Mini Van Research Articles

Driving adaptability of highway steel-concrete composite beam bridge with multiple damages: theory, technology and practice

ABSTRACT To enhance the post-disaster highway driving speed evaluation system for steel-concrete composite beam bridge (SCCBB), a human-vehicle-bridge coupled driving adaptability analysis method is proposed. This method integrates considerations of both driving safety and comfort. Numerical simulation is employed to utilize a damaged SCCBB as the engineering context for studying vehicle rollover safety, vibration acceleration limits, and driving comfort. The analysis considers various vehicle types, including sedan cars, mini vans, motor buses, and trucks, resulting in recommended speed limits for each category. The study reveals that trucks demonstrate lower susceptibility to rollover accidents compared to sedan cars, mini vans, and motor buses under constant damage grade and vehicle speed conditions. However, increased damage grade and road surface roughness elevate rollover risks and diminish driver comfort. To ensure smooth post-disaster traffic flow on SCCBB and maintain acceptable driving comfort and speed levels, it is recommended to enforce speed limits: below 60 km/h for sedan cars, below 40 km/h for mini vans and motor buses, and below 80 km/h for trucks. The primary aim of this study is to provide technical guidance for the safe operation and maintenance of post-disaster SCCBB.

MONITORING NOISE LEVELS ALONG THE GREATER CAIRO URBAN REGION RING ROAD IN EGYPT

In this study, the noise levels were monitored at Cornish EL Maadi (A), Gezirat El Dahab (B) and Al-Marioteya (C). The data revealed that the noise levels at Corniche El Maadi Street (A) and Al-Marioteya (C) (all day) as well as at Gezirat El Dahab (B) (evening) exceeded the set noise regulations in Egypt. Overall, it was the buses, private cars + taxis, mini vans and mini truck that made the main bulk of traffic passing through the ring road on weekdays. However, the study revealed that the main category of vehicles contributing towards the recorded noise levels was the miscellaneous type. This means of transportation were slow and proceeded along the right lane of the road and thus had a more measurable impact upon the recorded noise levels at the 3 monitored locations. However, the contribution from vans and mini-trucks towards the noise levels recorded was significant at Gezirat El Dahab and Al-Marioteya during Monday and Friday, respectively. Nonetheless, such contribution was not witnessed for Corniche El Maadi Street, where the miscellaneous category was a predominant noise contributing factor during both Monday and Friday.

Measurement and analysis of vibration levels for express logistics transportation in South China

Trunk transportation and terminal distribution are two important parts of express delivery in China. Heavy truck and medium truck are two main vehicles of trunk transportation. Mini van and two‐wheel electric bicycle are widely used for terminal distribution. Four vehicles mentioned previously and a sedan car were chosen for vibration level measurement and analysis in this paper. The results revealed that vibration levels were significantly higher in the vertical axis, and decreased with the increase of payload, and increased with the increase of speed again. Similar power spectral density peak frequencies were found in a comparison study with previous results in the low‐frequency region (1‐10 Hz), occurred at approximately 2 Hz in the van and sedan car and at 3 to 4 Hz in the truck and at 4 to 5 Hz in the two‐wheel electric bicycle. Except the two‐wheel electric bicycle, the second peak frequency occurred at approximately 20 to 30 Hz in the sedan car and at 10 to 20 Hz in the mini van and at 20 to 40 Hz in the heavy truck, which were also similar to the previous studies. Vibration levels of the sedan car were the lowest, and the trunk transportation vehicles (heavy truck, medium truck) were the highest. The terminal distribution vehicles (mini van, two‐wheel electric bicycle) were somewhere in the middle.

Features of serious pedestrian injuries in vehicle-to-pedestrian accidents in Japan

ABSTRACTThis study clarifies vehicle accident scenarios in which pedestrians suffer serious injuries. We investigated the characteristics of serious pedestrian injuries in accidents, using vehicle-to-pedestrian accident data for 1999 and 2009 in Japan. We focused on the main body region of seriously injured pedestrians considering different factors including the accident year, vehicle type, travel speed, and pedestrian gender and age. The results indicate that sedans, mini vans and light passenger cars tended to injure pedestrians’ legs more frequently, while box vans and light cargo vans tended to injure the head more frequently. The results also show that female pedestrians suffered hip injuries more often than male pedestrians in accidents involving sedans, mini vans, light passenger cars and light cargo vans. In accidents involving sedans, it was revealed that the head and hip were injured statistically more frequently at high vehicle travel speed than at low vehicle travel speed in all age groups.

Risks of Serious Injuries and Fatalities of Cyclists Associated with Impact Velocities of Cars in Car-Cyclist Accidents in Japan.

The main purpose of this study is to define the relationship between the car impact velocity and serious injury risk or fatality risk of cyclists. The authors investigated the risks of serious injuries and fatalities of cyclists using vehicle-cyclist accident data from the database of the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA) in Japan. The vehicle types considered are sedans, mini vans, box vans, light passenger cars and light cargo vans. The results revealed that a 10-km/h decrease in the impact velocity could reduce the severe injury risk and fatality risk for impact velocities of 40 km/h or higher. Specifically, when the impact velocity was less than or equal to 30 km/h, the serious injury risks were less than 21% and the fatality risks were less than or equal to 1% for the above listed vehicle types. Therefore, if the Collision Damage Mitigation Braking System (CDMBS) equipped vehicles can perform its functions effectively so as to reduce the impact velocities, then cyclist injuries will likely be significantly reduced. Another purpose of this study is to assess the effect of wearing a helmet for protection of the cyclist's head. Impact experiment results showed that the measured head injury criterion (HIC) with helmets are lower than that of head-form impactor without a helmet, reducing the HIC by 57%.

Finite Element Analysis and Optimization Research of Mounting Bracket of a Mini Van

Powertrain mounting bracket is a vital part in the car, its strength is more important for the vehicle lifetime, and lightweight is becoming the aim of structure design. According to the optimization design idea, a common formula of size optimization was deduced. And the structure of the mounting bracket was analyzed by using Optistruct software and the bracket in real work condition was studied. In the premise of meeting the stress, the optimal design of the bracket was finished. And the result show that the optimal design is right and reasonable, the quality of optimized bracket was reduced 37.28%, and achieved good results.

Failure Analysis of Diesel Engine Intake Valve

In this study failure analysis of a mini van diesel engine intake valve is analyzed in detail. Failure occurred at the groove of the valve. First mechanical and chemical properties of the valve are determined. After visual investigation of the fracture surface it is concluded that fracture occurred due to fatigue. Damaged valve, valve seat, cylinder block and piston surface is investigated and construed. Failure constituted 300 kilometers after the rectification of the engine. Therefore rectification and assembly steps of valve and engine parts are analyzed in detail. Considering assembly, design and working conditions of the engine, stresses occurring at the failure surface are calculated. Endurance limit and fatigue safety factor is determined. Because of high fatigue safety factor, reasons for failure are investigated and effects causing stress increase at groove of the valve are established. These effects are faulty assembly of the valve and valve seat causing a high impact effect. In conclusion effect of impact ratio on stress increase is explained.

Internal Flow and Fan Characteristics of a Cross-Flow Fan.

Since the configuration and variable flow rate characteristics of a cross-flow fan can be improved by changing the rotor length, they are increasingly used in the rear cooling units of mini vans, in wcich compact design and low noise characteristics are required. Although many studies have been carried out the flow and performance and it has been shown that the internal flow, depending on the configuration of the casing, has a large effect on the performance, the methods for predicting the performance and designing an efficient fan have not yet been established. In this work the internal flows analyzed by numerical simulation and measured by LDA (Laser Doppler Anemometer) are compared, and the results are found to agree with each other. Thus, information on improving the performance of the fan can be obtained using the numerical method presented in this work.