Adjacent Facilities Research Articles

An efficient variable neighborhood search for the Space-Free Multi-Row Facility Layout problem

The Space-Free Multi-Row Facility Layout problem (SF-MRFLP) seeks for a non-overlapping layout of departments (facilities) on a given number of rows satisfying the following constraints: no space is allowed between two adjacent facilities and the left-most department of the arrangement must have zero abscissa. The objective is to minimize the total communication cost among facilities. In this paper, a Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS) algorithm is proposed to solve this NP-Hard problem. It has practical applications in the context of the arrangement of rooms in buildings, semiconductor wafer fabrication, or flexible manufacturing systems. A thorough set of preliminary experiments is conducted to evaluate the influence of the proposed strategies and to tune the corresponding search parameters. The best variant of our algorithm is tested over a large set of 528 instances previously used in the related literature. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm improves the state-of-the-art methods, reaching all the optimal values or, alternatively, the best-known values (if the optimum is unknown) but in considerably shorter computing times. These results are further confirmed by conducting a Bayesian statistical analysis.

Damage Estimation in Masonry Buildings Based on Excavation-Induced Ground Movements

Excavation-induced ground movements and the resulting damages to adjacent structures and facilities is a source of concern for excavation projects in urban areas. The concern will be even higher if the adjacent structure is old or has low strength parameters like masonry building. Frame distortion and crack generation are predictors of building damage resulted from excavation-induced ground movements, which pose challenges to projects involving excavations. This study is aimed to investigate the relation between excavation-induced ground movements and damage probability of buildings in excavation affected distance. The main focus of this paper is on masonry buildings and excavations stabilized using soil nail wall method. To achieve this purpose, 21 masonry buildings adjacent to 12 excavation projects were studied. Parametric studies were performed by developing 3D FE models of brick walls and excavations stabilized using soil nail wall. Finally, probability evaluations were conducted to analyze the outputs obtained from case studies. Based on the obtained results, simple charts were established to estimate the damage of masonry structures in excavation affected distance with two key parameters including “Displacement Ratio” and “Normalized Distance”. The results also highlight the effects of building distance from excavation wall on its damage probability.

An empirical model for characterizing 3D deformation at the face of shield tunnel in soft clay

Accurate estimation of potential ground movement due to tunnelling is fundamental for safety evaluation of adjacent facilities. Gap parameter is a simple but important parameter widely used for predicting ground loss of tunnelling. The existing estimation method for u*3D, a gap parameter component induced by 3D deformation at tunnel face, tends to show several aspects of limitations owing to some oversimplified assumptions. In this study, the improved numerical model is first established to study the characteristics of 3D deformation at tunnel face. Then, the impacts of 4 key parameters relevant to tunnelling on the horizontal intrusive displacement at tunnel face are discussed extensively. Finally, an empirical model for characterizing the 3D deformation at tunnel face is developed and verified by comparing to the numerical modelling results. It is shown that the proposed empirical model is able to predict the 3D deformation at tunnel face reasonably. This empirical model can be further utilized to estimate the magnitude of u*3D.

Abstract P184: Effect of Acute Stroke Care Hospital Networks in Korea

Purpose: Stroke patients generally transport stroke patients either to nearest stroke hospital with secondary transfers or to hub hospitals in selective cases. This study aimed to determine the stroke community of close networks and to evaluate their role for the access the endovascular treatment (EVT). Methods: Using the nationwide acute stroke hospital (ASH) surveillance data assessed the major quality indicators of all stroke patients of South Korea, triage information both initial visit and secondary interhospital transfers were extracted according to the hospitals. Based on them, stroke community with dense linkages were partitioned using the network-based Louvain algorithm. The hierarchical model estimated the function of stroke community for the EVT. Results: For 6-month surveying period, 19113 subjects admitted to the 246 ASHs. Of them, 1831 (9.6%) were transferred from 763 adjacent facilities not ASH, while 1283 (6.7%) from the other ASHs. The algorithm determined the 113 stroke communities where composed median 7 hospitals (2 ASHs and 5 adjacent facilities) and treated about 30 subjects per month. Most of communities formed the spindle shape with higher centralization index and located within 150 Km (Figure). Stroke communities significantly affected 11% of EVT after adjustments. Conclusions: Network analysis method effectively contoured the high centralizing stroke communities and helped the functions on the EVT accessibility.

Soil movement mechanism associated with arching effect in a multi-strutted excavation in soft clay

Arching effect behind the wall in a multi-strutted excavation is a soil stress transfer process related to differences in stiffness between the well-braced soil and the underlying soil. This effect has been demonstrated by studies on soil stress transfer and lateral wall pressure in the literature. However, the soil movement mechanism associated with the arching effect is still unknown. In this study, a multi-strutted excavation in soft clay in Ningbo was closely monitored to determine the contours of the total soil movement and engineering shear strain, and these data were then used to produce a detailed interpretation of soil arching development and its influence on soil movement. It is found that plastic flow occurs behind the wall as soil arching develops to the ground surface, resulting in a large soil movement zone and a dramatic increase in ground surface settlement. The soil in the shear zone is also disturbed and verified by cone penetration tests. In addition, this study proposes that the ratio between soil volume loss due to ground surface settlement and soil volume gain due to wall deflection can be used to characterize soil arching development and its influence on soil movement. This study improves the understanding of the soil movement mechanism behind walls in multi-strutted excavations in soft clay, which is very important for protecting adjacent structures and facilities.

МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКОЕ МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ МАГНИТНОГО ВЛИЯНИЯ КОНТАКТНОЙ СЕТИ ПОСТОЯННОГО ТОКА НАПРЯЖЕНИЕМ 3 И 24 КВ НА СМЕЖНЫЕ КОММУНИКАЦИИ СВЯЗИ

The paper analyses a magnetic influence of a direct current catenary with voltages of 3 and 24 kV on adjacent communication facilities. The authors have compared the gained results with standards of magnetic interference. The have developed a model of catenary with voltages of 3 and 24 kV in the Matlab Simulink dynamic modeling environment. With the use of the model the authors have determined parameters of all key components that it is necessary to consider at analysis of magnetic compatibility of the direct current catenary with adjacent communication facilities.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ СПРИЙНЯТТЯ МІСЬКИХ ТОРГІВЕЛЬНО- ГРОМАДСЬКИХ ЦЕНТРІВ МЕШКАНЦЯМИ ХАРКОВА (РЕЗУЛЬТАТИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ)

Modern shopping centers are large multifunctional buildings with complex internal structure. Their impact on the urban environment and its processes is significant. Sociological research enables more accurate positioning of the social and cultural content of the building for the groups of its intended visitors. Recent research in the field of the design of shopping centers (Beyard, 2006) advises architects to pay special attention to measures allowing the involvement of the urban population in determining the qualities of a planned building, which should be aimed to become a part of local urban life. Sociological surveys are often used to analyze the qualities of shopping centers (Teller, 2008; Teller and Elms, 2012; Stillerman and Salcedo, 2012). The article is dedicated to an online survey of visitors to five shopping centers in Kharkiv, in order to determine their motives, circumstances and length of visit, as well as factors important for their perception and patronage of shopping centers in general terms. The results of the online survey indicate respondents’ interest in different qualities of shopping centers as well as opportunities not implemented in their solutions. Among them is the use of planning structure with a mix of enclosed and open green spaces, creation of buffer spaces, a more expressive, unique architectural image that involves regional specifics and narratives. Respondents' answers indicate the relevance of the interpretation of a shopping center as part of the urban environment, designed as an element of a common system of adjacent public facilities. Exclusion from the urban environment can be understood as one of the reasons for the low attendance of shopping center "Magelan", demonstrated in the survey. The noted difference in the ways of using shopping centers supports the need for differentiation of their types, which has not yet been implemented in Kharkiv.

Research on the Fusion of Power Grid Data and Urban Facilities Data

The three-dimensional design of power grid infrastructures needs to consider their adjacent urban facilities, including industrial and civil buildings and tunnels, roads, pipelines, and etc. Therefore, in order to realize the integration of the three-dimensional design model of the power grid and the BIM model of those urban infrastructures, this paper attempts to establish the information model classification and coding method to unify the representation methodology of concepts and technologies of multi-industry infrastructures. The developed data format conversion method and data lightweighting method can be utilized to better integrate the three-dimensional design results of the power grid project with the BIM data of the urban infrastructures, and then these digitalized results of the multi-industry facilities can be used to improve the life-cycle management of the power grid engineering projects.

Petri net simulation of multi-department emergency response to avert domino effects in chemical industry accidents

Emergency response plays an important role in preventing or delaying the domino effect of chemical accidents. Requirements for emergency response to a major accident may exceed the capacity of the emergency department within the region of responsibility for the accident, in which case multi-department emergency response is necessary. In this work, modeling problems related to the arrival of emergency teams at different times in multi-department emergency response are discussed. These problems will dynamically influence the time to failure of adjacent facilities in the event of a fire. A timed colored hybrid Petri-net (TCHPN) approach is proposed to solve these problems and analyze multi-department emergency response processes. An example of responding to a tank fire illustrates the proposed approach. An emergency response process is simulated, and probabilities of fire escalation prevention under different fire levels are analyzed.

Methodology of Estimation of Fire Separation Distances between Construction Facilities by Calculation

Based on analysis of appropriate literary sources we established that estimation of fire separation distances was based of two criteria: heat flux and temperature. We proposed to use “ignition temperature of materials” as principal criterion when determining fire separation distances between adjacent construction facilities. Based on the results derived while performing complete factorial we created mathematical model to describe trend of changing fire separation distances depending on caloric power of fire load (Q), openings factor of the external enclosing structures (k) and duration of irradiation (t); moreover, its adequacy was confirmed. Based on linear regression equations we substantiated calculation and tabular method for the determination of fire separation distances for a facility being irradiated which contains combustible or otherwise non-combustible façade and a facility where liquid oil products turn. We developed and proposed general methodology for estimation of fire separation distances between construction facilities by calculation.

Safety analysis of an offshore platform for leakage and deflagration accidents from adjacent oil and gas storage and transportation units

ABSTRACT Recently, safety protection research on the risk of flammable gas leakage and deflagration between adjacent offshore facilities is easy to be ignored and the fire and explosion accidents are also harmful to interactive operations, causing great injury to personnel and damage to structures. In this paper, safety analysis of a flammable gas leakage and deflagration disaster is carried out on an FPSO and the semisubmersible support platform connected to it side by side. The diffusion mechanism of the flammable gas between adjacent facilities is explored with CFD method. The integrated consequences assessment of indirect deflagration determines the accident characteristics of the leaking facilities under different scenarios, which support the continuous leakage under fire and explosion disasters. An engineering reference is provided for the design of safe docking between offshore support platforms and oil and gas production, storage and transportation facilities and adjacent support facilities.

The criteria of estimating risks of spreading fire to adjacent building facilities

The choice of heat flux receiver is justified in order to investigate the danger of spreading fire to adjacent building objects by the criterion of heat flux for measuring the heat flux density. It is suggested to use the heat flow receiver FOA-013-01. A technique was developed and experimental studies were conducted to determine the heat flux density acting on the elements of adjacent building sites. Measurements of heat flux values were performed by FOA 013-01 heat detectors, which were installed at distances of 2 m, 4 m and 6 m from the fire torch at a height of 1 m. The obtained heat flux density is, on average, for a distance of 2 m - 6.5 kW/m2, for distances of 4 m and 6 m - 1 kW/m2. Such data indicate a significant variability in the heat flux density over the observation period. Thus, experimental data call into question the possibility of using the “heat flux” criterion from a fire as a reliable criterion for evaluating the risk of fire spreading between adjacent building facilities. It has been suggested that the temperature criterion should be the basis for determining fire distance.

A hybrid optimization approach for unequal-sized dynamic facility layout problems under fuzzy random demands

Dynamic facility layout problems involve devising the optimal layout for each different production period. This article studies unequal-area dynamic facility layout problems under fuzzy random environment to minimize the sum of the material handling costs and rearrangement costs. For a more general situation, a novel model of unequal-area dynamic facility layout problems is proposed on the basis of fuzzy random theory, in which uncertain demands are characterized by fuzzy random variables. Unequal-area dynamic facility layout problems are one of the non-deterministic polynomial-time hard problems. Therefore, a hybrid particle swarm optimization and simulated annealing algorithm is innovated to solve the proposed unequal-area dynamic facility layout problems model under fuzzy random environment, in which the shapes and areas of facilities are changed dynamically. Two facility-swapping methods and two local search methods help hybrid algorithm escape from local optima, allowing a more reliable solution. Moreover, a new shifting method is developed to prevent the spatial overlapping between adjacent facilities and save material handling costs. The performance of the hybrid algorithm is confirmed by some test problems available. Finally, the proposed method is extended to a facility layout planning of a new aircraft assembly shop floor. Computational results show that the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed method, in sharp comparison with other approaches.

Usability evaluation of detectable warning surfaces in Quebec City (Canada): an exploratory study

Background International standards govern the installation of detectable warning surfaces in urban environments. However, the application of these standards at the local level poses many challenges due to contextual differences. Methods The aim of this qualitative cross-sectional study was to evaluate the usability of detectable warning surfaces installed in Quebec City (Canada) with people with visual impairments. Nineteen participants with various profiles visited two sites where the detectable warning surfaces had been installed. They tested the surfaces as well as adjacent urban facilities following a pedestrian route. They were then interviewed about what they thought of the detectable warning surfaces: their usefulness, messages transmitted, locations chosen, how safe they make users feel, types of environment in which they should be installed, how detectable they are, their advantages and disadvantages, and any desired improvements. Results Generally, the participants understood the messages transmitted by the warning surfaces and were in favor of their installation. They identified some disadvantages and suggested various improvements. Conclusions The results of this study provide important information concerning the usability of detectable warning surfaces for partners and stakeholders in Quebec City and also contribute to the international literature in this field. Implications for rehabilitation Detectable warning surfaces increase the readability or use of road infrastructures by people with visual impairments. They make it easier for them to get around independently. This project supports the importance of establishing an effective communication plan, particularly with the aim of clarifying the contexts of implantation and the messages transmitted by the detectable warning surfaces to the people with visual impairments. Training could systematically be offered to them by an orientation and mobility specialist. It is also important to inform and educate the general public and bus drivers about the presence of detectable warning surfaces. Information could be transmitted via some community organizations and the public transit networks. In order to effectively coordinate the implantation process of detectable warning surfaces, communication and consultation between the various stakeholders are essential, including the designers, the municipalities and the concerned government authorities.

A decomposition-based algorithm for the double row layout problem

The double row layout problem (DRLP) is a common pattern of facility layout problem, which has practical applications in flexible manufacturing systems. The double row layout problem is vital to save transportation cost and enhance productivity. Nevertheless, it is very hard to handle the DRLP because of its characteristic of combination of combinatorial and continuous aspects. In this paper, a decomposition-based algorithm is proposed to solve the DRLP. We decompose the DRLP into two subproblems. In the first subproblem, the adjustable clearances between adjacent facilities are temporarily ignored. A first improvement based local search is applied to optimize the sequences of facilities on double rows. During this process, the facilities of double rows are placed starting at different abscissas rather than starting at the same abscissa for each arrangement. A property of the objective function of the DRLP is used to obtain the optimal difference between two starting abscissas. In the second subproblem, a particle swarm optimization is applied to optimize the adjustable clearances between adjacent facilities under the condition that the sequences of facilities are fixed. Our proposed algorithm is evaluated on 59 test instances and compared with the state-of-the-art methods. The experimental results demonstrate the high competitiveness of our proposed algorithm.

Online facility assignment

We consider the online facility assignment problem, with a set of facilities F of equal capacity l in metric space and customers arriving one by one in an online manner. We must assign customer ci to facility fj before the next customer ci+1 arrives. The cost of this assignment is the distance between ci and fj. The total number of customers is at most |F|l and each customer must be assigned to a facility. The objective is to minimize the sum of all assignment costs. We first consider the case where facilities are placed on a line so that the distance between adjacent facilities is the same and customers appear anywhere on the line. We describe a greedy algorithm with competitive ratio 4|F| and another one with competitive ratio |F|. We also consider a slightly more general situation where different facilities may have different capacities. Finally, we study a variant of the online facility assignment problem in which the facilities are placed on the vertices of a graph and present two algorithms for that setting.

Settlement and Vertical Load Transfer in Column-Supported Embankments

Column-supported embankments (CSEs) with or without a load-transfer platform (LTP) can reduce settlements, improve stability, and prevent damage to adjacent facilities when embankments are constructed on ground that would otherwise be too weak or compressible to support the new load. CSEs function by transferring the embankment load to the columns through stress redistribution above and below the foundation subgrade level. Mobilization of load-transfer mechanisms to the columns requires differential settlement at the base of the embankment between the stiff columns and foundation soils. This paper presents the load-displacement compatibility (LDC) analysis method, which estimates the transfer of vertical loads by (1) arching within the embankment fill, (2) the vertical component of tension developed in the geosynthetic reinforcement within the LTP, and (3) negative skin friction acting along the column. The LDC method incorporates the vertical displacements that accompany load transfer by considering nonlinear consolidation of the soft foundation soil, elastic compression of the columns, out-of-plane deformation of geosynthetic layers, and settlement of the embankment surface in compliance with the differential settlement at the embankment base. This paper also presents recommendations for estimating the critical height of the embankment, which is the minimum embankment height above the columns to avoid poor ride quality resulting from differential settlement at the surface of the embankment produced by differential settlements at the base of the embankment. Estimates of load transfer and reinforcement strain using the LDC method are compared to measurements from 15 full-scale embankments.

Extracting Vehicle Trajectories Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Congested Traffic Conditions

Obtaining the trajectories of all vehicles in congested traffic is essential for analyzing traffic dynamics. To conduct an effective analysis using trajectory data, a framework is needed to efficiently and accurately extract the data. Unfortunately, obtaining accurate trajectories in congested traffic is challenging due to false detections and tracking errors caused by factors in the road environment, such as adjacent vehicles, shadows, road signs, and road facilities. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), with incorporating machine learning and image processing, can mitigate these difficulties by their ability to hover above the traffic. However, research is lacking regarding the extraction and evaluation of vehicle trajectories in congested traffic. In this study, we propose and compare two learning-based frameworks for detecting vehicles: the aggregated channel feature (ACF), which is based on human-made features, and the faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN), which is based on data-driven features. We extend the detection results to extract vehicle trajectories in congested traffic conditions from UAV images. To remove the errors associated with tracking vehicles, we also develop a postprocessing method based on motion constraints. Then, we conduct detailed performance analyses to confirm the feasibility of the proposed framework on a congested expressway in Korea. The results show that Faster R-CNN outperforms the ACF in images with large objects and in those with small objects if sufficient data are provided. This framework extracts the vehicle trajectories with high precision, making them available for analyzing traffic dynamics based on the training of just a small number of positive samples. The results of this study provide a practical guideline for building a framework to extract vehicles trajectories based on given conditions.

태권도원 매력도 분석을 통한 효율적 전략 탐색

Purpose: This study is to explore the important and satisfaction degree of visitors (Taekwondo instructors and university students) who visited the Taekwondowon. BR Method: For this purpose, the study analyzed attractiveness of Taekwondowon through importance-performance analysis (IPA).BR Results: The following results came from the study. First, Regarding the analyses relevant to Teakwondo instructors’ attractiveness, items which require a constant management strategy include link with adjacent tourist attractions, amenities, accommodation facilities and facilities attraction. Items which need a centralized management strategy include food, storytelling, night entertainment, ease of access, various attractions, Taekwondo experience program and diversity of events. Items which require a low-priority strategy include cultural value, Taekwondowon explanation & tour guide, symbolic characters and monuments. Items which need an over-management inhibition strategy include convenience in use of tourist information center, safety management, staff & guidance personnel kindness, price adequacy, parking spaces & facilities and cleanliness & hygiene . Second, Regarding the analyses relevant to university students’ attractiveness, items which require a constant management strategy include link between adjacent tourist attractions, amenities, price adequacy and facilities attraction. Items which need a centralized management strategy include food, night entertainment, storytelling, ease of access, symbolic characters & monuments, diversity of events, Taekwondo experience program, and various attractions. Items which require a low-priority strategy include cultural value, Taekwondowon explanation and tour guide. Items which need an over-management inhibition strategy include safety management, convenience in use of tourist information center, staff & guidance personnel kindness, accommodation facilities, parking spaces & facilities and cleanliness & hygiene.BR Conclusion: The original attraction of Taekwondowon must be changed to a place where visitors can come. And the attraction will affect visitors’ revisiting and positive word of mouth.

The role of parish churches and adjacent parish facilities in a city’s spatial structure

Czasopismo Techniczne » 2019 » Volume 6 » The role of parish churches and adjacent parish facilities in a city’s spatial structure A A A