Active control strategy on a catenary–pantograph validated model

Dynamic simulation methods have become essential in the design process and control of the catenary–pantograph system, overall since high-speed trains and interoperability criteria are getting very trendy. This paper presents an original hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) strategy aimed at integrating a multicriteria active control within the catenary–pantograph dynamic interaction. The relevance of HIL control systems applied in the frame of the pantograph is undoubtedly increasing due to the recent and more demanding requirements for high-speed railway systems. Since the loss of contact between the catenary and the pantograph leads to arcing and electrical wear, and too high contact forces cause mechanical wear of both the catenary wires and the strips of the pantograph, not only prescribed but also economic and performance criteria ratify such a relevance. Different configurations of the proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller are proposed and applied to two different plant systems. Since this paper is mainly focused on the control strategy, both plant systems are simulation models though the methodology is suitable for a laboratory bench. The strategy of control involves a multicriteria optimisation of the contact force and the consumption of the energy supplied by the control force, a genetic algorithm has been applied for this purpose. Thus, the PID controller is fitted according to these conflicting objectives and tested within a nonlinear lumped model and a nonlinear finite element model, being the last one validated against the European Standard EN 50318. Finally, certain tests have been accomplished in order to analyse the robustness of the control strategy. Particularly, the relevance or the plant simulation, the running speed and the instrumentation time delay are studied in this paper.     

Determination of anthropogenic CO2 in the North Atlantic Ocean using water mass ages and CO2 equilibrium chemistry

A new method to calculate the anthropogenic CO₂ (ΔDIC_ant) within the water column of the North Atlantic Ocean is presented. The method exploits the equilibrium chemistry of the carbonate system with reference to temperature, salinity and the partial pressure of atmospheric CO₂ (pCO_2,atm). ΔDIC_ant is calculated with reference to the ventilation ages of water masses derived from tracer data and to the time history of pCO_2,atm. The method is applied to data recorded during the WOCE program on the WHP A1/E transect in the North Atlantic Ocean, where we characterise six key water masses by their relationships of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and apparent oxygen utilisation (AOU). The error in determining ΔDIC_ant is reduced significantly by minimising the number of values referred to, especially by avoiding any use of remineralisation ratios of particulate organic matter. The distribution of ΔDIC_ant shows highest values of up to 45 μmol kg⁻¹ in the surface waters falling to 28–33 μmol kg⁻¹ in the Irminger Sea west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The eastern basin is imprinted by older water masses revealing decreasing values down to 10 μmol kg⁻¹ ΔDIC_ant in the Antarctic Bottom Water. These findings indicate the penetration of the whole water column of the North Atlantic Ocean by anthropogenic CO₂.     

Study of damaged ship motions taking into account floodwater dynamics

This paper presents an application of shallow water theory to describe the motion of floodwater inside a rolling ship in damage condition. The time domain theoretical approach to the coupled problems of ship and water inside compartment motions is briefly described, including the method used to solve for the water motion characteristics and forces exerted on the ship. This approach is applied to the study of the behaviour of a passenger Ro–Ro ship in regular beam seas and numerical results are given for the intact and damaged conditions. Comparison is made with experimental results. For the damaged condition, the characteristics of the floodwater motion are studied in the time domain for a number of different wave frequencies. The shape of the free-surface and phase of water motion in relation to the ship roll motion are shown for several wave frequencies. The dynamic floodwater roll moment is also shown and compared with the static roll moment (flat horizontal free surface), allowing the conclusion that the dynamic roll moment is much larger than the static roll moment, for high wave frequencies, and is in phase opposition in relation to the roll motion.     

Flag state performance: An empirical analysis

Based on data available in mid-2006, the five cooperating international institutions of shipping — BIMCO, Intertanko, Intercargo, ICS, and ISF — produced a summary of factual information on 106 flag states. These international institutions intentionally avoided drawing conclusions on underperformance. This paper extends this assessment allowing for an in-depth empirical assessment of flags performance. Towards this end, the analysis uses weight factors reflecting the importance that an operator might wish to attach on the different variables before making his flag choice, and seeks to statistically (un)group ‘conventionally’ grouped flag states performance. The paper also examines whether IMO membership and/or active participation in the IMO is associated with a greater compliance of a flag-state to safety and relevant environment rules and thus to a better performance. The findings challenge the classic outright categorization of national flags as good performing ones and of commercial flags as those performing badly. The findings also support the suggestion that an active IMO participation, rather than a simple membership, enhances flag performance.     

Prediction of antilock braking system condition with the vehicle stationary using a model-based approach

An Antilock Braking System (ABS) is one of the most important safety facilities equipped in modern vehicles. A self-test is therefore embedded into its ECU to identify any electronic malfunction. However there is no effective method to predict or check its mechanical conditions routinely to ensure its functionality. Because the ABS system is merely actuated above a particular speed in emergency stops, the current brake test facilities are not adequate for ABS test. Because of the dangers involved it would not be acceptable to use a public road to implement such a practice for fault detection so an alternative means must be sought. To provide a safe and convenient solution this paper proposes a novel method to predict ABS faults whilst the vehicle is stationary. In this situation a model-based approach is applied to predict various faults from the ABS, especially from its hydraulic subsystem. As such, a mathematic model is developed to describe the operating processes of ABS including possible faulty conditions. An autonomous control strategy is also designed to actuate the control module independently without the knowledge of the control algorithms embedded in an ABS control module. This approach is evaluated through a Simulink simulation.     

Preliminary classification of driving style with objective rank method

This paper puts forward a method of preliminary driver classification, which applies two-criteria based analysis of the phenomenon of driving style. The resulting rank enabled the author to order the drivers according to their driving style, from the most active to the extremely mild. The most active driver in the sense of the two-criteria analysis is the one who covered a test stretch of the road the fastest while changing the position of the accelerator pedal most intensively. The classification of the drivers, along with the measurement data registered during road tests, will subsequently provide the foundation for later modeling of a dynamic classification of the driving style, in the form of a recurrent learning neural network of the Elman’s type.     

Distribution of dinoflagellate cysts in surface sediments of the Mackenzie Shelf and Amundsen Gulf, Beaufort Sea (Canada)

In order to document long-term climate cycles and predict future climate trends for the Arctic, we need to look at the geological records to establish the link between historical and pre-historical sea-surface parameters. Dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) are used as proxy indicators of sea-surface parameters (temperature, salinity, sea-ice cover, primary productivity) jointly with transfer functions and a modern dinocyst reference database, to reconstruct the evolution of sea-surface conditions at decadal and millennial timescales. Here we present the surface distribution of recent dinocyst assemblages from 34 surface sediment samples collected on the Mackenzie Slope/Amundsen Gulf during the 2004 CASES (Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study) cruise. Dinocyst concentrations in surface sediments are relatively high outside the Mackenzie plume area and increase gradually eastward toward Amundsen Gulf. The cysts of autotrophic dinoflagellates are dominant throughout the study area, while the maximum abundance of heterotrophic taxa is found within the Mackenzie plume. Hierarchical clustering analyses allowed defining two dinocyst assemblages. Assemblage I is located on the Mackenzie Slope and southern Amundsen Gulf, while Assemblage II is located within the Cape Bathurst Polynya area in northern Amundsen Gulf. Both assemblages are dominated by Operculodinium centrocarpum, but are distinguished on the basis of the relative abundance of Islandinium minutum, a taxon generally associated with sea ice. I. minutum is found in lower abundance in the Cape Bathurst Polynya.     

后桥钢板激光-MIG复合焊接优化研究

研究了两种后桥桥壳用低合金钢板在激光-MIG复合焊接中,接头形状、接头间隙及MIG参数变化(大、中、小MIG参数)对焊缝形状及焊缝喉厚的影响.研究结果表明,MIG参数应设置成大、中MIG参数水平,以保证在一定的接头间隙下有充足的焊接材料填入间隙而形成部分焊透的焊缝,使焊缝喉厚满足焊接强度要求;过高的MIG输入能量和过多的焊料(丝)填入将导致焊缝横截面积增大,但对焊缝喉厚的影响不是很明显;当MIG参数设置成小MIG参数水平时,0.5 mm的接头间隙或切角面为3 mm×2 mm时,对获得较大的焊缝喉厚有利.     

Measurement of ocean temperatures using instruments carried by Antarctic fur seals

The study aimed to test the utility of instruments deployed on marine mammals for measuring physical oceanographic variation and, using this method, to examine temperature variation in the coastal waters around South Georgia. There was a significant correlation between temperature measurements made using a towed undulating oceanographic recorder (UOR) and concurrent measurements from time-depth recorders (TDRs) fitted to lactating Antarctic fur seals foraging from the coast of South Georgia. Congruence was found at horizontal spatial scales from 0.01°×0.01° to 0.5°×0.5° (degrees of latitude and longitude), and at a vertical scale of 10 m. However, there was no significant correlation between temperature measured by TDRs in the top 5 m and sea surface temperature (SST) measured by satellite remote sensing. TDR data provided information about temperature variation vertically through the water column, and through time. The UOR data were used to recalibrate the TDR data in order to correct for the slow response time of the TDR thermistor relative to the speed of seal movements through the water column. Seasonal temperature variation was apparent, and temperatures also varied between regions, and with bathymetry. These results were consistent with the current interpretation of the coastal oceanography around South Georgia. In particular, the relationship between on- and off-shelf waters showed larger amounts of warmer surface water in a region in which more run-off was to be expected. The study also showed that Antarctic fur seals concentrate their activity in regions of colder, and presumably oceanic, water. Such instrumented animals could provide near real time data for assimilation into ocean models.