Transporting oil products by truck has many issues, including increased accident risk, adverse environmental effects, and increased congestion in traffic. This study aims to compare trucks and trains for transporting fuel oil between intercity locations and to develop freight mode-choice models using an artificial neural network and statistical software. Freight trips collected in this study are (277) collected by a tracking device, questionnaires, and personal interviews. The data included the delivery time, average speed, quantity transported per trip, and transportation cost. According to the findings, the average speed of trucks and trains is (48.79) km/h and (24.13) km/h, respectively. This indicates that the average speed of a truck is nearly twice that of a train. Trucks and trains have average delivery times of (12.40) h and (25.92) h, respectively. This indicates that the average delivery time for a truck is half that of a train. The quantity transported each trip is (993.16) tons/trip for trains and (30.47) tons/trip for trucks. Train transportation is approximately 33 times as costly per trip as truck transportation. Transportation by train is a cheaper option than transportation by truck. Establishing an effective schedule can reduce delays at freight train intersections and during railway maintenance, potentially reducing delivery time by approximately 20 hours.
ZHANG Xiaoyu1, , MI Tongnian2, ZHONG Zhiwu 3, ZHANG Zhipeng 3, LUO Zhangjia 2, WU Shixiong 2, CHENG Xuesong 2
Problem of vibration in adjacent buildings caused by subway train operation have become increasingly prominent. For new buildings around existing lines with vibration control requirements, vibration reduction optimization design can be carried out from the perspective of building foundation forms. A scaled physical model test method is adopted, using an excitation motor to simulate the vibration load generated by subway train operation, to study the dynamic response characteristics of soil and buildings under raft foundation, box foundation, pile foundation, and composite foundation conditions. The test results show that the soil vibration response caused by subway operation generally shows a decreasing trend along the depth direction, but there is a vibration amplification zone near the ground surface. The presence of piles has a good effect on suppressing the vibration of the soil inside the foundation. Under pile foundation and composite foundation conditions, the vibration acceleration level of the soil below the building is reduced by 6.76dB and 6.47dB respectively compared with the raft foundation. When new buildings around subway lines are sensitive to vibration, the research method and results can provide a reference for subway vibration control design.
Engineering geology. Rock mechanics. Soil mechanics. Underground construction
This study investigates perception gaps among stakeholders—policy-makers, operators, users, and non-users—regarding car-sharing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing systems in Turin, Italy. Based on 628 surveys collected between November 2021 and February 2022 and analyzed using the Bayesian Best-Worst Method (BWM) multicriteria technique, it highlights key differences in prioritizing factors influencing shared mobility demand.Key Findings: For car-sharing, policy-makers overestimate the importance of trip purpose compared to both users and non-users, while undervaluing service availability. Operators undervalue trip-related factors, such as travel time and departure time, while overemphasizing user-friendliness. For bike-sharing, policy-makers overestimate travel time compared to users while undervaluing travel comfort and environmental friendliness compared to both users and non-users. Operators underestimate trip-related factors, including travel distance and trip purpose, while overemphasizing environmental friendliness, particularly compared to non-users. For scooter-sharing, policy-makers underestimate trip-related characteristics, such as travel time and departure time, while overestimating travel cost and user-friendliness compared to non-users. Operators undervalue travel comfort and service availability, while overestimating travel distance, especially compared to users.Managerial Insights: For car-sharing, policy-makers should expand service coverage and incentivize vehicle deployment, while operators should use dynamic fleet management and offer flexible booking options. For bike-sharing, policy-makers should subsidize fleet expansion and improve infrastructure, while operators should transition to free-floating models and integrate navigation tools. For scooter-sharing, policy-makers should enforce safety standards and improve accessibility, while operators should invest in high-quality scooters and adopt competitive pricing models.Bridging these perception gaps is essential for fostering shared mobility adoption and enhancing user satisfaction.
As travel costs fall with new capacity, the quantity of travel increases. This concept—induced travel—has profound implications but remains unevenly embraced in practice. Do instructors teach it in transportation engineering classrooms? What explains their pedagogical decisions? Interviews with university instructors revealed remarkable variation. Whereas some featured induced travel as a key takeaway, others omitted the idea entirely. Instructors also varied in their willingness to critique standard engineering practices; some were largely uncritical while others sought to “counteract conventional wisdom.” In justifying their choices, instructors offered a range of overlapping concerns. Those who “believed” in induced travel but did not teach it often lacked expertise in the area and were uneasy teaching “soft” concepts. Because teaching was seen as a lower priority than conducting research, instructors had little motivation to overcome those challenges. Instructors also advanced pragmatic concerns about the need to prepare students for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and their careers. Instructors who were more skeptical of induced travel wondered whether seemingly new travel was instead shifted or previously suppressed. Some of these instructors argued that even if new travel was indeed induced, engineers still had a responsibility to accommodate it. Finally, the contested language of induced travel can lead parties to talk past each other. “Believers” and “skeptics” sometimes have more in common than initially thought. However, there are still profound disagreements—about induced travel, standard engineering practices, and indeed the very purpose of engineering. In these debates it will be essential to operate from a shared vocabulary.
As technology advances, there is a growing demand for understanding the fundamental concepts of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) and their relative impact on different aspects of transportation engineering. Various transportation courses are regularly offered in civil engineering programs, including but not limited to an introduction to transportation engineering, transportation planning/modeling, highway design, transportation safety, traffic engineering, traffic simulation, and intelligent transportation systems. Instructors often face challenges in identifying critical CAV topics for these courses, making it necessary to explore critical course content related to CAVs. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify critical CAV topics for different transportation engineering courses and (2) to emphasize upcoming CAV topics crucial for a successful transition into the CAV system. To achieve these objectives, a national survey was conducted among transportation educators and practitioners. The survey was distributed with the assistance of Transportation Research Board Standing Committees to ensure broad participation. Among the 48 respondents from 33 states, faculty members who had already integrated CAV topics into their courses and practitioners were prioritized while estimating the weighted average of each topic. The findings of this research can serve as valuable resources for redesigning transportation engineering courses by incorporating CAVs. The identified high-priority CAV topics can play a crucial role in raising awareness among undergraduate and graduate students about the diversity of transportation engineering and motivating them to explore emerging CAV technologies and opportunities within the field.
As traffic demand continues to rise, the use of liquid chemical materials, such as polyurethane precursor-based reactive modifiers (PRM), to replace traditional bitumen modifiers presents a dual benefit. It not only contributes to decarbonization by reducing production temperatures and costs but also enhances pavement performance. This study aims to investigate the impact of PRM on the microstructure (comprising bee and interstitial phases) and the micromechanical response of bitumen using the finite element (FE) method. The microstructure FE models of polyurethane precursor-based reactive modified bitumen (PRMB) were developed from Atomic Force Microscopy images, and the micromechanical responses of PRMB with various PRM contents were analyzed. The findings indicate that the load-bearing capacity of the bee and interstitial phase first decreases and then increases as the PRM content increases. Meanwhile, the magnitude of von Mises stress increases with higher modifier content, with a more pronounced amplification in the bee phase compared to the interstitial phase. Furthermore, the modifications lead to a reduction in the tensile deformation ratio of bitumen. This research enhances the understanding of how PRM influence the microstructure and micromechanical properties of bitumen.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials
Sabina Puławska-Obiedowska, Aleksandra Ciastoń-Ciulkin, Mariusz Soboń
The aim of the analysis is to examine the impact of new railway stop openings within suburban railway network on changes in transport behaviors within their respective catchment areas. The study focuses on six railway stations: four located within the Kraków suburban railway network (malopolskie, Poland) and two on the Łódź suburban railway network (lodzkie, Poland). To achieve the stated objective, the spatial context and accessibility of the railway stations were examined, passenger exchange data at the stations were investigated, and surveys among passengers were conducted and analyzed. The selected railway stops were characterized in terms of their spatial location and characteristics, existing transport systems, and the level of integration with other transport modes. The study examined stations established during the development of suburban railway systems, launched at different times: concurrently with the entire railway connection launch and as densification of previously served networks. The limited number of objects included in the study does not allow for unequivocal conclusions on expected increase in transportation, but certainly, in the first two years following their launch, a monthly average increase of 4-6% can be anticipated. Research has confirmed that the most common rail passengers are former users of other means of public transport. The pattern of giving up cars in favor of the train was also confirmed. The outcomes confirm the justification for supplementing agglomeration railway systems with new stops, as this may contribute to a change in modal split. This change may not be noticeable in view of the usually considered large scale of the agglomeration, but on individual corridors in a micro scale it may have a very positive impact on the traffic situation and change the quality of travel. Results can be used to forecast changes in travel behaviors for planned railway stations and to determine their potential benefits.
Study region: Lower Yangtze River alluvial plain, China. Study focus: The uneven subsidence caused by dewatering in underground engineering constructions in densely populated areas of alluvial plains with an unevenly distributed medium has caused increased concerns. This study applied the transition probability geostatistical software (T-PROGS) geostatistical models based on data from 31 boreholes to characterize a three-dimensional (3D) heterogeneous aquifer (8.8×105 m2 in area and 56 m in depth) in an underground construction area in the alluvial plain of the lower Yangtze River. The SUB model was constructed to simulate the pumping-induced subsidence processes based on a reliable MODFLOW transit flow model. New hydrological insights: The simulation results indicated that surface subsidence increased with pumping and reached a maximum of 33 mm by the end of the extraction (the 14th day). Surface subsidence development exhibited spatial anisotropy around the pumping center, consistent with the observations. Furthermore, the proposed model indicates that hydraulic head evolution and soil compressibility distributions significantly influence the spatial–temporal development of subsidence, implying the significance of the aquifer heterogeneity. The compressible soft soil overlying the pumping section was identified as a vulnerable subsidence zone, suggesting its significance for engineering geological surveys and dewatering designs in underground construction in alluvial plains.
Abstract With the development of automated vehicles, researches related to automated vehicle platoon (AVP) have received more and more attention. AVP is considered one of the effective means to alleviate traffic congestion and reduce vehicle energy consumption. This paper studies a three‐layer method of avoiding obstacle vehicles in traffic by switching the formation for the automated heavy vehicle platoon. In the decision‐making layer, a decision‐making system based on the finite‐state machine is established for formation switching. In the second layer, the lane‐changing trajectory is optimized based on the quantic polynomial curve fitting for vehicles that need to change lanes. In terms of vehicle control layer, each vehicle has a longitudinal controller based on sliding mode control and a lateral controller based on model predictive control to track the planned trajectory to complete the target formation. Finally, the proposed method is simulated in MATLAB/TruckSim. The simulation results show that the proposed method could effectively avoid the obstacle vehicles by switching the formation and has a small average value of errors in speed tracking and trajectory tracking.
Due to the challenging military situation in Ukraine, the demand for tailored and flexible pedal control systems for individuals with physical disabilities is especially important. Standard pedal configurations often fail to meet the specific needs of drivers with limited mobility, making vehicle operation both difficult and potentially unsafe. The development of specialized manual control devices, such as hand-operated pedals or adjustable foot controls, is crucial for ensuring that these drivers can manage their vehicles with accuracy and safety. Such innovations not only improve accessibility but also foster greater autonomy and inclusion, empowering disabled drivers to navigate the roads with confidence and ease.
This article aims to review existing prototypes of manual control mechanisms for vehicle pedals and to develop an improved device that enables simultaneous control of three pedals – accelerator, brake, and clutch – with one hand. As a result of a patent review of several existing prototypes of control mechanisms, it was concluded that the vast majority of them provide control for only two pedals – the accelerator and brake. This means they can only be used in motor vehicles with automatic transmissions or electric cars. Only a few mechanisms were designed to control three pedals, but they required using both the driver’s hands, directly affecting driving safety. Therefore, improving existing designs of the mechanisms for controlling three pedals by transferring all control functions to one hand of a driver remains relevant.
The research methodology involves the use of classical methods from the theory of mechanisms and machines to conduct the structural synthesis of an improved multi-link hinge-lever mechanism and its kinematic analysis, aimed at determining the main parameters of pedals’ movements in a vehicle under various control inputs from the driver’s hand. The results obtained can be utilized by researchers and engineers to enhance manual control mechanisms for vehicle pedals and in the practical implementation processes. The prospects for future research on this topic are in developing an experimental prototype of the control mechanism and its testing and adjustment for different vehicle modifications to improve running smoothness and driving comfort and safety.
In urban areas, traffic density is seen due to the congested residential areas and the high number of vehicles. The problem of drivers searching for parking spaces in central areas creates traffic. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology offers important solutions with its networking feature to solve problems such as traffic congestion, road safety and inefficient use of parking areas, which are waiting for solutions within the scope of Intelligent Transportation Systems. In this study, the technological infrastructures used by IoT-based smart parking systems are examined and integrated building models are proposed for system designs where parking lots are managed. For smart park design, devices, networks and cloud architecture used in IoT-based systems were examined and requirements were determined. The criteria of an application based on design central management are given. The criteria of an application based on design center management are given. Thanks to the smart parking system to be created in the light of these criteria, the closest parking area will be determined. These designed IoT-based systems will contribute to the reduction of traffic congestion, loss of time in full parking areas, air pollution caused by stop and start vehicles, and fuel savings in the economic field.
Purpose. The main objective of this study is to assess the phenomena that affect the parameters of power quality, to consider ways to counteract the deterioration of power quality, to assess the effect of electromagnetic interference on the human body, and to review the available devices for measuring the parameters of electric energy. Methodology. To obtain relevant data, the authors conducted a literature review on the topic of the work using full-text and abstract databases. The main causes of electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) violations and ways to counteract these violations are considered. The main parameters of electricity quality, conditions for their measurement and permissible ranges according to the State Standards of Ukraine (SSU) are highlighted. A review of devices for measuring the parameters of electricity quality and the search for a suitable one that meets Ukrainian standards was carried out. Findings. The authors have proved: 1) the problem of measuring electricity quality parameters is relevant and important for its accurate accounting; 2) control of electricity quality parameters and compliance with state standards allows avoiding negative impact on the electricity supply system; 3) the use of modern digital measuring devices provides greater measurement accuracy than analog ones, and they are able to take into account more parameters in one measurement. Originality. The authors conducted a study in the field of electromagnetic compatibility in the field of electromagnetic compatibility using a digital device that gives more accurate and reliable results of power quality parameters. Practical value. Based on the results obtained, it is possible both to correct the personal research of individual scientists or teams of scientists and to predict further prospects for the development of the subject area «Electromagnetic Compatibility» in traction power supply systems in railway transport. The research can also be useful in the study of the disciplines «Electromagnetic Compatibility of Railway Automation Systems» and «Electrical Circuits and Lines of Railway Automation», organization of scientific and practical seminars, advanced training courses, etc.
Autonomous Vehicles are expected to change the future of worldwide transportation system. As self-driving cars are facing a lot of engineering challenges, it is one of the hottest topics in recent research. One such challenge is to build models to predict the movements of traffic agents such as cars, cyclists, pedestrians etc around the self-driving cars. The objective of this paper is to analyse the prediction efficiency of various deep learning models by calculating root mean square error score. This deep learning models takes a current state of the surrounding and depending on that predict the motion for the agents.
The physical and mechanical properties of rocks can be reduced significantly by an acidic environment, resulting in engineering weaknesses, such as building foundation instability, landslides, etc. In order to investigate the mechanical properties of rocks after hydrochemical erosion, a chemical damage constitutive model was established and used to analyze chemical damage variables and energy transformation. It is assumed that the strength of the rock elements obeyed Weibull distribution, considering the nonuniformity of rock. The chemical damage variable was proposed according to the load-bearing volume changes in the rock under water–rock chemical interactions. The chemical damage constitutive model was derived from coupling the mechanical damage under the external load and the chemical damage under hydrochemical erosion. In order to verify the accuracy of the model, semi-immersion experiments and uniaxial compression experiments of black sandy dolomite were carried out with different iron ion concentrations. Compared with the experimental data, the chemical damage constitutive model proposed could predict the stress–strain relationship reasonably well after water–rock interaction. The effects of water–rock interaction on the rock were a decrease in peak stress and an increase in peak strain. The peak strain increased by 4.96–29.58%, and the deterioration rate of peak strength was 0.19–4.18%. The energy transformation of the deterioration process was analyzed, and the results showed that the decrease in releasable elastic energy, <i>U</i><sub>e</sub>, is converted into dissipated energy, <i>U</i><sub>d</sub>, after hydrochemical erosion.
Abstract The cruiser Eastern Star accident is a catastrophic accident in water transportation industry. The accident has originated from both natural and human-induced causes. This type of complex causation constitutes a pervasive threat to a broader range of water transport activities. The present paper offers an in-depth reflection on the Eastern Star accident through analysis by conventional methods. The first objective is to identify issues in the water transport system. A comparative study is performed to find how the different methods can help to improve safety in unexpected or unknown disruptions of the water transport system, steering towards the concept of resilience as more pertinent from the perspective of safety engineering. Difficulties and challenges in the current paradigms of risk and resilience are delineated at both the operational and theoretical levels, with respect to the specificities of water transport. To articulate the relationship between resilience and risk assessment, this paper proposes a resilience-modulated risk model for integration in the practice of water transport.
The aim of this chapter is to research and fundamentally evaluate counterfeit shrewd frameworks to recognize for outperforming human insight in the flights and its conceivable ramifications. How artificial intelligence (AI) makes current airship framework incorporates an assortment of programmed control framework that guides the flight team in route, flight administration and enlarging the security qualities of the plane, and how building aircraft engine diagnostics ontology, air traffic management, and constraint programming (CP) is useful in ATM setting. How flight security can be enhanced through the advancement and usage of mining, utilizing its outcomes and knowledge-based engineering (KBE) approach in an all-encompassing methodology for use in airship reasonable outline, is discussed. The early recognizable proof and finding of mistakes, the study of huge information and its effect on the transportation business and enhanced transit system, the agent-based mobile airline search, and booking framework using AI are shown.