Multiple criteria optimization method for the vehicle assignment problem in a bus transportation company

A vehicle assignment problem (VAP) in a road, long‐haul, passenger transportation company with heterogeneous fleet of buses is considered in the paper. The mathematical model of the VAP is formulated in terms of multiobjective, combinatorial optimization. It has a strategic, long‐term character and takes into account four criteria that represent interests of both passengers and the company's management. The decision consists in the definition of weekly operating frequency (number of rides per week) of buses on international routes between Polish and Western European cities. The VAP is solved in a step‐wise procedure. In the first step a sample of efficient (Pareto‐optimal) solutions is generated using an original metaheuristic method called Pareto Memetic Algorithm (PMA). In the second step this sample is reviewed and evaluated by the Decision Maker (DM). In this phase an interactive, multiple criteria analysis method with graphical facilities, called Light Beam Search (LBS), is applied. The method helps the DM to define his/her preferences, direct the search process and select the most satisfactory solution.     

FPSO内转塔式系泊系统的接触载荷研究

在介绍两种典型的内转塔式单点系泊系统的基础上,着重探讨了内转塔与船体之间的接触载荷,给出了基于模型试验结果求解内转塔接触载荷的计算公式及接触载荷的分布形式,对某FPS0相关结构的接触载荷进行了计算.结果表明,本文所建议的内转塔式系泊系统的载荷计算方法是可行的,有一定的参考价值.     

考虑多目标的城市停车换乘选址优化模型及算法

停车换乘选址问题是城市交通网络设计研究的重点领域,已有研究的优化目标多集中在系统总费用方面,而对交通可持续发展方面考虑不足。为此,提出综合考虑多方面目标的停车换乘设施选址优化模型及其求解算法。首先,基于超网络理论,提出多方式城市交通系统的超网络模型并定义O-D (Origin-destination)间的超路径、有效超路径及子路径,结合出行者出行过程及交通网络拥挤特征,给出超路径费用的数学表达;其次,基于多方式交通网络随机均衡配流结果,构建交通总阻抗、污染物排放量以及交通系统公平性等系统优化指标的计算模型,并建立用以描述停车换乘设施选址问题的多目标优化模型;进而,以多目标系统优化模型为上层问题,以超网络下满足Logit分配的多方式交通网络配流模型为下层问题,构建描述城市多方式交通系统停车换乘设施选址问题的双层规划模型,并基于模型特征,结合“记录-搜索”思想设计非支配排序遗传算法进行求解;最后,基于Sioux Falls网络设计算例。研究结果表明：算法能够在有限的步骤内搜索到90%以上的Pareto最优解;平均而言,停车换乘措施使得交通总阻抗减小了0.31%,污染物排放量减少了7.32%...     

新巴拿马型散货船系泊系统推荐布置

针对巴拿马运河扩建后,通航运河的散货船增多,前期建造的散货船由于系泊系统不合要求,不能通过运河的情况,根据巴拿马运河管理局2021年颁布的航运通告对系泊系统的布置要求,对某改造及新造两系列散货船,依次从艏、舯、艉部给出系泊系统的推荐布置,运营结果表明,船舶系泊系统布置方案满足相关规则及船东要求.     

物流中心选址与规模的层次优化模型

同时考虑生产商和分销商的利益,采用双层规划模型来描述物流中心选择以及规模问题.上层规划从生产商的角度出发,通过调整物流中心位置及规模使生产商的生产成本、运输成本和经营成本最小；下层规划从分销商的角度出发,通过调整从各个物流中心进货的数量使自身的平均运输成本最低.设计了基于遗传算法的求解方法,并用数值算例验证了模型和算法的有效性.     

Quasi-dynamic estimation of o–d flows from traffic counts: Formulation,statistical validation and performance analysis on real data

The paper proposes a “quasi-dynamic” framework for estimation of origin–destination (o–d) flow from traffic counts, under the assumption that o–d shares are constant across a reference period, whilst total flows leaving each origin vary for each sub-period within the reference period. The advantage of this approach over conventional within-day dynamic estimators is that of reducing drastically the number of unknowns given the same set of observed time-varying traffic counts. Obviously, the gain in accuracy depends on how realistic is the underlying assumption that total demand levels vary more rapidly over time than o–d shares. Firstly, the paper proposes a theoretical specification of the quasi-dynamic estimator. Subsequently, it proposes empirical and statistical tests to check the quasi-dynamic assumption and then compares the performances of the quasi-dynamic estimator of o–d flows with both classical off-line simultaneous dynamic estimators and on-line recursive Kalman filter-based estimators. Experiments are carried out on the real test site of A4–A23 motorways in North-Eastern Italy. Results confirm the acceptability of the assumption of quasi-dynamic o–d flows, even under the hypothesis of constant distribution shares for the whole day and show that the quasi-dynamic estimator outperforms significantly the simultaneous estimator. Data also suggest that using the quasi-dynamic estimates instead of the simultaneous estimates as historical o–d flows improves significantly the performances of the Kalman filter, which strongly depends of the quality of the seed o–d flows. In addition, it is shown that the aggregation of quasi-dynamic o–d estimates across subsequent time slices represents also the most effective way to obtain o–d estimates for larger time horizons (e.g. hourly estimates). Finally, a validation based on an hold-out sample of link flows (i.e. counts not used as inputs in the o–d estimation/updating process) revealed the quasi-dynamic estimator to be overall more robust and effective with respect to the other tested estimators.     

Improving maritime inventory routing: application to a Brazilian petroleum case

The crude oil offloading and supply problem (COSP) is a type of operation maritime inventory routing (MIR) problem encountered by petroleum companies. In COSP, the company not only is responsible for the ship scheduling to carry the crude oil from production sites to discharge ports but also must maintain inventory levels at both ports (production and consumption) between safety operational bounds to avoid disruptions in its crude oil production and/or refining processes. We show how to improve significantly the decision-making process in a Brazilian petroleum company using a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model to represent COSP. Comparison tests with a current ship-scheduling method adopted in the company indicated that the use of the MILP model increased the transportation efficiency and reduced costs by 20% on average. In addition to the quantitative gains, the use of a MILP model to solve COSP has succeeded when encountering real-life events, such as variation in production or consumption rates, berth unavailability, and changes in the storage capacities at ports.     

Experimental and finite element analysis of fatigue strength for 300 mm2 copper power conductor

The fatigue strength of a 300 mm² stranded copper conductor was investigated experimentally and by finite element (FE) analysis. An analytical model was also developed and validated. Wires taken from the outer layer of the conductor were fatigue tested in tension–tension loading and compared with similar data for wires taken from a 95 mm² conductor. The wire cross section was deformed due to the compacting process that was applied during fabrication. When corrected for stress concentrations due to the deformation the data for the two sets of wire fell within the same scatter-band. Full scale testing was carried out in a specially designed rig with constant tensile load and reversed displacement controlled bending with a fixed curvature variation. The loading is a simulation of the loading of a power cable hanging from a floating vessel through a bellmouth. Conductors were tested in two states; dry and lubricated. A finite element model was established for the copper conductor. The model was formulated by a combination of elastic beam and beam-contact elements that included the effects of friction. The effect of local bending due to contact forces was included in the model. Two contact conditions were investigated; the point (trellis) contact between adjacent layers of wire and the inline contact within each layer and between the first layer (centre wire) and the second layer. The FE model was validated by a calibration test of a full scale conductor, and by sensitivity studies varying the size and the number of elements of the model. Fatigue analysis of the conductor was carried out, based on the S–N curve for individual wires. Taking into account the effects of friction and local bending, agreement was obtained between predicted and experimental fatigue strength of the conductor, for the FE model as well as the analytical model.     

Behavior-consistent information-based network traffic control for evacuation operations

The evacuation operations problem aims to avoid or mitigate the potential loss of life in a region threatened or affected by a disaster. It is shaped to a large extent by the evolution of evacuation traffic resulting from the demand–supply interactions of the associated transportation network. Information-based control is a strategic tool for evacuation traffic operations as it can enable greater access to the affected population and more effective response. However, comparatively few studies have focused on the implementation of information-based control in evacuation operations. This study develops a control module for evacuation operations centered on addressing the demand–supply interactions by using behavior-consistent information strategies. These strategies incorporate the likely responses of evacuees to the information provided in the determination of route guidance information. The control module works as an iterative computational process involving an evacuee route choice model and a control model of information strategies to determine the route guidance information to direct evacuation traffic so as to approach a desired network traffic flow pattern. The problem is formulated as a fuzzy logic based optimization framework to explicitly incorporate practical concerns related to information dissemination characteristics and social equity in evacuation operations. Numerical experiments highlight the importance of accounting for the demand–supply interactions, as the use of behavior-consistent information strategies can lead evacuee route choices to approach the operator-desired proportions corresponding to the desired traffic pattern. The results also indicate that while a behavior-consistent information strategy can be effective, gaps with the desired route proportions can exist due to the discrete nature of the linguistic messages and the real-world difficulty in accurately modeling evacuees’ actual route choice behavior.     

Estimates of vertical mixing during a Lagrangian experiment off the Galician coast

An adjoint 1-D model was used to determine vertical diffusivity coefficients from temperature profiles collected within a filament escaping from the Galician coast following an upwelling event. The optimisation scheme ended with relatively high diffusivity values within the thermocline (9×10⁻⁵ m² s⁻¹). Such high values are relevant for biogeochemical exchanges between surface and deep waters in stratified areas.The optimised values were several orders of magnitude higher than the bulk of diffusivity measurements recorded with a free-falling device; however, the optimisation solution was consistent with the arithmetic mean of the measurements in the thermocline (7.7×10⁻⁵ m² s⁻¹), giving more weight to the few largest values. Below the thermocline, the data assimilation method failed because of the three-dimensional nature of the advective field of the upwelling system. Ignoring this advective forcing in the model led to estimates that were two orders of magnitude too high.The results suggest that turbulent mixing is a random process where a few intense events determine the average mixing that drives the long-term evolution of the water column structure. This statistical property is very important when one wants to use instantaneous diffusivity measurements for modelling purposes.