Accessibility analysis of risk severity

This study measures severity of network disruptions in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region by comparing the cumulative opportunity accessibility before-and-after removing freeway segments. Accessibility to jobs and accessibility to resident workers are measured respectively in the morning and evening peak hours. It is shown that the links with more severe consequences of disruption tend to be near or at freeway interchanges. Betweenness helps explain risk severity.     

Simulating a rich ride-share mobility service using agent-based models

Transportation - Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is the integrated and on-demand offering of new mode-sharing transport schemes, such as ride-share, car-share or car-pooling. MaaS schemes may solve...     

遮阳棚对隧道进出口明暗适应的影响规律研究北大核心CSCD

为研究隧道进出口路段驾驶员明暗适应的特性及遮阳棚对明暗适应过程的影响规律,文章依托紫荆隧道(无遮阳棚)及巴朗山隧道(有遮阳棚)进行驾驶试验,以驾驶员瞳孔直径及其变化速率为研究参数,分析遮阳棚对隧道进出口路段明暗适应的缓冲效果。研究结果表明:暗适应过程90%以上发生在洞内段,明适应过程54.61%以上发生在洞内段;在隧道进口段暗适应过程中,通过遮阳棚时间为2 s时,最大瞳孔直径变化速率下降4.84%,通过遮阳棚时间为5 s时,最大瞳孔直径变化速率下降33.58%;在隧道出口段明适应过程中,通过遮阳棚时间为2 s时,最大瞳孔直径变化速率下降38.75%,通过遮阳棚的时间为5 s时,最大瞳孔直径变化速率下降49.97%。     

Station keeping control of underwater robots using disturbance force measurements

Station keeping control of remotely operated vehicles is crucial in the successful completion of underwater missions of work class robotic vehicles. The conventional method of station keeping using the vehicle pose/velocity measurement introduces delay in vehicle control and often leads to instability. In this paper, we present a novel method for measuring the underwater disturbances and controlling the robot for station keeping using a feed-forward control strategy. A strain-gauge based disturbance force measurement is proposed here with suitable algorithms to measure the forces acting on the vehicle due to external disturbances. Using the dynamic models, the vehicle response is predicted and a feed-forward control is implemented for station keeping. The controller activates corrective control action even before the vehicle responds to the disturbances. The performance of the controller is analyzed through simulation studies as well as hardware-in-loop tests. Results show that this approach is an effective alternative for conventional station keeping control of underwater vehicles.     

Automated driving and autonomous functions on road vehicles

In recent years, road vehicle automation has become an important and popular topic for research and development in both academic and industrial spheres. New developments have received extensive coverage in the popular press, and it may be said that the topic has captured the public imagination. Indeed, the topic has generated interest across a wide range of academic, industry and governmental communities, well beyond vehicle engineering; these include computer science, transportation, urban planning, legal, social science and psychology. While this follows a similar surge of interest – and subsequent hiatus – of Automated Highway Systems in the 1990s, the current level of interest is substantially greater, and current expectations are high. It is common to frame the new technologies under the banner of ‘self-driving cars’ – robotic systems potentially taking over the entire role of the human driver, a capability that does not fully exist at present. However, this single vision leads one to ignore the existing range of automated systems that are both feasible and useful. Recent developments are underpinned by substantial and long-term trends in ‘computerisation’ of the automobile, with developments in sensors, actuators and control technologies to spur the new developments in both industry and academia. In this paper, we review the evolution of the intelligent vehicle and the supporting technologies with a focus on the progress and key challenges for vehicle system dynamics. A number of relevant themes around driving automation are explored in this article, with special focus on those most relevant to the underlying vehicle system dynamics. One conclusion is that increased precision is needed in sensing and controlling vehicle motions, a trend that can mimic that of the aerospace industry, and similarly benefit from increased use of redundant by-wire actuators.     

Simulation-based fatigue crack management of ship structural details applied to longitudinal and transverse connections

It is of continuing importance for ship structural design to establish a system to compute the growth behavior of fatigue cracks propagating in structural details. In the present paper, a simulation program is developed for multiple fatigue cracks propagating in a three-dimensional stiffened panel structure, where it can predict fatigue crack lives and paths by taking into account the interaction of multiple cracks, load shedding during crack propagation and welding residual stress. Various fatigue crack propagations in longitudinal stiffeners of ship structures are investigated by both the present simulation method and experiments. From these results, it is found that the crack propagation may considerably change, depending on the loading conditions, structural details and residual stress distributions. This means that one could possibly manage to avoid fatal damage of the skin-plate by properly designing the structural details. Furthermore, these results may imply a possibility to realize a rational fatigue crack management if one can estimate the fatigue crack-propagation behavior during the ship lifecycle. The present simulation program may offer a useful numerical tool for this purpose.     

Adelaide bus service reform: Impacts, achievements and lessons

Adelaide's bus system has been transformed from a government monopoly operation to a competitively tendered system with services provided by private operators under contract. The ‘Adelaide model’ has unique features, and has been considered in several international reviews of urban bus service procurement. The paper reviews the experience in Adelaide up to 2006/07. It updates previous evidence that focused on technical efficiency impacts. It particularly examines the development of the system to address allocative efficiency, in terms of the quantity, quality and market orientation of the services provided, and the consequent effects on patronage.