Dynamic response of offshore jacket structures under random loads

In this paper, the dynamic response of a scale model of a jacket offshore structure is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The experiments were conducted both in air and in water. The in-water experiments were done in the towing tank of Memorial University to simulate the realistic operating conditions. The model was subjected to random wave loads. Froude's law of modeling was used to obtain the dimensions of the scale model based on the dimensions of an existing structure. The effects of varying the structure's weight, and the characteristics of the wave loading were investigated. The structure's weight was changed by adding weights to the structure's deck. A finite element model was designed to determine the dynamic response of the model. Excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical results was obtained.The reaction force at the foundation was estimated from strain measurements and compared with the finite element calculations. Fair agreement was obtained.This work is the first stage of a project whose objective is to develop a method for structural damage detection using the free vibration response of the structure. The free vibration response will be obtained from the stationary random response of the structure using the random decrement method. Having an accurate model to describe the dynamic response of the structure is the first step in this study.     

Socio-demographic and built environment influences on the odds of being overweight or obese: The Atlanta experience

This paper explores the association of socio-demographic and built environment characteristics on the odds of being overweight and obese using data from the Atlanta SMARTRAQ travel survey. A new methodological framework based on a multinomial logit (MNL) model and an enhanced odds ratio plot is presented. The use of an MNL model overcomes limitations of many prior studies that employ a sequence of binary logit models to examine multiple weight categories. The use of an enhanced odds ratio plot provides important information into the relative importance of socio-demographic and built environment characteristics. Several new findings for the Atlanta area result from this study. Socio-demographic variables, including age and educational attainment, exhibit a non-linear relationship with the odds of being overweight or obese. Gender, age, ethnicity, and educational attainment are strongly associated with the odds of being overweight or obese, while income and number of students between 5 and 16 years old in the household have smaller effects. Built environment characteristics such as increased net residential densities and enhanced street connectivity are associated with reductions in the odds of being overweight and/or obese. Relative to socio-demographic variables, however, such built environment characteristics have a much smaller impact on describing the odds of being overweight or obese.     

Fatigue damage calculation for oil tanker and container ship structures

The fatigue behaviour of longitudinal stiffeners of oil tankers and container ships, subjected to dynamic loads, is analysed. The following dynamic load components are considered: hull girder vertical wave bending moment, alone and combined with the horizontal wave bending moment, hydrodynamic pressure and inertial forces caused by cargo acceleration.

The spectral method was selected to calculate the fatigue damage, based on S—N curves and Miner's rule. Following this approach, the fatigue damage may be calculated as a function of a stress parameter Ω_p, which represents the cumulative effect of wave induced loads in the unit of time and incorporates the combined effects of stress level and its occurring frequency.

Simple formulas for Ω_p of oil tankers and container ships are given, obtained from the results of hydrodynamic analyses performed on several ships, in different wave environments.

Several examples show the applicability of the methods to real ship structures. The method, however, still needs to be calibrated because of the simplifying hypotheses introduced in the loading conditions.     

Fundamental Issues in Suspension Design for Heavy Road Vehicles

Heavy road vehicles play an important role in the economy of many countries by providing an efficient means of transporting freight. Such vehicles can also have a significant impact on safety, the infrastructure and the environment. The design of the suspension affects the performance of the vehicle in terms of ride, infrastructure damage, suspension working space, energy consumption, rollover stability, yaw stability, braking and traction. The published literature on suspension design for heavy road vehicles is reviewed. It is found that extensive knowledge exists, but that there are areas where improved understanding is needed. Areas identified as fundamental issues requiring attention include ride discomfort criteria, secondary suspensions, and controllable suspensions. Two issues in particular are examined in detail: suspension tuning and suspension configuration. In the tuning of suspension parameter values for vibration performance, numerical optimisation techniques have been used extensively, but generic tuning strategies have not been widely developed. Modal analysis is proposed as a technique for gaining the insight into vehicle vibration behaviour necessary to enable tuning strategies to be devised. As an example, the technique is applied to the pitch-plane vibration of a tractor-semitrailer. In analyses of new suspension configurations or concepts, comparison with alternative concepts is not always made. Lack of such comparisons makes the selection of an optimum concept difficult. Analysis of alternative concepts using simple mathematical models, and comparison of their performance using common criteria, is advocated for enabling informed selection of an optimum. An example involving two alternative roll control systems is used to demonstrate the issue.     

Vehicle Energy Dissipation Due to Road Roughness

Road roughness and surface texture are known to affect tire rolling resistance; however, little emphasis has been placed on the consequent changes in total vehicle energy dissipation due to road roughness. Thus, tire rolling resistance, in isolation from vehicle contributed losses such as dissipation in the suspension, appears to be a weakness in present evaluation procedures as they relate to fuel economy and pollution level testing: Recent work by Funfsinn and Korst has shown that substantial and measurable increases in energy losses occur for vehicles traveling on rough roads. The present investigation uses vehicle axle accelerations as a means of examining various road surfaces. Correlation with computer simulations has allowed the development of a deterministic road roughness model which permits the prediction of energy dissipation in both the tire and suspension as functions of road roughness, tire pressure, and vehicle speed. Comparison to the experiments of Korst and Funfsinn results in good agreement and shows that total rolling loss increases of up to 20 percent compared to ideal smooth roads are possible. The aerodynamic drag coefficient is also found to increase while driving on rough roads.     

Home-based trip end models — A comparison between category analysis and regression analysis procedures

The trip end models which have been used in past transportation studies are briefly summarised. Problems associated with the use of zone-based models are outlined and reasons are given to support the development of models at the household rather than zonal level.It is suggested that recent developments which have taken place in household-based models have not been entirely logical. In particular, arguments between regression models and category analysis models have been confused with the use of aggregate (zonal) as against disaggregate (household) data — regression models being associated with the use of zonal data and category analysis models with household data. Misunderstood arguments and false notions regarding sample sizes have directed attention from the regression analysis approach.A detailed comparison of the category analysis and regression analysis methods for developing household-based trip end models is given. Both methods have been applied using data from the Monmouthshire Land Use Transportation Study. The regression results reported are from a very preliminary analysis and contain a number of anomalies, although it is thought that sufficient work has been done to provide an objective evaluation of the two methods.It is recommended that the household regression approach should be further investigated since it has advantages as a modelbuilding procedure and makes better use of sample data. A certain amount of categorisation of household types is necessary and the investigations would attempt to determine the best balance between categorisation and regression fitting. Further development will be restricted if the trend towards minimum sample sizes of about 1000 households is continued. Larger samples should be taken in certain circumstances to pursue development work.     

Some evidence of transit demand elasticities

This paper draws together empirical evidence from a variety of sources about the magnitudes of transit price elasticities and cross-elasticities. A number of different practical measures of demand elasticity are first defined and some expectations about magnitude are discussed. Evidence is then collated from the analysis of transit operating statistics, from experience in demonstration projects and from attempts to develop cross-sectional models of demand and modal choice.In general, all of the limited evidence available suggests that transit demand is inelastic with respect to money price. Typically, ridership is significantly more sensitive to changes in the level of service (particularly door-to-door journey time) than to changes in fare, although service elasticities also are usually numerically less than unity.In broad terms, short-run direct fare elasticities are characteristically observed to lie within the range of -0.1 to –0.7. A more precise value in a particular instance will depend on a variety of factors in ways which largely support a priori notions. Thus in very large cities, central city areas, at peak hours, and in other circumstances where the prices of alternative modes are high, transit fare elasticities are usually numerically at the lower end of the range.Estimates of cross-elasticities (representing the volumes of transit traffic diverted to other modes by transit price increases) are much harder to come by, and in fact only a few very uncertain estimates are presented here.This paper is a condensation of an Urban Institute Working Paper of the same title (WP 708-52, November 1971). Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Urban Institute or its sponsors.     

Role of the Railways in the Future of Air Transport

Abstract

The role of the railways in the air transport industry is usually limited to provision of access to airports. However, the development of high-speed rail networks and the congestion and environmental problems faced by the air transport industry suggest the railways could have a greater role in working with the airlines to provide an integrated transport service for medium-distance journeys (up to 800 km). Many air journeys involve two flights and a transfer at a hub airport. The alternative being investigated here would replace air journeys by a rail journey and a flight, and a transfer between them at the hub airport. Such integration could offer a positive alternative to aircraft on some routes and lead to railway journeys to airports becoming part of air transport services, and not only to provide access to them. Integration could therefore provide a better use of available air capacity rather than duplicating some high-speed rail routes and services.     

A note on using Davidson's function in equilibrium assignment

This paper describes the use of the Davidson congestion function in modelling network flows using equilibrium assignment. A modification to the function is given, which defines the function over all flows values, and consequently removes computational difficulties noted in earlier studies. The modification requires the inclusion of an additional model parameter, and the selection of a suitable value for this parameter is studied for two sets of data. The modified Davidson function is also compared to two alternative functions; a step-wise linear function and a quartic polynomial function, which have both been proposed as congestion functions. Comparisons are made between observed link volumes and the assigned volumes from these models. It is concluded that the modified Davidson function is useful for inclusion in an equilibrium assignment model, given its ability to reflect differences in network link type (e.g. capacity and speed) and environment through its parameters, the conceptual advantage of the function through its derivation from queueing theory, and the previous discovery of reliable methods for estimating its parameters. A value of about 0.8–0.9 is suggested for the parameter (μ, 0 < μ < 1) introduced in the modification.