Basic Analytical Study of Pantograph-catenary System Dynamics

For a high speed electrical rail system, good dynamic performance of the pantograph-catenary system is vital for smooth and continuous current collection. It has been known for many years that to achieve this the head of the pantograph should be made as light as possible and the average stiffness of the catenary should be high. These conclusions, however, have been reached by numerical modelling and operational experience. In this paper the pantograph-catenary system is modelled as a time-varying, single degree-of-freedom system to facilitate an analytical investigation of the system dynamics. Although the model is very simple, it allows physical insight into the dynamic behaviour of the system, and because the excitation is parametric it also allows the stability of the system to be investigated. The finite element method is used to determine the catenary characteristics and Floquet theory is used to analyse the behaviour of the coupled system.     

The North Norfolk Coastline: A Complex Legacy

The North Norfolk coast is a naturally eroding coastline that has been subject to various management strategies over time, many of which have impeded its natural evolution. The Kelling to Lowestoft-Ness Shoreline Management Plan underpins management of the North Norfolk coast, advocating policies of managed realignment and no active intervention for much of this coastline. Implementation of these policies would give rise to significant loss of housing in North Norfolk during the course of this century. This has caused intense conflict between local communities and coastal planners, with the former feeling abandoned to the vagaries of natural coastal processes. Coastal planners need to work closely with local communities to implement a long-term vision for a sustainable coast. The issues of conflicting land-use planning policies and compensation for affected communities must be addressed. The wider implications of current management strategies are not fully understood and may, in some cases, be unsustainable.     

Review of empirical and semi-empirical Y factor solutions for cracked welded tubular joints

The practical use of fracture mechanics has been established for use on large turbine and electric generator rotor components used in the atomic power generation and the aircraft industry. Application areas in the offshore industry have also been identified. Fracture mechanics is currently used at the design stage of offshore facilities. It provides the basis for fatigue life prediction, steel selection and tolerance setting on allowable weld imperfections. Fracture mechanics is also used during the operational stage of a structure to make important decisions on inspection scheduling and repair strategies and as a tool for establishing limits on operational conditions. Linear elastic fracture mechanics relies on the use of the stress intensity factor concept. The stress intensity factor is a very important fracture mechanics parameter. Therefore, the accuracy of any fracture mechanics model for the prediction of fatigue crack growth in offshore structures for example will depend very much on the accuracy of the stress intensity factor solution used. Several empirical and semi-empirical solutions have been developed over the years with varying degrees of accuracy. This paper presents a review of some of these methods and attempts to assess their accuracy in predicting Y factors for welded tubular joints by comparing predicted results with experimental data obtained from fatigue tests conducted on large scale welded tubular joints. The experimental results were conducted under simulated service conditions, using a jack-up offshore standard load history (JOSH). A comparison between the experimental and predicted results shows that there may be other factors, which influence fatigue crack growth under variable amplitude conditions. Some of these factors have been identified and discussed in this paper.     

The biogeochemical cycling of methane in Ria de Vigo, NW Spain: Sediment processing and sea–air exchange

Methane (CH₄) concentrations were measured in the water column, in sediment porewaters, and in atmospheric air, in the Ría de Vigo, NW Spain, during both the onset (April 2003) and at the end of (September 2004) seasonal upwelling. In addition, CH₄ concentration and stable isotopic signatures (δ¹³CH₄) were measured in porewaters, and sediment methanogenesis and aerobic oxidation of CH₄ were determined in sediment incubations. Surface water column CH₄ (2 m depth) was in the range 3–180 nmol l^− 1 (110–8500% saturation) and followed a generally landward increase but with localised maxima in both the inner and middle Ría. These maxima were consistent with CH₄ inputs from underlying porewaters in which CH₄ concentrations were up to 3 orders of magnitude higher (maximum 350 μmol l^− 1). Surface water CH₄ concentrations were approximately three times higher in September than in April, consistent with a significant benthic CH₄ flux driven by enhanced sediment methanogenesis following the summer productivity maximum. CH₄ and δ¹³CH₄ in sediment porewaters and in incubated sediment slurries (20 °C) revealed significant sediment CH₄ oxidation, with an apparent isotopic fractionation factor (r_c) of  1.004. Using turbulent diffusion models of air–sea exchange we estimate an annual emission of atmospheric CH₄ from the Ría de Vigo of 18–44 × 10⁶ g (1.1–2.7 × 10⁶ mol). This estimate is approximately 1–2 orders of magnitude lower than a previous estimate based on a bubble transport model.     

Energy use in passenger transport in OECD countries: Changes since 1970

This paper analyzes some of the changes that took place in the structure of energy use for passenger travel in industrialized countries. Data is presented on energy use and travel activity for the four major modes of travel — automobile, bus, rail and air — for eight OECD countries: the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, West Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, and Norway. We use the Laspeyres and Divisia indices to analyze the causes of the change in energy use between 1970 and 1987. The total change in energy use for travel is explained by changes in domestic passenger transport volumes, the mix of modes of travel, and the energy intensities of each mode. We have found two important effects that have a fundamental impact on energy use for travel since 1970. First, shifts among modes of transport towards more energy-intensive ones and large increases in volumes of travel (measured in passenger-kilometers) increased energy use for travel in many OECD countries, often more rapidly than the overall growth in GDP. Second, energy intensities, measured in mJ/passenger-kilometer, of passenger transport fell only in a few countries between 1970 and 1987. Even though individual automobiles have become more energy-efficient, greater size, power, and weight, worsening traffic conditions in Japan and Europe, and fewer people in cars restrained or even offset efficiency improvements. Particularly notable are the increases in intensities in Japan and Germany. The most important exception to this trend was the United States, but the intensities of land-based travel remain higher there than in most other countries. These findings lead to a pessimistic outlook for future energy use for travel. After all, if little or no energy was saved during the decades of high fuel prices, what can be expected in the 1990s?     

氙灯试验箱的均匀性研究——旋转鼓式氙灯试验箱和平板式氙灯试验箱的比较

氙灯测试作为一种加速老化测试方法,在高分子材料的测试中得到了广泛使用。目前,市场上主要有旋转鼓式和平板式两类老化测试设备。在这两类氙灯试验箱中,所有被测样品的测试条件是否一致?是人们比较关心的问题。本文主要研究两种不同类型的氙灯试验箱——旋转鼓式氙灯试验箱和更先进的平板式氙灯试验箱是如何达到均匀的测试条件的。     

汽车面漆的加速酸蚀研究

为建立新的汽车酸蚀试验方法开展了一系列的研究工作,测试了酸雨的组成和pH值,统计了降雨频率和持续时间、空气和样品温度等大量的环境参数,确认pH值、温度、湿度、紫外光谱、样品的辐照量以及样品的放置角度等关键测试参数。通过对这些环境参数的记录分析,研制出一种仿酸雨溶液和一个加速测试程序,并对一款加速老化试验装置进行了改进,使其能极好地模仿户外的酸蚀结果。     

Robust Scalable Vehicle Control via Non-Dimensional Vehicle Dynamics

A temporal and spatial re-parameterization of the linear vehicle Bicycle Model is presented utilizing non-dimensional ratios of vehicle parameters called p-groups. Investigation of the p-groups using compiled data from 44 published sets of Vehicle Dynamics reveals a normal distribution about a line through p-space. The normal distribution suggests numerical-values for an 'average' vehicle and maximum perturbations about the average. A state-feedback controller is designed utilizing the p-space line and the expected p-perturbations to robustly stabilize all vehicles encompassed by the normal distribution of vehicle parameters. Experimental verification is obtained using a scaled vehicle.     

Road Safety Trends at National Level in Europe: A Review of Time-series Analysis Performed during the Period 2000–12

Abstract

This paper presents a review of time-series analysis of road safety trends, aggregated at a national level, which has been performed in the period 2000–12 and applied to European national data sets covering long time periods. It provides a guideline and set of best practices in the area of time-series modelling and identifies the latest methods and applications of national road safety trend analysis in Europe. The paper begins with the methodological framework adopted for aggregate time-series modelling that will be considered, and then discusses a number of relevant applications to long-period data aggregated at the national level, whether for countries alone, or for groups of countries. Some analyses, which were performed at the disaggregated level, are also provided, as they are being used more and more. Finally, the paper summarizes and discusses the significant changes in aggregate road safety trend analysis which occurred during the period and provides recommendations for continuing these research efforts.