Estimation of road profile variability from measured vehicle responses

When assessing the statistical variability of fatigue loads acting throughout the life of a vehicle, the question of the variability of road roughness naturally arises, as both quantities are strongly related. For car manufacturers, gathering information on the environment in which vehicles evolve is a long and costly but necessary process to adapt their products to durability requirements. In the present paper, a data processing algorithm is proposed in order to estimate the road profiles covered by a given vehicle, from the dynamic responses measured on this vehicle. The algorithm based on Kalman filtering theory aims at solving a so-called inverse problem, in a stochastic framework. It is validated using experimental data obtained from simulations and real measurements. The proposed method is subsequently applied to extract valuable statistical information on road roughness from an existing load characterisation campaign carried out by Renault within one of its markets.     

The impact of job assignment rules for straddle carriers on the throughput of container terminals

Straddle carriers represent a critical resource in the handling of containers within a container terminal. It is essential that they are deployed in an as efficient manner as possible. The research presented in this paper is motivated by the need to critically evaluate job assignment rules for straddle carriers that operate in a multiple straddle environment. This is achieved by developing a discrete event simulation model using industrial simulation software to model a container terminal located in Melbourne, Australia. The model accounts for variables such as the number of straddle carriers needed, the speed of straddle carriers, the arrival rate of trucks, and the job assignment rule. A principal finding of the study is that increasing the number of straddles in the present set‐up from 6 to 7 has a negligible effect on daily throughput. However, an increase in the number of straddles to 7 is expected to have a profound effect on reducing the average waiting time of trucks within the terminal from over 16 minutes to under 9 minutes, a decrease of 46.5%. However, a further increase in the number of straddles results in no further increase in daily throughput. It was observed that the throughput of the terminal is very sensitive to the speeds at which straddles travel. The management of the terminal has proposed a new heuristic job assignment rule for straddles, because the present rule does not assign the jobs to straddles closest to the truck requesting to load or unload a container. As a result a new heuristic job assignment rule was tested. The simulation results revealed that both the old and new rules performed equally well using performance indicators such as average container flow time, daily throughput, average waiting time of jobs, number of jobs in the queue, and straddle utilisation. Therefore, the new rule will not improve these performance measures if implemented     

A novel physiological index for Driver’s Activation State derived from simulated monotonous driving studies

Automobile driving in monotonous situations such as driving for long periods and/or travelling a familiar route may cause the lowering of the driver’s awareness level or what we term here as a Driver’s Activation State (DAS), resulting in an increased risk of an accident. We propose here to develop means with which to create an in-car environment so as to allow active driving, hopefully thus avoiding potentially dangerous situations. In order ultimately to develop a validated activation method, we firstly set out to examine physiological variables, including cardiovascular parameters, during simulated monotonous driving. Subsequently, we investigated the derivation of a suitable DAS index. During the experiment, a momentary electrical test stimulus of 0.5 s duration was applied at a rate of approximately once per 10 min to the subject’s shoulder to evoke a physiological responses. In 11 healthy male volunteers we successfully monitored physiological variables during the experiment and found particular patterns in the beat-by-beat changes of blood pressure in response to the electrical test stimulus. This finding, explained by autonomic activity balance, suggests that the patterns may be used as an appropriate and practicable index relevant to the Driver’s Activation State.     

金融危机下，导航企业怎样生存

虽然金融危机爆发已经好几个月了，但真正的危机将在2009年春节后到来，现在只不过是个“危机预热期”。在此情况下，我们的导航地图业如何保持业绩持续增长，在危机期间凸显新兴行业的潜力呢？     

Physical–biological coupling in spore dispersal of kelp forest macroalgae

The physical–biological linkages controlling the dispersal of spores produced by macroalgae that reside in kelp forests are complicated and laced with feedbacks. Here we discuss the fundamental elements of these interactions. Biological considerations include spore swimming and sinking speeds, their periods of viability in the plankton, and the height of spore release above the seafloor, which together determine the durations over which spores can be swept by horizontal currents before they contact the seafloor. Morphologies and material properties of canopy forming kelps may also influence the drag exerted on passing waters by the kelps, the plants' ability to persist in the face of rapid flows, and thereby the degree to which impinging currents are redirected around, or slowed within, kelp forests. Macroalgal life histories, and the size of spore sources as controlled by the dimensions of kelp forests and the density and fecundity of individuals within them, influence effective dispersal distances as well. Physical considerations encompass the mean speed, direction, and timescales of variability of currents relative to spore suspension times, the interaction of surface gravity waves with currents in producing turbulence in the benthic boundary layer, wind-driven surface mixing, water stratification, and shoreline bathymetry and substratum roughness, all of which can affect the interplay of vertical and horizontal transport of macroalgal spores. Intricate within-forest processes may induce attenuation of current speeds and consequent reductions in seabed shear, along with simultaneous production of small-scale turbulence in kelp wakes. Slower mean currents and smaller eddy scales in turn may attenuate vertical mixing within forests, thus extending spore suspension times. Further complexities likely arise due to changes in the relative rates of horizontal and vertical dispersion, modifications to the overall profiles of vertical mixing, and the creation of fine-scale secondary flows around kelp individuals and substratum features. Under conditions of more rapid currents, submergence of the surface canopy and the establishment of skimming flows at the canopy–fluid interface may introduce additional coherent flow structures that alter rates of fluid exchange to and from the forest. Many of these coupled physical–biological processes are just beginning to be examined in a rigorous fashion in kelp forests, but their potential importance is clear.     

欧洲跨境运输用司机台

就欧洲铁路跨境运输用司机台项目开发了能方便今后铁路跨境运输的司机台.该司机台的特点是改善了司机台的人机工程学、可单手操作牵引制动转换开关和使用了现代化的终端技术.在仿真运行中对具有功能的演示司机台进行了首批试验,获得大家的高度肯定.     

城市轨道交通最新技术及评定

文章对城市轨道交通系统进行分类、并对其最新发展和商业化运营趋势及其所用的安全评定方法进行了论述.