Tail-Equivalent Linearization Method in frequency domain and application to marine structures

An extension of the Tail-Equivalent Linearization Method (TELM) to the frequency domain is presented. The extension defines the Tail-Equivalent Linear System in terms of its frequency-response function. This function is obtained by matching the design point of the nonlinear response with that of the linearized response, thus guaranteeing the equivalence of the tail probability of the latter and the first-order approximation of the tail probability of the nonlinear response. The proposed approach is particularly suitable when the input and response processes are stationary, as is usually the case in the analysis of marine structures. When linear waves are considered, the Tail-Equivalent Linear System possesses a number of important properties, such as the capability to account for multi-support excitations and invariance with respect to scaling of the excitation. The latter property significantly enhances the computational efficiency of TELM for analysis with variable sea states. Additionally, the frequency-response function of the Tail-Equivalent Linear System offers insights into the geometry of random vibrations discretized in the frequency domain and into the physical nature of the response process. The proposed approach is applied to the analysis of point-in-time and first-passage statistics of the random sway displacement of a simplified jack-up rig model.     

Selected node-pair analysis in dial's assignment algorithm

An algorithm is proposed to calculate the matrix of trips which use a particular link in a road network or alternatively pass through a particular set of nodes given the route-splitting assumptions inherent in the Dial assignment algorithm.     

National policy towards cars: the Netherlands

This paper describes the historical development of Dutch motorization after the Second World War and the policy of the Dutch Government towards the car. Developments are presented in a context of population growth and changes in population structure, in the economic situation, and in land use. Trends in the use of public transport and the bicycle are also highlighted. Special attention is given to the economic recession and the rise of unemployment since 1980.     

Optimal Control of the Tractor-Semitrailer Truck

This paper is concerned with the braking performance and the handling behavior of the tractor-semitrailer truck under optimal braking. Optimal control theory is used in order to deal with the problem and a combination of the steepest descent method and the Davidon Fletcher Powell method is used to solve it numerically. Results for some chosen braking maneuvers are obtained for a nonlinear truck model which has 14 degrees of freedom. These results show that, for the chosen maneuvers an idealized anti-skid braking is close to being optimal in the sense defined in this paper. Implementation of an idealized anti-skid braking on the tractor-semitrailer truck, however, may be not desirable.     

How to Write a Literature Review Paper?

This paper discusses the question about how to write a literature review paper (LRP). It stresses the primary importance of adding value, rather than only providing an overview, and it then discusses some of the reasons for (or not) actually writing an LRP, including issues relating to the nature and scope of the paper. It also presents different types of LRPs, advises on reporting the methodology used for the selection of papers for review, and the structure of an LRP. An important conclusion is that the heterogeneity in LRPs is very large. This paper also presents some of the aspects that the authors feel are important structural and contextual considerations that help produce high-quality review papers.     

Practicability study on the suitability of artificial,neural networks for the approximation of unknown steering torques

For steer-by-wire systems, the steering feedback must be generated artificially due to the system characteristics. Classical control concepts require operating-point driven optimisations as well as increased calibration efforts in order to adequately simulate the steering torque in all driving states. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are an innovative control concept; they are capable of learning arbitrary non-linear correlations without complex knowledge of physical dependencies. The present study investigates the suitability of neural networks for approximating unknown steering torques. To ensure robust processing of arbitrary data, network training with a sufficient volume of training data is required, that represents the relation between the input and target values in a wide range. The data were recorded in the course of various test drives. In this research, a variety of network topologies were trained, analysed and evaluated. Though the fundamental suitability of ANNs for the present control task was demonstrated.     

公司交通政策的最佳实践——以比利时为例

公司是通勤交通的主要创造者,在与交通相关的讨论中,公司扮演着重要角色。近几年,公司提出了多种政策措施,以改善员工的出行条件,但其愿景与行动通常被研究文献所忽视。为了讨论比利时公司在交通政策方面的最佳实践,分析了现有研究成果和比利时的两次大规模通勤交通调查。首先,对公司进行分类,以便确定在推广替代交通方式方面受员工欢迎的公司。然后,通过量化分析确定交通政策的最佳实践。结果显示,最佳替代交通方式取决于公司特征;自行车交通最适合小型工作场所,大型工作场所和位于建筑密集区或市中心的公司则更适合推广公共交通;在公司交通管理中,财务激励、设施提供、信息传播和停车管理均起重要作用。     

Towards improved port capacity investment decisions under uncertainty: a real options approach

ABSTRACT

Port activity plays an important role in facilitating international trade. Sufficient capacity is indispensable for a port to attract flows to a region and retain them. The capacity decision is the result of a trade-off between investment and waiting costs. Traditional methods to value expansion projects do not deal adequately with managerial flexibility in the face of uncertainty from different sources in the complex port environment. In this paper, real options (RO) models are identified as an alternative method to making project valuations and investment decisions, as they attribute the correct value to managerial flexibility under uncertainty. In order to be able to build and use such RO models for port capacity investment decisions, the sources and implications of uncertainty in the port and the different RO model specifications need to be understood. To this end, both the literature about uncertainty in the port context and the literature about real options models are reviewed in order to provide researchers who want to build their own decision-making models, with the necessary knowledge of both fields. The review makes clear that the complex interactions in and competition between the logistics chains and their actors coming together in ports have significant impacts on port capacity. Uncertainty is also caused by uncertain international trade flows and changes in legislation following new technologies and environmental impacts. An analysis of the components of some general RO models shows how the options of flexible output, investment size and timing are valued by RO models in a setting with demand uncertainty. Moreover, the review presents researchers with insights in how to deal with cooperative and competitive interactions in the chain, time to build, cyclical markets and legislation changes. It also shows how to value the expansion and the phased investment options. The new insights resulting from this review are subsequently combined in a framework that serves as a guideline to build RO models for port capacity investments. Finally, an exemplifying application of the framework is used to build an actual port capacity investment decision model.     

Development and Evaluation of Vehicle Simulation Models for a 4WS Application

In the scope of the European Prometheus project a passenger car with active rear wheel steering was developed by TNO in cooperation with PSA. During development and engineering of the rear wheel steering system simulation tools have been used to reduce development costs. This paper describes the evaluation of different simulation models, from simple to complex, with results of full vehicle driving tests. The optimal balance for model complexity and accuracy was achieved with a 2-dimensional model with an added roll degree of freedom. The results show that validation using time responses can give ambiguous and inaccurate results, and that frequency response functions are much more usable in validation.