A dichotomous choice survey for quantifying option and non-use values of bus services in Korea

The total economic value for a transportation service consists of use, option, and non-use value. The use benefit is based on a traveler’s willingness to pay for usual consumption of the service. The optional value, on the other hand, is related to the possible use of the service for trips not yet anticipated or currently accommodated by other travel modes. The non-use value, however, is derived from the intrinsic merit of the service, even though a trip-maker never actually or potentially depends on the mode. A closed-ended contingent valuation method is considered for the quantification of the option and non-use values. A survey of single- and double-bounded dichotomous choices is conducted with a case study of South Korean bus operations. A logistic regression model and a survival analysis for the single- and double-bounded approaches, respectively, are applied. The estimation result is examined according to the statistical property required and the behavioral validity expected. In particular, three issues from the output are discussed. First, the results help to show the preferable framework between single- and double-bounded surveys for addressing an individual’s option and non-use values. Second, the differences in the absolute values of option and non-use values are compared. Thirdly, the relationship between trip-makers’ willingness to pay and the level of service of their primary travel modes are investigated. In conclusion, the summary of research and the possibilities for future studies are given.     

Three-dimensional numerical wave tank simulations on fully nonlinear wave–current–body interactions

A finite-difference scheme and a marker-and-cell (MAC) method are used for numerical wave tank (NWT) simulations to investigate the characteristics of nonlinear wave motions and their interactions with a stationary three-dimensional body in the presence of steady uniform currents. The Navier–Stokes (NS) equation is solved in the computational domain, and the boundary values are updated at each time-step by a finite-difference time-marching scheme in the frame of a rectangular coordinate system. The fully nonlinear kinematic free-surface condition is satisfied by the marker–density function technique developed for two fluid layers. The incident waves are generated from the inflow boundary by prescribing a velocity profile resembling the motions of a flexible flap wavemaker, and the outgoing waves are numerically dissipated inside an artificial damping zone located at the end of the tank. Using the NS–MAC NWT, nonlinear wave and current interactions around a stationary vertical truncated circular cylinder are studied, and the results are compared with the experimental results of Mercier and Niedzwecki, a time-domain NWT based on linear potential theory, a fully nonlinear NWT, and a second-order diffraction computation. Received: July 3, 2001 / Accepted: September 25, 2001     

A method for measuring accurate traffic density by aerial photography

Traffic density can be accurately measured by counting the number of vehicles within 1 km; however, it is often calculated between macroscopic traffic parameters using the fundamental equation because of difficulty of observing traffic density directly in the field. Measuring density in this way may be inaccurate and may bias the analysis because the relationship between these traffic parameters can vary across the study sites. The purpose of this study is to find a method for measuring traffic density from aerial photography that is easy and accurate, and for this purpose, we investigated whether the measuring length (i.e., the length of a section of roadway from which observations of traffic are simultaneously collected) can be shorter than 1 km and yet retain the same measured traffic density. We divided an aerial photograph into several 20‐m unit sections, counted the number of vehicles manually, and examined measured traffic density according to central limit theory. According to the results of this study, with the number of 20‐m unit sections for observing traffic density at 15 (the measuring length is 300 m), the measured traffic density was almost the same as the density of a representative section of 1 km. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of stack array orientation on fuel cell efficiency for auxiliary power unit applications

The commercial fuel cell products currently appearing on the market are self-contained fuel cell engines. These engines can be used for many applications that are presently dominated by internal combustion engines or batteries. Vehicle mounted fuel cell auxiliary power units have been attracting attention lately. Additionally, there is a market based incentive to use multiple small fuel cell arrays in place of a single large fuel cell for some applications. Typically, fuel cells are designed to operate as stand-alone units. This paper investigates the ability of small commercial stacks to operate in common array arrangements. Although an individual Nexa is able to produce 1500 W, Dual Nexas do not maintain that capability while in array configurations. With an overall load share ratio of 1.02:1 the series array reliably produced 2900 W of power, while with an overall load share ratio of 1.09:1 the parallel array reliably produced only 2800 W of power. This study shows that array orientation affects both system stack net efficiency and individual stack net efficiency. The information gained from this study may be helpful for fuel cell design and integration.     

Hydroplaning simulations for tires using FEM,FVM and an asymptotic method

Hydroplaning tires have been frequently simulated using commercial explicit FEM (Finite Element Method) codes. However, these simulations are slow, and the result of the lift force is so oscillatory that the hydroplaning speed cannot be accurately determined. Thus, in the author’s previous study, a new methodology using FDM (Finite Difference Method) code and an FE tire model iteratively was proposed. However, this full iteration method still required a long computation time, especially for patterned tires. Thus, in this study, the full iteration methodology was modified such that no iteration or only one additional iteration was needed at each speed. Then, by applying the full iteration method, no iteration method and one iteration method, the hydroplaning speeds of a straight-grooved tire were determined, and it was noted that the hydroplaning speed obtained from the one iteration method was almost the same as that obtained from the full iteration method. Moreover, the hydroplaning speeds of two patterned tires were determined using the one iteration method, and they were compared with the hydroplaning speeds obtained experimentally.     

Processing and fiber content effects on the machinability of compression moulded random direction short GFRP composites

The random direction short Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastics (GFRP) have been prepared by two compression moulding processes, namely the Preform and Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) processes. Cutting force analysis and surface characterization are conducted on the random direction short GFRPs with varying fiber contents (25∼40%). Edge trimming experiments are preformed using carbide inserts with varing the depth of cut and cutting speed. Machining characteristics of the Preform and SMC processed random direction short GFRPs are evaluated in terms of cutting forces, surface quality, and tool wear. It is found that composite primary processing and fiber contents are major contributing factors influencing the cutting force magnitudes and surface textures. The SMC composites show better surface finish over the Preform composites due to less delamination and fiber pullouts. Moreover, matrix damage and fiber protrusions at the machined edge are reduced by increasing fiber content in the random direction short GFRP composites.     

Analysis of neck fractures from frontal collisions at low speeds

Neck fracture is a major cause of death in traffic accidents. This pattern of injury normally occurs in a frontal collision or overturn of a vehicle. This study investigates the case of a neck fracture from a low-speed collision. In the examined case, the passenger in the front seat of the car fractured his neck and died. He did not have his seatbelt on when the vehicle slipped on a frozen road surface on a downward slope of a hill and impacted into the shoulder of the road at low speed. In this type of collision, an occupant’s body will be impacted by the windshield or other interior trim of the car. However, in this case, rather unusually, neither body tissue nor fiber remained although the collision involved a broken windshield. Thus, the reason for the passenger death was unidentified. This study applied the computer simulation package Madymo for analyzing the accident. The result of the simulation was that the passenger, who did not wear a seatbelt, moved forward due to inertia. The upper part of the passenger then rotated and lifted when the knee contacted with the dashboard. By evaluating the structural deformation of the vehicle at the front, we deduced that the collision velocity was 30 km/h. Through a computational experiment that was undertaken using Madymo 7.0, NIC was estimated to be 240 m²/s². This result far exceeded the threshold for neck injuries. In particular, in comparison with whiplash injuries, when the passenger’s head directly impacts the roof following a rear-end collision, the bending moment through hyperextension of the neck is greatly increased. In this study, we concluded that the manner of death was the hyperextension of the neck, as the passenger’s head contacted the roof from underneath.     

Low cost design of parallel parking assist system based on an ultrasonic sensor

This paper presents a low cost design and implementation of a parallel parking assist system (PPAS) based on ultrasonic sensors. Generally, a PPAS requires several types of sensors, such as an ultrasonic sensor, camera sensor, radar sensor and laser sensor for parking space detection. However, our proposed PPAS only requires two ultrasonic sensors on the front and lateral sides for parking space detection. Moreover, a steering angle sensor and wheel speed sensor installed in the vehicle are used to obtain vehicle position information for localization in ultrasonic range data. The hardware architecture of the PPAS based on an electronic control unit (ECU) module, sensor modules and a human machine interface (HMI) module was proposed. Moreover, the software architecture of the PPAS is based on system initialization, scheduling, recognition and a control algorithm. In particular, a novel sensor algorithm was proposed to minimize the vehicle corner error of the ultrasonic sensor. A prototype of the PPAS based on the proposed architecture was constructed. The experimental results demonstrate that the implemented prototype is robust and successfully performs parking space detection and automatic steering control. Finally, the low cost design and implementation of the PPAS was possible due to the cheap ultrasonic sensors, simple hardware design and low computational complexity of the proposed algorithm.     

Estimation of the adhesion force for a disc brake in a skid control condition

The performance of brakes has become important due to increased train speeds. The brake system of a train must possess a large brake force to stop the train safely within a limited stopping distance. However, an excessive brake force deteriorates the ride comfort and causes the train to skid. Therefore, it is necessary to control the brake force within the adhesion force limit. This paper presents an analytical method to estimate the relationship between the brake and adhesion forces of a disc brake system. This method has been applied to the actual disc braking control system of the Korea High-Speed Train (HSR350x), and the adhesion force is estimated in an actual skid condition.     

Digital human body model for seat comfort simulation

Using the recent anthropometry of the North American population, human body models were developed for seat comfort simulation. The external geometry of the models was acquired from the three-dimensional whole body laser scan of recruited volunteers in a driving position. The selection criteria for volunteers with standard size and shape were derived from a statistical factor analysis of the Size USA database. As a practical application of the model in a design process, comfortable driving postures were constructed by adopting the cascade prediction model (CPM), which takes into account both interior package layout and the driver’s anthropometry. The detail modeling process of finite element modeling and its validation results against volunteer measurements are introduced.