Seaport research: A structured literature review on methodological issues since the 1980s

This study aims to investigate how seaport research has been conducted from the methodological perspective. To this end, this study reviews published port literature for the last three decades (1980-2000s). The investigation primarily categorises the literature according to various methodological issues such as research paradigm, research strategy, base-disciplines, research methods and analysis techniques in order to provide meaningful implications on methodological evolution in seaport research for the period. This study suggests methodological bias in port research to a positivistic paradigm, following a quantitative trajectory moving from conceptual to empirical studies. In addition, the increased use of mathematical modelling and advanced statistical analysis methods is clearly observed. The introduction of advanced analytical tools used in other academic disciplines facilitates discussions in particular research area and amplifies the literature in those areas. This paper also suggests research gaps from the methodological perspective and implications for future port research.     

Railway wheel-flat detection and measurement by ultrasound

This work presents an innovative ultrasound technique designed to detect and quantify flats formed in the rolling surface of railway wheels. Differently from other approaches, ultrasonic pulses (Rayleigh waves) are sent over a measuring rail. The variations in the round-trip time of flight (RTOF) of the ultrasound pulse to the rail-wheel contact point allow detecting and quantifying the wheel-flats. In spite of the wear state of the irregularity, the method provides the loss of material and the length of the flat originally formed by abrasion. A theoretical background supports the technique which offers many advantages for railway maintenance. Simulations and experimental results match the expected ones.     

A network option portfolio management framework for adaptive transportation planning

A real option portfolio management framework is proposed to make use of an adaptive network design problem developed using stochastic dynamic programming methodologies. The framework is extended from Smit’s and Trigeorgis’ option portfolio framework to incorporate network synergies. The adaptive planning framework is defined and tested on a case study with time series origin-destination demand data. Historically, OD time series data is costly to obtain, and there has not been much need for it because most transportation models use a single time-invariant estimate based on deterministic forecasting of demand. Despite the high cost and institutional barriers of obtaining abundant OD time series data, we illustrate how having higher fidelity data along with an adaptive planning framework can result in a number of improved management strategies. An insertion heuristic is adopted to run the lower bound adaptive network design problem for a coarse Iran network with 834 nodes, 1121 links, and 10 years of time series data for 71,795 OD pairs.     

GPS-based optimization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles’ power demands in a cold weather city

Using the WPG03 duty cycle developed from global positioning data collected in Winnipeg, Canada, real world energy demands and costs are modeled. Three types of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, four temperatures and two charging scenarios are compared to a vehicle with an internal combustion engine. Cold temperatures are shown to greatly affect vehicle operation energy costs, which is an important consideration for cold weather cities such as Winnipeg. The largest energy cost savings are obtained for smaller-battery plug-in hybrids that had the opportunity to charge during the day.     

软土地基水下真空预压固结离心模型试验

采用新发明的真空吸水系统应用于离心机中,可以使土体产生向上渗流并模拟软土地基真空预压。为获得理想的水下真空预压固结对比效果,竖井采用2种不同井间距的砂井,密封膜采用完全覆盖的形式。用发明的装置产生水下真空得以模拟软土水下固结行为。介绍了模型制作、试验程序及真空发生系统,并分析了孔隙水压力、变形、不排水剪切强度的改变和不同井间距对固结速率的影响。     

基于纸纤维改性的隧道工程透水砂浆性能研究北大核心CSCD

为提出一种适用于隧道初期支护基面找平并且具有一定透水性能的砂浆,将纸纤维加入砂浆试块中对其性能进行改性。通过分析纸纤维的降解原理,并将不同掺量的纸纤维加入砂浆试块中,对其体积密度、吸水率、抗压强度等基本性能指标及微观结构进行测试和分析。由试验结果可知:在碱性环境中,纸纤维具有可降解的性能特点;纸纤维可以使普通砂浆试块的吸水率提升2~3倍,同时也会造成砂浆试块的体积密度和抗压强度降低;对砂浆试块吸水率和抗压强度进行线性拟合后发现其吸水率和抗压强度呈现负相关关系。研究结果表明,通过纸纤维对砂浆进行透水性能的提升是可行的,但是纸纤维掺量对砂浆其他性能的影响还有待进一步研究。     

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.     

Modeling multi-unit vehicle dynamics for low-speed path-following assessment off-highway

This paper proposes a non-linear dynamics model for articulated vehicles. This model is able to capture common low-speed behaviours of any articulated vehicles off-highway, such as operating for a corner or roundabout on a cambered or slippery surface. It can be used to assess the low-speed manoeuvrability of articulated vehicles under such manoeuvres and conditions. The vehicle model was validated by comparing its path tracking performance to that of the field tests.     

A Study in Port Planning: The Example of Mina Zayed

The correct number of berths that a port should provide is solved by a model which minimizes the total port usage cost in terms of the costs of berth provision and the costs accruing to ships from time spent in the port. This model is then applied to Mina Zayed in the Arabian Gulf as an aid to future planning, and from different sets of cargo forecasts an optimal stategy is derived using a game-theoretic approach.