system with minimum total delay but no unique joint signal-settings/assignment equilibrium (achieved when drivers have nearly perfect information about the system) and a system with a unique joint equilibrium but with higher total delay (achieved when drivers have reasonably good but somewhat limited information). In most cases the second system seems appropriate for a number of practical reasons.     

An efficient sensitivity analysis method for modified geometry of Macpherson suspension based on Pearson correlation coefficient

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a new method for designing Macpherson suspension, based on the Sobol indices in terms of Pearson correlation which determines the importance of each member on the behaviour of vehicle suspension. The formulation of dynamic analysis of Macpherson suspension system is developed using the suspension members as the modified links in order to achieve the desired kinematic behaviour. The mechanical system is replaced with an equivalent constrained links and then kinematic laws are utilised to obtain a new modified geometry of Macpherson suspension. The equivalent mechanism of Macpherson suspension increased the speed of analysis and reduced its complexity. The ADAMS/CAR software is utilised to simulate a full vehicle, Renault Logan car, in order to analyse the accuracy of modified geometry model. An experimental 4-poster test rig is considered for validating both ADAMS/CAR simulation and analytical geometry model. Pearson correlation coefficient is applied to analyse the sensitivity of each suspension member according to vehicle objective functions such as sprung mass acceleration, etc. Besides this matter, the estimation of Pearson correlation coefficient between variables is analysed in this method. It is understood that the Pearson correlation coefficient is an efficient method for analysing the vehicle suspension which leads to a better design of Macpherson suspension system.     

A Novel Optimal Routing for Navigation Systems/Services Based on Global Navigation Satellite System Quality of Service

The positioning quality of global navigation satellite system (GNSS), or GNSS quality of service (QoS), is a major factor impacting real-time navigation performance. Commonly requested routes (i.e., shortest or fastest) may include areas with poor GNSS QoS, which can subsequently degrade navigation performance. To provide alternative routes with high or acceptable GNSS QoS along a route, a novel optimal routing for navigation systems/services based on GNSS QoS by utilizing integrated GNSS (iGNSS) QoS prediction is presented in this article. New routing criteria based on GNSS QoS are maximum availability, maximum accuracy, maximum continuity, and maximum reliability. Two experiments were conducted to compare GNSS QoS-based routes against shortest routes. In one experiment, routes were simulated, and in another, generated routes based on GNSS QoS were evaluated against GPS-based trajectories as ground truths. The results show that GNSS QoS-based routes provide routes with higher QoS, more than 50%, and longer, about 50%, than shortest routes.     

Carpooling problem: A new mathematical model,branch-and-bound,and heuristic beam search algorithm

Carpooling is an environmentally friendly transportation system. It can efficaciously help resolve a variety of societal concerns of the urban areas, ranging from traffic congestion to environmental pollution. In this paper, we propose a new mathematical model to solve the carpooling problem. The model simultaneously minimizes the costs of travel times, the vehicle use, and the vehicle delays. An exact solution method based on Branch-and-Bound (B&B) algorithm is proposed to efficiently obtain the optimal solution of the problem. In order to find the near-optimal solutions for large-scale problems, a heuristic beam search algorithm is introduced, which is based on the partial relaxation of some fathoming criteria applied in our proposed B&B. The computational experiments are conducted, based upon the transportation network of Isfahan city, Iran. The results demonstrate the great capability of the proposed exact solution method in terms of both computational solving time required and the number of the evaluated nodes, in comparison with CPLEX software package. The findings of this research can be applied to solve the carpooling problem compatible to the real-life situations.     

An appropriate unidirectional wave spectrum model for the Strait of Hormuz

The objective of this paper is to introduce an appropriate unidirectional wave spectrum model for the Strait of Hormuz. The research is focused on assessing performance of standard wave spectrum models in the region. By evaluating such models based on valuable measurement data recently published, the calibration procedure has been conducted on such standard models to reach a better concordance between a modified standard spectral model and observed field spectra. The calibration is performed initially with respect to four distinct directions related to four available measurement stations. So, it results in four sets of coefficients for a nominated model. Next, it is continued to reach just one model insensitive to directions. Results clearly showed that the International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) model is more appropriate than Joint North Sea Wave Project (JONSWAP) and Pierson and Moskowitz (PM) models in this area, even without any calibration. However, modifications have been successful on improving the conformity of the model.     

Numerical investigation of transmission of low frequency sound through a smooth air-water interface

It is the traditional belief that sound transmission from water to the air is very weak due to a large contrast between air and water impedances. Recently, the enhanced sound transmission and anomalous transparency of air-water interface have been introduced. Anomalous transparency of air-water interface states that the sound generated by a submerged shallow depth monopole point source localized at depths less than 1/10 sound wavelength, can be transmitted into the air with omni-directional pattern. The generated sound has 35 times higher power compared to the classical ray theory prediction. In this paper, sound transmission through air-water interface for a localized underwater shallow depth source is examined. To accomplish this, two-phase coupled Helmholtz wave equations in two-phase media of air-water are solved by the commercial finite element based COMSOL Multiphysics software. Ratios of pressure amplitudes of different sound sources in two different underwater and air coordinates are computed and analyzed against non-dimensional ratio of the source depth (D) to the sound wavelength (λ). The obtained results are compared with the experimental data and good agreement is displayed.     

Exciting forces for a wave energy device consisting of a pair of coaxial cylinders in water of finite depth

Two coaxial vertical cylinders-one is a riding hollow cylinder and the other a solid cylinder of greater radius at some distance above an impermeable horizontal bottom,were considered.This problem of diffraction by these two cylinders,which were considered as idealization of a buoy and a circular plate,can be considered as a wave energy device.The wave energy that is created and transferred by this device can be appropriately used in many applications in lieu of conventional energy.Method of separation of variables was used to obtain the analytical expressions for the diffracted potentials in four clearly identified regions.By applying the appropriate matching conditions along the three virtual boundaries between the regions,a system of linear equations was obtained,which was solved for the unknown coefficients.The potentials allowed us to obtain the exciting forces acting on both cylinders.Sets of exciting forces were obtained for different radii of the cylinders and for different gaps between the cylinders.It was observed that changes in radius and the gap had significant effect on the forces.It was found that mostly the exciting forces were significant only at lower frequencies.The exciting forces almost vanished at higher frequencies.The problem was also investigated for the base case of no plate arrangement,i.e.,the case having only the floating cylinder tethered to the sea-bed.Comparison of forces for both arrangements was carried out.In order to take care of the radiation of the cylinders due to surge motion,the corresponding added mass and the damping coefficients for both cylinders were also computed.All the results were depicted graphically and compared with available results.     

Analysis and optimization of air suspension system with independent height and stiffness tuning

Suspensions play a crucial role in vehicle comfort and handling. Different types of suspensions have been proposed to address essential comfort and handling requirements of vehicles. The conventional air suspension systems use a single flexible rubber airbag to transfer the chassis load to the wheels. In this type of air suspensions, the chassis height can be controlled by further inflating the airbag; however, the suspension stiffness is not controllable, and it depends on the airbag volume and chassis load. A recent development in a new air suspension includes two air chambers (rubber airbags), allowing independent ride height and stiffness tuning. In this air suspension system, stiffness and ride height of the vehicle can be simultaneously altered for different driving conditions by controlling the air pressure in the two air chambers. This allows the vehicle’s natural frequency and height to be adjusted according to the load and road conditions. This article discusses optimization of an air suspension design with ride height and stiffness tuning. An analytical formulation is developed to yield the optimum design of the new air suspension system. Experimental results verify the mathematical modeling and show the advantages of the new air suspension system.     

A weight-based map-matching algorithm for vehicle navigation in complex urban networks

A map-matching algorithm is an integral part of every navigation system and reconciles raw and inaccurate positional data (usually from a global positioning system [GPS]) with digital road network data. Since both performance (speed) and accuracy are equally important in real-time map-matching, an accurate and efficient map-matching algorithm is presented in this article. The proposed algorithm has three steps: initialization, same-segment, and next-segment. Distance between the GPS point and road segments, difference between the heading of the GPS point and direction of road segments, and difference between the direction of consecutive GPS points and direction of road segments are used to identify the best segment among candidates near intersections. In contrast to constant weights applied in existing algorithms, the weight of each criterion in this algorithm is dynamic. The weights of criteria are calculated for each GPS point based on its: (a) positional accuracy, (b) speed, and (c) traveled distance from previous GPS point. The algorithm considers a confidence level on the assigned segment to each GPS point, which is calculated based on the density and complexity of roads around the GPS point. The evaluation results indicate 95.34% correct segment identification and 92.19% correct segment assignment. The most important feature of our algorithm is that the high correct segment identification percentage achieved in urban areas is through a simple and efficient weight-based method that does not depend on any additional data or positioning sensors other than digital road network and GPS.     

Sound scattering from rough bubbly ocean surface based on modified sea surface acoustic simulator and consideration of various incident angles and sub-surface bubbles’ radii

The aim of the present study is to improve the capabilities and precision of a recently introduced Sea Surface Acoustic Simulator (SSAS) developed based on optimization of the Helmholtz–Kirchhoff–Fresnel (HKF) method. The improved acoustic simulator, hereby known as the Modified SSAS (MSSAS), is capable of determining sound scattering from the sea surface and includes an extended Hall–Novarini model and optimized HKF method. The extended Hall–Novarini model is used for considering the effects of sub-surface bubbles over a wider range of radii of sub-surface bubbles compared to the previous SSAS version. Furthermore, MSSAS has the capability of making a three-dimensional simulation of scattered sound from the rough bubbly sea surface with less error than that of the Critical Sea Tests (CST) experiments. Also, it presents scattered pressure levels from the rough bubbly sea surface based on various incident angles of sound. Wind speed, frequency, incident angle, and pressure level of the sound source are considered as input data, and scattered pressure levels and scattering coefficients are provided. Finally, different parametric studies were conducted on wind speeds, frequencies, and incident angles to indicate that MSSAS is quite capable of simulating sound scattering from the rough bubbly sea surface, according to the scattering mechanisms determined by Ogden and Erskine. Therefore, it is concluded that MSSAS is valid for both scattering mechanisms and the transition region between them that are defined by Ogden and Erskine.