Privatisation and the quality of rail services

Using the concept of generalised costs to reflect quality in rail services, we consider the level of provision and quality of these services in the various forms they may take in a privatised environment within a model where we assume linear and separable demand and cost functions for analytical simplicity. Using the Pareto-efficient output and quality outcomes under a fully integrated system for reference (as well as those for a fully integrated profit-maximising monopolist) we show that if either bilateral monopoly or complementary monopoly emerge as a market structure the output of train services and their quality will generally fall. In the case of the emergence of both bilateral monopoly and complementary monopoly our analysis again suggests poor welfare outcomes. The implication that can be drawn from our analysis is that a regulator of a privatised rail system faces some severe problems if she is to attain the appropriate welfare targets.     

低同步串级调速系统转差功率反馈方式的研究

绕线式异步电机转差功率反馈到电网进行调速的方法已在许多工业部门得到广泛应用,但由于调速过程中转子电势将低于电网电压,因而这种调速方式需要在电网与逆变器之间接入一个升压变压器。本文提出了一种省去升压变压器和直接将转差功率反馈到定子绕组的新的串级调速方法。文中对定子绕组反馈点的选择、等效电路数模及主要参数作了分析,并在一台改制的绕线式异步电机上作了试验,结果表明这种调速方法除经济简便外,仍具有优良的调速性能。     

Thermal deformations in typical maglev guideway structures

Thermal gradients and related deformations induced in elevated Maglev guideways by temperature variations in their environment have been predicted by a mathematical model. The deflections induced by thermal gradients in typical guideways are found to exceed specified limits for acceptable operation of an electromagnetic suspension system vehicle unless measures are taken to reduce the thermal gradients and related deflections by suitable treatment of the guideway surfaces.     

US antitrust policy and liner conferences in the age of intermodalism

This article examines the uncertainties concerning the antiturst immunity for collective participation by liner conferences in intermodal transporation. Among them are the FMC's jurisdiction under the Shipping Act to authorize such collective actions, the legality of intermodal dual-rate contracts and the stringency by lsquo;public-interestrsquo; justification. Administrative and judicial decisions proved ineffective in resolving the issues which legislative actions had, over a decade, failed to deal with. These uncertainties could soon be ended with passage of the maritime antiturst polity emerging out of this Congress. It is, however, still uncertain as to whether, and to what extent, the viabilty of the conference system would be threatened by the continued growth of intermodalism and vice versa. Congressional intent to safeguard the continued growth of intermodalism and the development of other future innovations means that these two issues are of more than just academic interests. Yet, they have not been adequately addressed in the policy studies currently available.     

The state-of-the-art of “comprehensive” planning

Planning occurs as a part of governmental operations wherever decision-making happens. For US metropolitan areas, the locuses of decision-making are multiple, ranging in scale from very small jurisdictions up through the hierarchy to state and federal levels, and in function from general governments to many special-purpose agencies — transportation, health care, education, etc. Almost all might affect or be affected by urban transportation decisions and actions. Since no one of these units of government is comprehensive in authority and activity, there is no single, centralized planning operation that is truly comprehensive. Pluralistic planning is increasingly trying to foresee and to accommodate the interactions among the various levels and functions. Instead of fragmenting, with the fragments pulled apart and insulated, we need to move toward partitioning, not merely to delimit boundaries but also to identify interfaces. This movement is hampered by the differentials in the development of the state-of-the-art of the technical planning process now used by the several levels and functional units of government. This is most advanced, and most effective, for small, homogeneous suburban jurisdictions primarily concerned with guiding and controlling physical development; it is in disarray in central cities trying to cope with social and economic problems as well as with physical deterioration; at the metropolitan scale it is highly developed technically but not very influential. There is a trend toward a network of planning activities that recognizes and facilitates interrelationships and interactions, both vertically among functional boundaries and horizontally across geographical-scale distinctions — a trend toward the comprehensive —but we have a very long way to go.Paper prepared for the Highway Research Board Conference on Organization for Continuing Urban Transportation Planning.     

Control Behaviour of Motorcycle Riders

The control behaviour of motorcycle riders is studied by means of a simulation model for the ridermotorcycle system, which stresses the control actions of the riders. The rider model describes the major steering torque control as well as the rider's own body control actions. This simulation model is applied to a single lane change maneuver and the results of this simulation are compared with the experiments in order to examine its validity.     

Automatic control of clutches and simulations for parallel hybrid vehicles

This paper is a continuation of a previous paper titled ??Modeling and Model Predictive Control for Hybrid Vehicle?? published on IJAT/2011 describing a mathematical model and design for a model predictive controller for tracking speeds and simulations. The present paper further describes a fuzzy logic controller for the smooth and quick engagement of an automatic clutch. The described controller uses both fuzzy logic and slip control algorithms to enable automatic clutch engagement. Clutch engagement and comprehensive simulations for the hybrid vehicle are conducted in MATLAB R2009s. The research described herein offers theoretical solutions for how to better control clutch slip and engagement within realistic parameters used for hybrid vehicles. Algorithms and operations of this fuzzy logic controller can be implemented in electronic control units for automatic clutch engagements and gear-shifting processes.