Effects of low speed limits on freeway traffic flow

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in Variable Speed Limit (VSL) strategies. New opportunities for VSL as a freeway metering mechanism or a homogenization scheme to reduce speed differences and lane changing maneuvers are being explored. This paper examines both the macroscopic and microscopic effects of different speed limits on a traffic stream, especially when adopting low speed limits. To that end, data from a VSL experiment carried out on a freeway in Spain are used. Data include vehicle counts, speeds and occupancy per lane, as well as lane changing rates for three days, each with a different fixed speed limit (80 km/h, 60 km/h, and 40 km/h). Results reveal some of the mechanisms through which VSL affects traffic performance, specifically the flow and speed distribution across lanes, as well as the ensuing lane changing maneuvers. It is confirmed that the lower the speed limit, the higher the occupancy to achieve a given flow. This result has been observed even for relatively high flows and low speed limits. For instance, a stable flow of 1942 veh/h/lane has been measured with the 40 km/h speed limit in force. The corresponding occupancy was 33%, doubling the typical occupancy for this flow in the absence of speed limits. This means that VSL strategies aiming to restrict the mainline flow on a freeway by using low speed limits will need to be applied carefully, avoiding conditions as the ones presented here, where speed limits have a reduced ability to limit flows. On the other hand, VSL strategies trying to get the most from the increased vehicle storage capacity of freeways under low speed limits might be rather promising. Additionally, results show that lower speed limits increase the speed differences across lanes for moderate demands. This, in turn, also increases the lane changing rate. This means that VSL strategies aiming to homogenize traffic and reduce lane changing activity might not be successful when adopting such low speed limits. In contrast, lower speed limits widen the range of flows under uniform lane flow distributions, so that, even for moderate to low demands, the under-utilization of any lane is avoided. These findings are useful for the development of better traffic models that are able to emulate these effects. Moreover, they are crucial for the implementation and assessment of VSL strategies and other traffic control algorithms.     

基于高效扰流技术的IGBT双面冷却散热器性能优化研究

基于数值仿真和试验研究方法,对用于轨道交通变流器的液冷散热器的性能进行了研究和优化设计,并将结果与HXD1C机车、HXD2B机车当前使用的散热器对比。结果表明,通过使用高效扰流技术和4组并联的流道结构,提升了散热器换热能力并降低了流阻,使散热器台面温升比HXD2B和HXD1C机车使用的散热器分别降低37%和14.1%,流阻分别降低36.9%和22.3%;通过使用对称的双面冷却结构,使IGBT安装面的均温性得到提升,并使其占用空间比单面平铺安装减少26%。     

Active school travel: homogeneity or heterogeneity? That is the question

ABSTRACT

To explain and predict active school travel (AST), most studies have not investigated to what extent considering taste heterogeneity is an important influence on AST share. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate whether considering unobserved taste heterogeneity through mixed logit models – including random coefficient and random coefficient analysis (RCA) – materially improves/influences the AST prediction compared to a simpler model – the multinomial logit (MNL) model. The database comprises 735 valid observations. The results show that, with a 10% increase in perceived walking time to school, the MNL model predicts that the AST share would decrease by 7.8% (from 18.9% to 17.4%) while the RCA model predicts that it would decrease by 8.5% (from 18.9% to 17.3%). Thus, the expected share of AST is overestimated by MNL by one-tenth of a percentage point. Although there might be random taste variations around perceived distance to school, it seems the other important policy-sensitive variables, such as safety perception, homogeneously impacts on the AST share across households with different socioeconomic and built environment characteristics. Our empirical assessment suggests that considering taste heterogeneity does not necessarily improve the accuracy of analysis for the aggregate share of the AST concerning policy-sensitive variables.     

基于安全的公路功能分类探讨

公路功能分类和通行能力直接相关,干线公路要保证大通行能力,地方公路要便利,集散公路既要有一定的通行能力又要有一定的便利性,不同功能的公路的设计特征因此而有所不同。不同公路功能分类的公路设计特征、交通特征不同,其安全性也必然不同。我国公路考虑安全如何进行功能分类?本文通过归纳、总结国内外在公路功能分类、公路设计、公路安全计划等方面的实践经验以及相关研究成果,初步分析了我国公路分类存在的问题,探讨了公路功能分类和安全的关系,提出我国考虑交通安全的理想的公路功能分类,以及相关的研究、工作的建议。     

一种实现制动灯均匀发光效果的设计

制动灯和位置灯的发光效果在尾灯中起着重要的作用,可以采用多种配光方法来实现,其中面发光和体发光的发光形式越来越普遍,其优点在于发光效果比较均匀一致。与位置灯相比,制动灯实现均匀发光的难度较大,且目前还没有应用实例。本文提出一种制动灯均匀发光的设计方案,并进行了光学模拟,模拟结果可以满足法规要求,正式模具样件的发光效果也比较均匀。该方案对于后续制动灯及其他功能灯具的设计具有一定的指导作用。     

沥青混凝土路面不均匀性的形成机理分析及其控制措施

沥青路面的不均匀性和沥青混合料的离析是路面早期损坏的一个重要原因。文中从沥青混合料的组成特点及其强度影响因素分析入手,通过深入分析路面施工过程中混合料离析的机理,提出行之有效的路面均匀性控制措施。     

水泥-乳化沥青净浆组成对其工作性及稳定性的影响

通过流动度、扩展度、分离度试验,测试了水灰比（水与水泥质量比）和聚灰比（沥青与水泥质量比）对水泥-乳化沥青复合胶凝体系工作性以及稳定性的影响。研究发现：浆体的流动度随水灰比的增大而增大,而随聚灰比的增大先降低,后增大;当水灰比一定时,凝结时间随聚灰比增加而增加;在一定水灰比范围内,水泥-乳化沥青复合浆体的匀质性和稳定性良好,浆体分层不明显。研究表明：水灰比和聚灰比对浆体工作性能影响较为明显,对浆体工作性能设计有一定指导。     

沥青混合料路面离析原因研究

基于沥青混合料均匀性指标,结合现场资料,对沥青混合料路面在施工过程中产生离析的部分原因,如：集料堆放、摊铺机选择、混合料运输等展开定量的研究。研究结果表明：集料堆放的不当、摊铺机选择的不当以及混合料的运输过程等都会对沥青混合料路面均匀性产生影响,造成路面的离析。对此,提出了相应的预防对策,即集料堆放在平整、坚硬的场地上,避免相互混杂和雨水的流入;应先择半幅摊铺机;尽可能减少沥青混合料的运输距离。