Advance-F automatic car-following model and its traffic characteristics

This study develops a longitudinal control model for automatic car-following with one switch and two controllers. The switch is operated using fuzzy logic to activate acceleration or trigger braking. The two controllers activate the acceleration pedal and the brake system and use reference adaptive control theory. A simulation is utilized to evaluate the acceptability of the proposed model and to compare the traffic characteristics between machine driving (by the proposed model) and human driving (as represented by the GM-V model). The simulation results indicate that this model is acceptable and is both safe and efficient for use in traffic. However, the automatic car-following system is more aggressive than humans are, which may be the primary challenge in implementation.     

Engine performance and toxic gas analysis of biobutanol-blended gasoline as a vehicle fuel

A comprehensive study evaluating the performance of biobutanol-blended gasoline in passenger cars was conducted because biobutanol is considered a better biofuel than bioethanol as it has no water solubility and it has a higher caloric value, giving it a higher energy value. Several kinds of samples—suboctane gasoline, 8 volume percentage and 16 volume percentage biobutanol—blended gasoline, and a 10 volume percentage MTBE-blended market sample (as the oxygencontaining gasoline)-were tested to evaluate the engine performance in terms of the detergency of the intake valves and combustion chambers, power, emissions, and fuel efficiency. Additionally, the toxicity of the emissions from these biobutanolblended samples was tested in order to assess the viability of biobutanol as one of the competitive potential substitutes for MTBE as an oxygenator in the near future. The results show that biobutanol-blended gasoline samples had relatively better detergency, relatively higher power, and similar levels of emissions compared with those of MTBE-blended gasoline. Formaldehyde was emitted from all of the samples at almost the same levels and within the error range, whereas biobutanolblended gasoline samples emitted approximately three times the amount of acetaldehyde than did the suboctane gasoline. This study shows that biobutanol is one of the best alternative bioalcohol fuels for use in the near future.     

两种直接波浪能转换系统性能的比较:阿基米德波浪摆和波能浮筒(英文)

Many wave energy conversion devices have not been well received. The main reasons are that they are too complicated and not economical. However, in the last two decades direct conversion systems have drawn the attention of researchers to their widely distributed energy source due to their simple structure and low cost. The most well-known direct conversion systems presently in use include the Archimedes Wave Swing (AWS) and Power Buoy (PB). In this paper, these two systems were simulated in the same conditions and their behaviors were studied in different wave conditions. In order to verify the simulations, results of the generator of the finite element computations were followed. An attempt was made to determine the merits and drawbacks of each method under different wave conditions by comparing the performance of the two systems. The wave conditions suitable for each system were specified.     

双通线加热的热力学及实验分析(英文)

The present investigation deals with process analysis of oxy-acetylene flame assisted double pass line heating for varying plate thickness. oxy-acetylene flame as the heat source for multi pass line heating to achieve 3-D bending of plates with varying thicknesses was studied. The oxy-acetylene flame was modeled as the moving heat source in the FEM analysis. The transient thermal histories were predicted taking into account the temperature dependent thermo-mechanical properties. A comparative study between single pass and double pass line heating residual deformation was also carried out. The temperature distribution and residual deformations predicted by the numerical model developed in the present work compared fairly well with those of the experimental ones.     

Experimental Investigation of TARMAX Model for Modeling of Hydrodynamic Forces on Cylinder-like Structures

A new approach that models lift and drag hydrodynamic force signals operating over cylindrical structures was developed and validated. This approach is based on stochastic auto regressive moving average with exogenous (ARMAX) input and its time-varying form, TARMAX. Model structure selection and parameter estimation were discussed while considering the validation stage. In this paper, the cylindrical structure was considered as a dynamic system with an incoming water wave and resulting forces as the input a...     

A generic class of first order node models for dynamic macroscopic simulation of traffic flows

Node models for macroscopic simulation have attracted relatively little attention in the literature. Nevertheless, in dynamic network loading (DNL) models for congested road networks, node models are as important as the extensively studied link models. This paper provides an overview of macroscopic node models found in the literature, explaining both their contributions and shortcomings. A formulation defining a generic class of first order macroscopic node models is presented, satisfying a list of requirements necessary to produce node models with realistic, consistent results. Defining a specific node model instance of this class requires the specification of a supply constraint interaction rule and (optionally) node supply constraints. Following this theoretical discussion, specific macroscopic node model instances for unsignalized and signalized intersections are proposed. These models apply an oriented capacity proportional distribution of the available supply over the incoming links of a node. A computationally efficient algorithm to solve the node models exactly is included.     

Experimental design influences on stated choice outputs: An empirical study in air travel choice

Discrete choice experiments are conducted in the transport field to obtain data for investigating travel behaviour and derived measures such as the value of travel time savings. The multinomial logit (MNL) and other more advanced discrete choice models (e.g., the mixed MNL model) have often been estimated on data from stated choice experiments and applied for planning and policy purposes. Determining efficient underlying experimental designs for these studies has become an increasingly important stream of research, in which the objective is to generate stated choice tasks that maximize the collected information, yielding more reliable parameter estimates. These theoretical advances have not been rigorously tested in practice, such that claims on whether the theoretical efficiency gains translate into practice cannot be made. Using an extensive empirical study of air travel choice behaviour, this paper presents for the first time results of different stated choice experimental design approaches, in which respective estimation results are compared. We show that D-efficient designs keep their promise in lowering standard errors in estimating, thereby requiring smaller sample sizes, ceteris paribus, compared to a more traditional orthogonal design. The parameter estimates found using an orthogonal design or an efficient design turn out to be statistically different in several cases, mainly attributed to more or less dominant alternatives existing in the orthogonal design. Furthermore, we found that small designs with a limited number of choice tasks performs just as good (or even better) than a large design. Finally, we show that theoretically predicted sample sizes using the so-called S-estimates provide a good lower bound. This paper will enable practitioners in better understanding the potential benefits of efficient designs, and enables policy makers to make decisions based on more reliable parameter estimates.     

Assessing the cost of transfer inconvenience in public transport systems: A case study of the London Underground

Few studies have adequately assessed the cost of transfers² in public transport systems, or provided useful guidance on transfer improvements, such as where to invest (which facility), how to invest (which aspect), and how much to invest (quantitative justification of the investment). This paper proposes a new method based on path choice,³ taking into account both the operator’s service supply and the customers’ subjective perceptions to assess transfer cost and to identify ways to reduce it. This method evaluates different transfer components (e.g., transfer walking, waiting, and penalty) with distinct policy solutions and differentiates between transfer stations and movements.The method is applied to one of the largest and most complex public transport systems in the world, the London Underground (LUL), with a focus on 17 major transfer stations and 303 transfer movements. This study confirms that transfers pose a significant cost to LUL, and that cost is distributed unevenly across stations and across platforms at a station. Transfer stations are perceived very differently by passengers in terms of their overall cost and composition. The case study suggests that a better understanding of transfer behavior and improvements to the transfer experience could significantly benefit public transport systems.     

Timetable-based operation in urban transport: Run-time optimisation and improvements in the operating process

Urban public transit provides an efficient means of mobility and helps support social development and environmental preservation. To avoid loss of ridership, transit authorities have focussed on improving the punctuality of routes that operate using timetables. This paper presents a new approach to generating run-time values that is based on analytical development and micro simulations. The work utilizes previous research (described herein) and the experience acquired by Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) in operating bus routes based on timetables. Using a sample of historical data, the method used for generating run-time values consists of the following steps: purging and screening atypical trips, based on the consideration of confidence intervals for median trips; segmenting the day into time bands based on the introduction of a new hierarchical classification algorithm; creating initial run-time values based on criteria derived from statistical analysis; adjusting and validating initial run-time values using micro simulations; and evaluating incident-recovery times at the end of trips in order to guarantee the punctual departure of the next trip in the vehicle schedule. To favour service improvement, we also introduced certain indicators that can identify the root causes of non-compliance. As a final step, in order to ensure the applicability and use of the model, we promoted the development of our model within the framework of the HASTUS™ software solution.