Life cycle cost analysis of alternative vehicles and fuels in Thailand

High crude oil prices and pollution problems have drawn attention to alternative vehicle technologies and fuels for the transportation sector. The question is: What are the benefits/costs of these technologies for society? To answer this question in a quantitative way, a web-based model (http://vehiclesandfuels.memebot.com) has been developed to calculate the societal life cycle costs, the consumer life cycle costs and the tax for different vehicle technologies. By comparing these costs it is possible to draw conclusions about the social benefit and the related tax structure. The model should help to guide decisions toward optimality, which refers to maximum social benefit. The model was applied to the case of Thailand. The life cycle cost of 13 different alternative vehicle technologies in Thailand have been calculated and the tax structure analyzed.     

An articulated geometry for skid tractor AGVs

An articulated geometry which overcomes the problem of loss of traction in differentially steered skid tractor automatic guided vehicles is described.     

Design and evaluation of an active electromechanical wheel suspension system

This paper presents an electromechanical wheel suspension, where the upper arm of the suspension has been provided with an electric levelling and a damper actuator, both are allowed to work in a fully active mode. A control structure for the proposed suspension is described. The complex design task involving the control of the electric damper and its machine parameters is tackled by genetic optimisation. During this process, these parameters are optimised to keep the power dissipation of the electric damper as low as possible, while maintaining acceptable comfort and road-holding capabilities. The results of the evaluations carried out demonstrate that the proposed suspension can easily adopt its control parameters to obtain a better compromise of performance than that offered by passive suspensions. If the vehicle is to maintain acceptable performance during severe driving conditions, the damper has to be unrealistically large. However, if the electric damper is combined with a hydraulic damper, the size of the electric damper is significantly reduced. In addition, the design of the electric damper with the suggested control structure, including how it regenerates energy, is discussed.     

Energy storage devices for future hybrid electric vehicles

Powertrain hybridization as well as electrical energy management are imposing new requirements on electrical storage systems in vehicles. This paper characterizes the associated vehicle attributes and, in particular, the various levels of hybrids. New requirements for the electrical storage system are derived, including: shallow-cycle life, high dynamic charge acceptance particularly for regenerative braking and robust service life in sustained partial-state-of-charge usage. Lead/acid, either with liquid or absorptive glass-fibre mat electrolyte, is expected to remain the predominant battery technology for 14 V systems, including micro-hybrids, and with a cost-effective battery monitoring system for demanding applications. Advanced AGM batteries may be considered for mild or even medium hybrids once they have proven robustness under real-world conditions, particularly with respect to cycle life at partial-states-of-charge and dynamic charge acceptance. For the foreseeable future, NiMH and Li-ion are the dominating current and potential battery technologies for higher-functionality HEVs. Li-ion, currently at development and demonstration stages, offers attractive opportunities for improvements in performance and cost. Supercapacitors may be considered for pulse power applications. Aside from cell technologies, attention to the issue of system integration of the battery into the powertrain and vehicle is growing. Opportunities and challenges for potential “battery pack” system suppliers are discussed.     

组合拱式管桥计算机模拟设计

本文在已有成果资料的基础上，为组合拱式管桥的设计建立了常规设计表达式，并研制出组合拱式管桥计算机模拟的程序软件ＣＡＰＢＤ。该软件具有以下计算功能：（１）计算组合管拱的几何特征参数；（２）计算组合管拱自重和组合拱式管桥的竖向荷载及其材料费用；（３）分析和计算各种载荷作用下组合拱式管桥的内力；（４）组合拱式管桥各控制截面强度校核、稳定性验算以及拱支墩稳定性验算和地基承载力强度校核。     

Vegetation Change in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands: Deviation from the Historical Cycle

Water-level change is integral to the structure and function of Great Lakes coastal wetlands, and many studies document predictable relationships between vegetation and water level. However, anthropogenic stressors, such as invasive species, land-use change, and water-level stabilization, interact to shift the historical cycle (of native vegetation migration up- and down-slope) toward dominance by invasive Typha species. Knowing from earlier studies that water-level stabilization alters the historical vegetation cycle, we asked if similar shifts can occur where water levels are not stabilized. Using historical aerial photographs of three coastal wetlands (in Lake Michigan's Green Bay, Wisconsin), we determined that habitat dominated by Typha species has expanded to eliminate wet meadow habitat. Between 1974 and 1992, linear regressions showed strong, significant relationships of both meadow area (R² ≥ 0.894; p < 0.02) and marsh area (R² ≥ 0.784; p < 0.05) to water level in all three wetlands. In 2000, meadow area was below that predicted by the historical pattern due to the landward advance of marsh habitat during a year of decreasing water levels. In the same period, land use in the wetland watersheds converted from agriculture to urban. Urbanization and the replacement of native Typha latifolia by the invasive hybrid Typha xglauca may have overwhelmed the beneficial impact of water-level fluctuation. The documentation of vegetation shifts, as herein, is an essential step in the process of preserving and restoring ecological integrity.     

架空乘人装置用隔爆兼本安型控制箱的研制

针对采用继电器控制方式控制架空乘人装置存在维护困难、工作效率低、安全性能差等问题,提出了一种基于PLC控制的架空乘人装置用控制箱的研制方案,介绍了该控制箱的硬件、软件设计及功能特点。该控制箱采用PLC作为控制核心、MT6070I系列触摸屏作为人机界面,实现了架空乘人装置及时停车、急停闭锁、状态及时显示、保护等功能。实际应用表明,该控制箱运行稳定,实现了全自动无人值守运行,提高了架空乘人装置的安全性和可靠性。     

高空作业平台臂架伸缩运动的横向振动特性

为了探究高空作业平台做伸缩运动时变幅平面内的横向振动动力学特性,针对臂架的实际搭接和支承情况,将臂架等效为根部铰接、中间弹性支承且带有集中参数的变截面变长度梁. 基于牛顿第二定律建立各臂段的运动微分方程,采用模态叠加法、结合边界条件求解臂架一系列时刻的瞬态振型函数,曲线拟合时变参数以近似表示梁的振型,并依据伽辽金截断方法,得到广义坐标下的状态空间方程. 在Matlab/Simulink环境下进行动态仿真,得到伸缩过程中臂架头部的变幅平面横向振动动态响应. 结果表明,就横向振动振幅而言,搭接简化会带来15.63%计算结果误差;支承简化会加大臂架整体刚度、减小臂架振动响应,不可取。     

Learning control in spatial coordinates for the path-following of autonomous vehicles

We prove the existence of a P-type (proportional-type) space-learning control, which, on the basis of a kinematic third order nonlinear model of an autonomous nonholonomic vehicle and by a proper choice of the proportional control gain, guarantees asymptotic tracking of planar curves whose uncertain curvature is L$L$-periodic in the curvilinear abscissa. The behavior of a human driver, who repetitively learns the correct action from the past experience in the space, is mathematically reproduced. A stability analysis is presented while simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented approach.     

Robust control of variable speed autonomous underwater vehicle

Set point tracking control of autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) via robust model predictive control (RMPC) is considered. Input-constrained RMPC with integral action, which has been developed in our previous work, is used to control the AUV in this study. In order to derive a RMPC control rule, non-linear dynamics of AUV with six degree of freedom is linearized at certain operating points. So, horizontal and vertical plane dynamics of system are represented by linear models which have polytopic uncertainties. Since the derived control rule will be used in real time, the computation time should be reduced. To overcome this computational time problem and get rid of trial–error step of Algorithm 1, a new algorithm is proposed here. The simulations are carried out using the control rule based on this algorithm and these results are presented.