Including congestion effects in urban road traffic CO2 emissions modelling: Do Local Government Authorities have the right options?

Tailpipe emissions from vehicles on urban road networks have damaging impacts, with the problem exacerbated by the common occurrence of congestion. This article focuses on carbon dioxide because it is the largest constituent of road traffic greenhouse gas emissions. Local Government Authorities (LGAs) are typically responsible for facilitating mitigation of these emissions, and critical to this task is the ability to assess the impact of transport interventions on road traffic emissions for a whole network.This article presents a contemporary review of literature concerning road traffic data and its use by LGAs in emissions models (EMs). Emphasis on the practicalities of using data readily available to LGAs to estimate network level emissions and inform effective policy is a relatively new research area, and this article summarises achievements so far. Results of the literature review indicate that readily available data are aggregated at traffic level rather than disaggregated at individual vehicle level. Hence, a hypothesis is put forward that optimal EM complexity is one using traffic variables as inputs, allowing LGAs to capture the influence of congestion whilst avoiding the complexity of detailed EMs that estimate emissions at vehicle level.Existing methodologies for estimating network emissions based on traffic variables typically have limitations. Conclusions are that LGAs do not necessarily have the right options, and that more research in this domain is required, both to quantify accuracy and to further develop EMs that explicitly include congestion, whilst remaining within LGA resource constraints.     

Local joint flexibility of tubular X-joints stiffened with external ring or external plates

In the present paper, the Local Joint Flexibility (LJF) of the ring-stiffened X-joints and plate-stiffened X-joints under compressive load is investigated. In the first phase, a finite element (FE) model was generated and verified with the results of available experimental tests and equations. In the next phase, a set number of 234 FE models were created to evaluate the role of the external ring size (β_r and τ_r), the external plate size (β_p and τ_p), and the connection geometry (γ, τ, and β) on the LJF factor (f_LJF). In these FE models, the weld connecting the chord and brace members was generated. The results indicated that the f_LJF of a plate stiffened joint can be down to 76% of the f_LJF of the corresponding un-stiffened joint. Also, the effect of the ring size on the f_LJF was more than the effect of the plate size on the f_LJF, because of the stiffener position. Despite the notable effect of the ring and the plate on the f_LJF, there is not any study or formula on tubular connections stiffened with ring or plate. Therefore, the FE results were used to propose two parametric formulas for determining the f_LJF in X-joints with external ring or external plate under brace compressive load. Moreover, the derived formulas were checked based on the UK DoE acceptance criteria.     

Real-time trip purpose prediction using online location-based search and discovery services

The use of smartphone technology is increasingly considered a state-of-the-art practice in travel data collection. Researchers have investigated various methods to automatically predict trip characteristics based upon locational and other smartphone sensing data. Of the trip characteristics being studied, trip purpose prediction has received relatively less attention. This research develops trip purpose prediction models based upon online location-based search and discovery services (specifically, Google Places API) and a limited set of trip data that are usually available upon the completion of the trip. The models have the potential to be integrated with smartphone technology to produce real-time trip purpose prediction. We use a recent, large-scale travel behavior survey that is augmented by downloaded Google Places information on each trip destination to develop and validate the models. Two statistical and machine learning prediction approaches are used, including nested logit and random forest methods. Both sets of models show that Google Places information is a useful predictor of trip purpose in situations where activity- and person-related information is uncollectable, missing, or unreliable. Even when activity- and person-related information is available, incorporating Google Places information provides incremental improvements in trip purpose prediction.     

Assessment of fatigue strength of steel butt-welded joints in as-welded condition – Alternative approaches for curve fitting and mean stress effect analysis

Experimental fatigue data for butt-welded joints in as-welded condition and under constant amplitude tensile loading (secondary bending included) were analyzed using the nominal stress system and the notch stress system. Two approaches were used; a standard fitting procedure and minimization of the sum of squared perpendicular distances from a line with a fixed and free slope. In all cases, the latter method gave better agreement between the experimental and predicted fatigue life and fatigue strength. The analyses showed both with all broken specimen data included and with reduced data that the FAT225 curve, as recommended by IIW, might be too optimistic for the notch stress approach in the case of butt-welded joints in as-welded condition. It was also found that use of the local stress ratio instead of the applied stress ratio might explain many issues concerning current observations and apparent inconsistencies in reported literature.     

Dynamic demand estimation and prediction for traffic urban networks adopting new data sources

Nowadays, new mobility information can be derived from advanced traffic surveillance systems that collect updated traffic measurements, both in fixed locations and over specific corridors or paths. Such recent technological developments point to challenging and promising opportunities that academics and practitioners have only partially explored so far.The paper looks at some of these opportunities within the Dynamic Demand Estimation problem (DDEP). At first, data heterogeneity, accounting for different sets of data providing a wide spatial coverage, has been investigated for the benefit of off-line demand estimation. In an attempt to mimic the current urban networks monitoring, examples of complex real case applications are being reported where route travel times and route choice probabilities from probe vehicles are exploited together with common link traffic measurements.Subsequently, on-line detection of non-recurrent conditions is being recorded, adopting a sequential approach based on an extension of the Kalman Filter theory called Local Ensemble Transformed Kalman Filter (LETKF).Both the off-line and the on-line investigations adopt a simulation approach capable of capturing the highly nonlinear dependence between the travel demand and the traffic measurements through the use of dynamic traffic assignment models. Consequently, the possibility of using collected traffic information is enhanced, thus overcoming most of the limitations of current DDEP approaches found in the literature.     

立交线形动态拖动设计的关键技术

对立交线形动态拖动设计的几个关键技术进行论述.分析了缓和曲线计算精度,提出了动态拖动模式设计模型,以及约束满足条件下的非线性方程组的数值解算法.     

基于Femap的风帆基座局部强度分析

以上海海事大学教学实习船"育明"轮为对象,研究船舶加装风帆装置的船体结构强度问题,通过局部加强风帆基座和船体连接部分来保证风帆安装部位的结构稳定性。利用Solidworks和Femap软件建立了风帆基座和船体的有限元模型,计算得到该模型在10级风载荷下受风角度从0°~60°的应力和应变。最终结果表明,在10级风载荷下,该船风帆基座和局部加强后的船体的强度符合要求。     

基于模拟退火-自适应布谷鸟算法的城市公交调度优化研究

为改善城市常规公交运营效率,提出基于模拟退火-自适应布谷鸟算法的公交调度优化模型.通过结合线路实际客流数据反映的客流特征,建立考虑公交公司和乘客双方利益的公交调度优化模型;改进布谷鸟算法固定步长并加入模拟退火算法退火操作,设计模拟退火-自适应布谷鸟算法,改善寻优过程中跳出局部最优解而全局寻优的能力;以福州125路公交线...     

高速铁路枢纽站技术作业计划与动车所调车作业计划协同编制研究

分析高速铁路枢纽站技术作业计划与动车所调车作业计划的协同编制过程,提出了将两个计划一体化编制的思想。以需安排作业效益最大化为优化目标,构建基于动车组车底的高速铁路枢纽站与动车所作业计划协同编制模型。针对模型特点,提出瓶颈工序、启发式分配规则及粗粒度主从进程模式的并行禁忌搜索策略(PTS)相结合的混合优化算法,首先确定作业安排瓶颈工序,然后启动主进程和若干从进程,主进程运用启发式分配规则快速生成初始解分配给从进程,从进程运用与瓶颈工序相关的禁忌算法搜索优化解,并反馈给主进程,主进程记录全局最优解并根据交叉策略生成新的初始解,重新分配给从进程进行TS搜索。最后,用实例验证了模型和算法的有效性。     

舰载直升机应召搜索时使用特种浮标问题研究

在使用声纳浮标搜索时,水声环境对搜索效能影响很大,通过布设特种浮标可以测得当面海区水声环境,确定浮标工作深度和作用距离。分析了舰载直升机布设特种浮标的方法和布设模型,针对布设时存在的问题提出了改进对策,为舰载直升机应召搜索时使用特种浮标提供参考。