High-speed Highways Research Articles

Research of the Key Control Parameters Standard for Shield Tunnel Under-Crossing High Speed Railway

This paper takes a new shield tunnel as the research object, which intends to cross a section of a high speed railway. Based on design specifications and the existing monitoring data to analyze the change rule of track irregularities, this article proposes the control of wavelength and relevant amplitude in the above case, following the design specifications and long-wave irregularity management demands of high-speed highway. And the controlling values of wavelength and amplitude required are presented with the outcome of the range of the settlement trough, drawn out of the under-crossing process. And it also uses large-scale non-linear finite element analysis software to simulate the high speed railway track deformation in actual constructions, to test whether the deformation meet the requirements of the control standards and deformation law. The results can provide reference for the construction measure when shield tunnel under crosses the high speed railway in the future.

Study for improvement of grounds subjected to cyclic loads

Due to rapid industrialisation, large scale infrastructure development is taking place worldwide. This includes railways, high speed highways, elevated roads etc. To meet the demands of society and industry, many innovative techniques and materials are being developed. In developed nations like USA, Japan etc. for railways applications, new material like geocells, geogrids are being used successfully to enable fast movement of vehicles. The present research work was aimed to develop design methodologies for improvement of grounds subjected to cyclic loads caused by moving vehicles on roads, rail tracks etc. Deformation behavior of ballast under static and cyclic load tests was studied based on square footing test. The paper presents a study of the effect of geo-synthetic reinforcement on the (cumulative) plastic settlement, of point loaded square footing on a thick layer of granular base overlying different compressible bases. The research findings showed that inclusion of geo-synthetics significantly improves the performance of ballasted tracks and reduces the foundation area. If the area is kept same, higher speed trains can be allowed to pass through the same track with insertion of geosynthetics. Similarly, area of machine foundation may also be reduced where geosynthetics is provided in foundation. The model tests results have been validated by numerical modeling, using <TEX>$FLAC^{3D}$</TEX>.

The Case of NRENs in Central Asia.

National Research and Education Network organizations (NRENs) provide advanced information and communication technology (ICT) services for the academic community of their country. Their focus is often on providing affordable high speed bandwidth amongst their members and to other research networks, but NRENs also provide other advanced services such as electronic repositories, educational environments and supercomputing facilities.Higher Education and Research institutions have to play an active role in the transformation to the “Knowledge Society”. A recent (2010) report of the International Telecommunication Union has identified NRENs as important vehicles in reaching the goals of the World Summit of the Information Society.It is also demonstrated that the Central Asian countries score very low in the Networked Readiness Indices of the World Economic Forum, including areas where strong NRENs could improve the status quo. NRENs therefore have a role that is also important for the nation itself and therefore claims for government support are legitimate.About 62% of the countries of the world already have an NREN and there are four characteristics that are common to these NRENs. In nearly all of the cases the NREN is a not-for-profit organization that not only serves the academic community, but is also owned by the same community.Four out of five Central Asian countries have an active NREN and these NRENs all participate in the EC funded CAREN project that aims to set up a sustainable regional network for the academic communities in the participating countries. Today, the Central Asian Research and Education Network (CAREN) is upgrading the ancient Silk Road to a 21st-century high-speed internet highway for research and educational institutions through the region. Operational since July 2010, CAREN currently interconnects scientists and students from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

Combining subjective and objective assessments to improve acoustic comfort evaluation of motor cars

A study leading to the establishment of the acoustic comfort index in motor cars is described. Five new light to medium hatch cars of different makes have been tested for two different conditions: public roads, and restricted test roads. Additional tests have also been carried inside an acoustic chamber using a roll dynamometer. Both subjective (jury) and objective with instrumental measurement have been carried out for the public road procedure, which involved three different road conditions, namely: high-speed highways, city centre roads and small gravel covered roads. Testing in the restricted circuit only involved objective measurements for two road conditions which were rough asphalt and smooth asphalt surfaces, where standard tests of speed and acceleration have been carried out. The universe of testers was composed of experienced drivers, all having some kind of experience in car engineering the remainder being NVH experts. They were asked to rank each car and provide a brief technical description of what they could hear during the test. The results were then compared with the measurements and treated using Statistics, in order to establish a series of comfort indexes, which have been developed and presented for each test condition. The idea was not only to establish a comfort index equation, but also mainly to provide alternatives to what is usually an expensive and time consuming procedure. It has been found that standard testing in closed test roads is able to characterise the comfort index, provided that the test conditions are well controlled. However further testing is still needed to improve these conditions so that the quality of results is compared with those obtained in the more usual way.

Lateral Placement of Motor Vehicles When Passing Bicyclists

This study assessed the lateral placement of motor vehicles as they passed bicyclists, with a focus on the influence of centerline rumble strips. Driver behavioral data were collected through field studies on two segments of a high-speed (55-mph speed limit) rural two-lane highway. The study segments were similar for key traffic and geometric characteristics, but only one of the segments had centerline rumble strips. The segments were located close to one another; this feature ensured a relatively uniform sample of drivers and bicyclists. Centerline rumble strips were found to decrease the likelihood of a motor vehicle driving onto the center line. However, this decrease in the probability of centerline encroachment was less pronounced in comparison with similar data collected in the absence of bicyclists; this increased probability of encroachment suggests a compensatory effect. Drivers were also more likely to contact or cross over the centerline when bicyclists were nearer to the travel lane. The type of motor vehicle also played a role in that motorcycles and passenger cars were less likely to contact the centerline, and the presence of opposing traffic was found to reduce the likelihood of contact with the centerline.

DEFINITION OF THE PRIORITY VARIANT OF THE HIGH-SPEEDHIGHWAYS ON THE BASIS OF THE ESTIMATION OF NOISE PROTECTION EFFICIENCY

The analysis of dynamics of an acoustic situation in Samara and its forming factors are presented. The forecast for the further development of an acoustic situation is made and directions on its improvement are offered. The estimation of noise protection efficiency depending on a place of placing of protections and a preferable variant of a high-speed highway on the basis of efficiency of protection of the population from noise, and as economic feasibility is resulted.

Reduced-Conflict Intersection

The selection of the appropriate geometry and traffic control for intersections on high-speed arterial highways often requires balancing increased highway user costs with attempts to control construction costs. Providing a safe design that is cost-effective is always a primary consideration in deciding on a solution. Another issue is that one form of intersection and traffic control may be optimal during peak traffic times on an average day but may not have sufficient capacity for extreme peak times such as those for events or on recreational routes. Alternatively, those same controls can cause needless delay when traffic is lighter. Examples include traffic signals that operate 24 h/day and roundabouts that require all traffic to slow dramatically, regardless of the amount of conflicting traffic. This study presents a group of new alternative intersection designs designated as reduced-conflict intersections. This study describes those designs and their associated traffic control, which consists of a demand-based traffic signal system. This study then presents the results of a comparative analysis of this new type of intersection along with other designs, including a conventional intersection with signal control, two forms of roundabouts, and the super street intersection. The results of the study show that the reduced-conflict intersection may be an effective addition to the toolbox of intersection designs.

A Comparative Analysis of Fuel Economy and Emissions Between a Conventional HEV and the UTS PHEV

Unlike conventional hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), the novel powertrain configuration of the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) plug-in HEV (PHEV) contains only one electric machine, which functions as either an electric motor or a generator in different time intervals specified by a special energy management strategy (EMS). This paper presents a comparative analysis of the fuel economy and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions between a conventional HEV and the UTS PHEV, which includes vehicle modeling, EMS development, and a simulation model of the conventional HEV, which is embedded in the advanced vehicle simulator, and the UTS PHEV simulation code. The fuel economy and the emissions, such as hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, are computed, analyzed, and compared for the two standard drive cycles, i.e., 1) the high-speed highway drive cycle and 2) the low-speed city drive cycle, proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and their combination.

Commentary: Pedestrians: Truly Vulnerable Road Users

Commentary: Pedestrians: Truly Vulnerable Road Users

A Bridge in Flight

An extradosed bridge in Japan not only carries a high-speed highway across a steep canyon but also stands as a work of art that blends with its natural surroundings and embodies cultural symbols important to the nearby community.

Crash Analysis of Roundabouts at High-Speed Rural Intersections

Federal, state, and local agencies have identified increased intersection safety as an achievable objective in their campaigns for safer highways. Roundabouts could reduce the number of fatal and severe crashes. Roundabouts have been successful in Europe and Australia in both urban and rural environments for decades. The documented safety benefits associated with roundabouts address numerous concerns surrounding injury crashes at intersections; however, applications of roundabouts on two-lane, high-speed (40+ mph) rural highways have not been explored to the extent that urban roundabouts have in the United States. This research conducted a safety analysis of 17 intersections on high-speed rural roadways in the United States that were converted to roundabouts. The findings show the average injury crash frequency was reduced by 84%, average injury crash rate was reduced by 89%, angle crashes were reduced by 86%, and fatal crashes were reduced by 100%.

Use of Physical Devices for Calming Traffic along Major Roads through Small Rural Communities in Iowa

Many rural communities have developed around highways or major county roads. As a result, the main street through small rural communities is often part of a high-speed rural highway. Highways and county roads are characterized by high speeds outside the city limits and then transition into a reduced-speed section through the rural community. Consequently, drivers passing through the community may enter at high speeds and then maintain those speeds throughout. Traffic calming in small rural communities along major roadways is common in Europe, but the United States does not have experience with applying traffic calming outside of major urban areas. Seven different low-cost traffic treatments were implemented and evaluated in five rural Iowa communities. Two of the treatments physically affected the roadway cross-section. A speed table was placed along the major road (County Highway E-23) in Gilbert, Iowa, and longitudinal channelizers were used to create a center island narrowing along County Highway R-38 in Slater, Iowa. Before and after speed studies were conducted. Speed studies were conducted at 1, 3, 9, and 12 months after installation of the treatments to evaluate their effectiveness over time. Both treatments successfully reduced mean speed, 85th percentile speed, and fraction of vehicles traveling 5, 10, 15, and 20 mph over the posted speed limit; reductions were sustained over time.

Improving connectivity in vehicular ad hoc networks: An analytical study

Connectivity in vehicular ad hoc networks may degrade dramatically in sparse traffic and also high speed highways. In this paper we study a way to improve the connectivity by adding some extra nodes with higher transmission range which we call mobile base-stations. These nodes can also offer commercial services (e.g. advertisement, video, audio, etc.) to the vehicles on roads. Besides, the financial profit of those services also depends on a satisfactory connectivity. We use an equivalent M / G / ∞ queuing model in order to investigate the connectivity. We further take into account the case when some vehicles do not participate in the network either because they are not equipped with wireless transceivers or some other reasons like security concerns. Moreover, connectivity in presence of fixed Road Side Units (RSUs) is also studied. Our proposed analytical model can be used to find the optimum values of the number of base-stations as well as their transmission range in order to achieve a desired degree of connectivity.

Artificial Neural Network Speed Profile Model for Construction Work Zones on High-Speed Highways

Speed profile models can be used as a diagnostic tool by highway engineers. Previous work has investigated relationships between operating speed and geometric roadway elements for permanent roadway conditions on predominantly two-lane rural roads. However, little research of this type has been directed specifically toward construction work zones. In this study, a speed profile model for construction work zones on high speed highways was developed using artificial neural networks and made available for use by practitioners through a MS EXCEL interface. The model inputs include horizontal and vertical alignment variables, cross section dimensions and traffic control features. A linear reference system is used for model input and output. Three categories of vehicles—cars, trucks, and all vehicles—were used in this study. Models for the 15th percentile speed, mean speed, and 85th percentile speed were developed.

1406 シート座面反力変動による覚醒度低下検出に関する研究(OS4-2 自動車を中心に(1),OS4 ヒューマンインタフェース,TRANSLOG 2006)

The paper deals with possibility to detect the decline of driver's arousal level using reaction force of a seat. It is very useful if arousal level of the driver can be detected without his/her consciousness. At first, an experiment was conducted under monotonous driving condition at high-speed highway using a driving simulator. Vehicle behavior and vital reaction including reaction force of a seat has been measured at running condition. And it is found that arousal level of a driver has strong relationship to the reaction force of a seat. Finally, possibility to measure arousal level of a driver is shown with reaction force of a seat, pressure total area, changes in peak points and pressure distribution under observation.

AIR POLLUTION

Objective To predict the health impacts from air pollution from a big high speed highway in communities living within 1000 m of the road. Background: High speed travel, along with congestion, promotes and increases air pollution and its health risks, notably from particulates emissions from diesel vehicles. Vehicle emissions of all pollutants per vehicle-km travel increase at speeds exceeding 90 kph in Euro II petrol cars and diesel vehicles, exponentially for PM10, CO, and NOx, and arithemtically for CO2, the major greenhouse gas. ‘Predict and provide’ scenarios promote more roads and traffic. Methods We assessed future health risks from the the Trans Israel Highway and its 16 connecting roads, using exposure-effect data on thresholds for risk (Kunzli, N, Kaiser, R., Medina, S. et al. 2000. Public health impact of outdoor and traffic- related air pollution: a European assessment. Lancet 356 (9232): 795–801), observed time trends in effects on symptoms in urban school children, and exposure-effect relationships between respirable PM in schoolchildren exposed to traffic, notably diesel trucks. We took into account increases in emissions from high speed travel. Results Among approximately 202,000 residents in the corridor near the highway, the models based on the findings from the Tel Aviv area, the Netherlands study, and dose-response data suggest some1500 new cases at additional risk for asthma for each additional 10 ug/m3 of Respirable Suspended Particulates (PM10) a linear model of risk and a exposure levels of 60 ug/m3, the permissible exposure level predicts approximately 9,000 additional persons with asthma from permissible exposures. All these estimates do not take into account persons exposed to pollution from the 13–16 connecting roads. Increased travel speeds would increase these risks. Conclusions Strategies to reduce highway travel speeds-a measure targeted at road deaths-should reduce vehicular emissions and their adverse health effects and produce economic incentives for modal shifts. More trains and pollution free busses, rail shipment of heavy goods, stopping construction of new roads, specifying lower maximum speeds for vehicles-notably diesel trucks, restricting traffic in cities and shifts to other fuels are definitive strategies for arresting and reversing the adverse effects of ‘predict and provide’.

Effect of repeal of the national maximum speed limit law on occurrence of crashes, injury crashes, and fatal crashes on Utah highways

Speed limits were increased in Utah and other States after repeal of the national maximum speed limit law (NMSL) in 1995. This study analyzed effects of the increased speed limit on Utah highways on crash rates, fatality crash rates, and injury crash rates. Annual (1992–1999) rates of crashes, fatality crashes, and injury crashes for the following highway categories were calculated: urban Interstate segments (current speed limit 60–65 miles per hour (mph)); rural Interstate segments (current speed limit 70–75 mph); 55 mph rural non-Interstate highway segments; and high-speed non-Interstate highways (current speed limit 60–65 mph). Data were analyzed using autoregressive integrative moving average intervention time series analysis techniques. There were significant increases in total crash rates on urban (60–65 mph) Interstate segments (confounded by extensive ongoing highway construction on these highways), and in fatal crash rates on high-speed (60–65 mph) rural non-Interstate segments. The following variables were unaffected: total, fatality, and injury crash rates on rural Interstate segments; fatality and injury crash rates on urban Interstate segments; total and injury crash rates on high-speed non-Interstate segments. These results show an adverse effect on crash occurrence for subsets of crash types and highways, but do not show a major overall effect of NMSL repeal and increased speed limit on crash occurrence on Utah highways.

Identification of diesel exhaust particles at an Autobahn, urban and rural location using single-particle mass spectrometry

A single-particle mass spectrometer (LAMPAS-2) was operated at an Autobahn (high-speed highway with significant heavy-duty diesel traffic), an urban and a rural site in the vicinity of Aachen (Germany). The single-particle mass spectra could be classified into eight classes, representing different types of mineral particles, inorganic salt particles, and carbonaceous aerosol particles. At all three sites characteristic patterns of diesel exhaust particles with and without secondary compounds (ammonium sulfate/nitrate) were observed. The relative contribution of diesel soot to the number of 0.5 μm particles was 23% or 35% at the rural and the Autobahn site, respectively. The absolute number of diesel exhaust particles was three times larger at the Autobahn site. At the urban site the diesel exhaust particle contribution ranged from 10% to 35%, depending on the local operation of heavy-duty construction vehicles. Elemental carbon and carbonaceous particles made up the majority number of the 0.5 μm particles, and showed a decreasing percentage towards 2 μm particle size. As expected mineral-soil-derived particles showed the reverse size distribution. The data sets were also analyzed using a reference pattern obtained from exhaust particles of a light-duty diesel vehicle as a fingerprint. A similar trend of the contribution to the diesel-exhaust-like particle class was found, although the absolute numbers were somewhat different. On-line single-particle mass spectrometry proved to be a promising tool to identify individual particles if characteristic reference spectra were available.

HABITAT USE BY FEMALE BLACK BEARS IN WESTERN MARYLAND

Since receiving legal protection in 1972, Maryland's black bear (Ursus americanus Pallas) population has grown, and increased numbers of bear-human conflicts created a need for information on bears for management. Thus, we determined habitat use of female black bears in western Maryland by incorporating locations (n = 641) of 5 adult radio-collared bears into a geographical information system (GIS) to enable analyses of macro-habitat characteristics. Overall, bears selected mixed forest and wetlands, and habitat with high stream densities. Bears selected conifer stands throughout the year and residential areas during the spring-summer season. Variation in use of residential areas and habitat near streams appeared to be related to the availability of wetlands to individual bears. Bears avoided primary highways, but not other road classes, although females traveling with cubs selected habitat at lower road densities. To manage habitat for female black bears, we suggest maintaining wetlands and mixed forest habitats, enhancing understory cover in maturing deciduous forest, increasing conifer stands in areas where management for mature forest is unrealistic, and constructing wildlife underpasses on high-speed highways.

Getting to the mall: an activity for problem-solving

The note offers a general discussion of the use of complex, technology-based problems and a description of such a problem that is useful in a number of classes in which optimization is a goal, but modelling is essential. The problem demands the use of technology and permits a number of attacks. The problem is essentially to describe (mathematically) the region surrounding a shopping mall neighbourhood after a high-speed highway is put in place near the mall. The note shows how students, working in groups, attack the problem and the issues which surround their solution strategies. This problem and other problems like it have been used successfully for a number of years in courses, devoting several class periods, spread out over 2–3 weeks, coupled with activities outside of class for student development of a solution strategy. These types of problems serve to develop visualization skills, verbalization of mathematical concepts, and implementation of problem-solving notions in mathematics including optimization, curve fitting, integration, and symmetry.