Innovations in the regulation and operation of taxicabs

This paper reviews a number of recent innovations in the regulation and operation of taxicabs in U. S. cities. The paper discusses the growing involvement of various levels of government in public transportation programs which affect the taxicab industry, and identifies the opportunities and problems created for the industry by this increased government activity. Innovations in the types of public transportation services which can be provided by taxicabs are discussed first, followed by a review of the administrative procedures which can be employed to involve taxicab companies in publicly funded programs. Proposals for changes in the regulations governing taxicab services and prices are discussed next, with particular attention to significant regulatory changes which have been implemented in U.S. cities in recent years. Finally, innovations in the technology of taxicab operations are reviewed, including improvements to vehicles, computerized dispatching techniques, and procedures and equipment for computing fares for taxicab services.     

Cost Comparision of Airplane Parking Methods at Apron of Maptuto International Airport

Introduction Different methods on aircrafts parking at apronsof airports were presented in Refs.[1 4]. The air-crafts can be parked at various angles with respect tothe terminal building, and they can move in and outof parking positions either by towing e…     

The ‘safety in density’ effect for cyclists and motor vehicles in Scandinavia: An observational study

Safety in density (SID) potentially explains the safety in numbers (SIN) phenomenon by positing that ‘the SIN effect can be reproduced simply through encouraging behaviour that leads to the formation of higher-density cyclist groups’. The study further explores this hypothesis using event-based exposure, queues and groups of road users. Using three different definitions of encounters between road users, these were manually counted at signalized intersections, and their relationship to traffic volume was assessed. Based only on the frontmost motor vehicle in a queue and one cyclist among the several passing in front of that vehicle, the results show a less than linear relationship between meetings and traffic volume. An increase in the number of cyclists entails a general increase in cyclists passing in front of each motor vehicle, and an increase in motor vehicles increases queue lengths. However, crash data from the Swedish accident database (STRADA) show that it is exceedingly rare for multiple cyclists to be injured in the same crash. Together with results from a crash-encounter model, this suggests that the SID hypothesis may help to explain SIN     

A Driver Model Based on the Cerebellar Model Articulation Controller

A model of driver behavior is described which is based on a current theory of neurophysiological processes occurring in the cerebellum. The model learns to control the vehicle through experience, provides discontinuous ramp steer inputs to the vehicle, accepts discontinuous input data, and is applicable to all control situations.

The model is implemented on a simple simulation model of a car and learning is accomplished by the use of an explicit driver model which drives the vehicle along a specified trajectory.     

The Methodology Research on the Test and Evaluation of Static Stiffness of Elastic Pads in Elastic Separated FastenerEI北大核心

Research purposes: In order to explore the reasonable test and evaluation methods of the static stiffness of the elastic pads in elastic separated fastener, the influences of various factors on the static stiffness of the elastic pads were tested and analyzed by single factor test, a reasonable static stiffness test plan for the elastic pads was proposed. Besides, the evaluation suggestions for static stiffness of rail pad and baseplate pad were analyzed in terms of the installation state of the elastic separated fastener. Research conclusions:(1) The test of the static stiffness of elastic pad should include two stages: preloading stage and formal loading stage. Firstly, the elastic pad shall be preloaded with no less than 2 times at a loading rate of 3-5 kN/s, and the preloaded maximum load shall be at least 10 kN higher than the static stiffness test load range of the elastic pad. Then, formal loading is supposed to be carried out at least 3 times with a loading rate of 1~2 kN/s, and at both ends of the load range the load should be maintained for 90 s, which could be shortened to 60 s in special case when the load is less than 100 kN. Finally, the static stiffness of the elastic pad is calculated by the average value of the three test results. (2) The evaluation methods of static stiffness of rail pad and baseplate pad are dissimilar. The static stiffness of the rail pad could be evaluated by the secant stiffness in the range of 20~70 kN, while the evaluation of static stiffness of baseplate pad should be processed in terms of the reasonable static stiffness test load range of baseplate pad determined by the installation torque of anchored bolt. (3) This research results can be applied in the test and evaluation of static stiffness of rail pad and baseplate pad in elastic separated fastener. © 2018, Editorial Department of Journal of Railway Engineering Society. All right reserved.     

Stability analysis of the classical car-following model

This paper investigates the stability of the classical car-following model (for example, Chandler et al., Operations Research, 6, 165–184, 1958; Herman et al., Operations Research, 7, 86–106, 1959; Wilhelm and Schmidt, Transportation Engineering Journal (ASCE) 99, 923–933, 1973). Conditions for local and asymptotic stability as defined in the references cited are established for the linear model. These differ from those in the literature in two ways. First, it will be shown that, in the autonomous model when the product of the coefficient of proportionality α and the reaction time τ is less than or equal to 1/e, there exist oscillatory solutions with higher frequencies than 2π, although there are none with lower frequencies. Secondly, asymptotic stability is considered along with local stability. The derived condition for asymptotic stability is both necessary and sufficient. In addition, the condition depends on the frequency of the forcing term, with the sufficient condition for the asymptotic stability found in the literature being included as a special case. The nonlinear model is considered by linearization and numerical integrations. Some practical values of parameters are tested for the stability of the model. The analyses in this paper are extended to consider different values of α and τ for different drivers in the line.     

轨枕间距对钢轨波磨的影响

主要研究轨枕间距对钢轨波磨发展的影响。研究小半径曲线内轨的小矢跨比波磨。这些出现问题的曲线段属于西班牙毕尔巴鄂区域的地铁轨道,铺设着混凝土道床和两层STEDEF型支承垫层。当初始轨枕间距为1000mm时,仅有92万组轮对通过后所测得的波磨深度峰-峰值已经达到0.42mm。随后更换产生波磨的钢轨,比较列车通过时轨枕上方和轨间中部的内轨垂向、横向加速度。当轨枕间距为1000mm时,轨间中部出现频率为204和244Hz的强烈响应,在轨枕上方却未出现。在相邻轨枕中间铺设一个轨枕,使轨枕间距变为500mm,钢轨波磨停止发展。该结论是根据2年的观测结果得到的。     

Experimental and 3D,embedded modeling for diesel engine SCR deposit

Nowadays, the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a promising solution to fulfill stringent nitrogen oxide (NO_X) emission standards enforced by worldwide regulation bodies for lean burning engines. However, in the practical operation, urea deposits occur under unfavorable conditions, which bring about a failure of urea dosing strategy, affect the SCR system de-NOx performance and lowering the fuel economy by increasing the engine back pressure. This paper will present 3D deposit model, which can be used to predict the deposit position. Furthermore, a model-based controls strategy and calibration are designed. The comparison test results of both engine emission tests and vehicle field tests shows there is significant deposits improvement with the embedded model.     

Emission-robust operation of diesel HEV considering transient emissions

In this paper, we consider a method to create an engine emission simulation model for cycle and customer driving of a vehicle. The emission model results from an empiric approach, also taking into account the effects of engine dynamics on emissions. We analysed transient engine emissions in driving cycles and during representative customer driving profiles and created emission meta models. The analysis showed a significantly higher correlation in emissions when simulating realistic customer driving profiles using the created verified meta models (< 1 % model error) compared to static approaches, which are commonly used for vehicle simulation. Therefore, a transient modelling approach is conducted, which shows a great increase in accuracy in customer driving operation.