Development of a General Use Quarter-Vehicle Test Rig

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Langdon ◽  
Steve C. Southward
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Test Rig ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Vehicle Test ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Improved Design ◽  
Vehicle Testing

This paper discusses the development of an improved design for a tire-coupled quarter-vehicle testing rig. The use of indoor-based simulation tools has become a mainstay in vehicle testing for the automotive and motorsports industries. Testing on a quarter-vehicle rig provides a cost effective means for making accurate and repeatable measurements that enables the user to perform a relatively large number of tests in a short amount of time. A review of current quarter-vehicle test platforms, both commercially available and in academic research labs, indicated that many desired functional requirements were not available. The goal of this effort was to develop a new quarter-vehicle rig with expanded capabilities that are not simultaneously present in the current state-of-the-art. The desired functional requirements are: accommodation of a wide range of actual vehicle suspension components including the tire and wheel, weight transfer due to braking and acceleration, aerodynamic forces, and vehicle roll. The test rig was constructed and tested using a Porsche 996 suspension. The suspension dynamics were characterized by fitting the parameters of a linear dynamic model to experimental response data from the rig. The design and performance of this new quarter-vehicle test rig is shown to be a cost effective solution for meeting the broad range of functional requirements.

scholarly journals Design Competition for Development of a General Purpose Fissile Package

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. K. Houghtaling ◽  
G. A. Abramczyk ◽  
D. S. Hoang ◽  
D. R. Leduc ◽  
R. N. Lutz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effective Means ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Radioactive Materials ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Design Competition ◽  
Design Requirements

In general, the design process involves envisioning and developing concepts for a component or system, combining these fractions into an integrated whole and evaluating the final design against functional requirements. A major challenge is developing components or systems to a level of maturity that permits feasibility evaluation of the integrated whole while optimizing opposing performance functions (e.g., thick for strength, but thin for heat transfer). Economic pressure often drives design concepts to conservative bases early in the process. The approach presented in this paper is a highly cost-effective means of developing alternative design solutions for given set of design requirements — in this case a radioactive materials transportation package. In response to planned phase-out of the Department of Transportation 6M specification package, an internal competition was held at the Savannah River Site to develop design proposals for the 6M replacement. Two teams were provided with design requirements, design evaluation criteria, a limited budget and short time frame to develop proposals for a General Purpose Fissile Package (GPFP). Resulting GPFP designs, while quite different, met the performance requirements, were economical, operator friendly, light weight, certifiable, and able to accommodate a wide range of radioactive materials. The methodology of an in-house design competition proved to be a very cost effective way of advancing design alternatives from design requirements to practical design proposals. Estimated fabrication costs for each of the designs are significantly less than other packages currently available for the proposed service.

A method for correcting acoustic finite-difference amplitudes for elastic effects

Geophysics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. T243-T255 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. D. Hobro ◽  
Chris H. Chapman ◽  
Johan O. A. Robertsson
Keyword(s):  
Wave Equation ◽  
Finite Difference ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
P Wave ◽  
S Waves ◽  
Velocity Models ◽  
Acoustic Simulation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Elastic Simulation

We present a new method for correcting the amplitudes of arrivals in an acoustic finite-difference simulation for elastic effects. In this method, we selectively compute an estimate of the error incurred when the acoustic wave equation is used to approximate the behavior of the elastic wave equation. This error estimate is used to generate an effective source field in a second acoustic simulation. The result of this second simulation is then applied as a correction to the original acoustic simulation. The overall cost is approximately twice that of an acoustic simulation but substantially less than the cost of an elastic simulation. Because both simulations are acoustic, no S-waves are generated, so dispersed converted waves are avoided. We tested the characteristics of the method on a simple synthetic model designed to simulate propagation through a strong acoustic impedance contrast representative of sedimentary geology. It corrected amplitudes to high accuracy for reflected arrivals over a wide range of incidence angles. We also evaluated results from simulations on more complex models that demonstrated that the method was applicable in realistic sedimentary models containing a wide range of seismic contrasts. However, its accuracy was reduced for wide-angle reflections from very high impedance contrasts such as a shallow top-salt interface. We examined the influence of modeling at coarse grid resolutions, in which converted S-waves in the equivalent elastic simulation are dispersed. These results provide some validation for the accuracy of the method when applied using finite-difference grids designed for acoustic modeling. The method appears to offer a cost-effective means of modeling elastic amplitudes for P-wave arrivals in a useful range of velocity models. It has several potential applications in imaging and inversion.

Magnetic Properties of Some Hydrated Transition Metal Oxide and Hydroxide Nanoparticles Synthesized in Different Media

2010 ◽  
Vol 123-125 ◽  
pp. 727-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz A. Bagabas ◽  
Khalil A. Ziq ◽  
Ahmad F. Salem ◽  
Emad S. Addurihem
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Transition Metal ◽  
Room Temperature ◽  
Permanent Magnets ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Precipitation Method ◽  
Energy Product ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Precipitation Medium ◽  
And Performance

Nanoscale particle size of metal oxides and hydroxides showed enhanced various physical properties and performance. We established a simple, cost-effective, room-temperature (RT) precipitation method for the preparation of the magnetic, first-raw transition metal (TM) hydrated oxide and hydroxide nanoparticles. This method is based on the use of the TM nitrate, as the metal source, and cyclohexylamine (CHA), as a precipitating agent, either in the water (H2O) or ethanol (EtOH) medium. We found that the precipitation medium and the identity of precipitated TM strongly affect the morphology, particle size, and magnetism of the product. The morphology varies from spherical, to rectangular, to rod shape; while the size varies in the range of 5-30 nm. All samples showed paramagnetic behavior with Curie temperatures span over a wide range (20-150K). Huge hysteresis looses has been observed for manganese (Mn) sample, prepared in H2O. The coercively (Hc) at 4.2K for this sample is about 1.5T, which is comparable to the strongest permanent magnets (Nd-based magnets) available at room temperature. The energy product (Hc*MR) is about 4.5*105 (emu/g)Oe.

Light Rail Lite or Cost-Effective Improvements to Bus Service?

2005 ◽  
Vol 1927 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Hess ◽  
Brian D. Taylor ◽  
Allison C. Yoh
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Light Rail ◽  
Rapid Transit ◽  
Service Characteristics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bus Service ◽  
The Cost

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is growing rapidly in popularity because it is viewed widely as an efficient and effective means to improve both transit service and patronage. This paper argues that two distinct views of BRT are emerging: ( a) BRT as a new form of high-speed, rubber-tired, rail-like rapid transit and ( b) BRT as a cost-effective way to upgrade both the quality and image of traditional fixed-route bus service. These two views carry different price tags because the cost of planning, constructing, and operating BRT depends on the complexity of new service features and on rises for BRT that offer service characteristics approaching those of light rail. This study fills a gap in the literature on the costs of BRT by examining in detail component costs–-actual costs for recently implemented services and projected costs for planned new services–-for a sample of BRT systems in North American cities. The study examined BRT costs of 14 planned and recently opened BRT systems to determine how the wide range of BRT service and technology configurations affect costs. The study found that although some of the most successful and popular new BRT systems are high-quality services operating in mixed traffic and implemented at relatively low cost, most BRT projects on the drawing boards are more elaborate, more expensive systems than many currently in service. Most new BRT projects emphasize elaborate LRT-type improvements to lines and stations in one or a few corridors rather than less splashy improvements (such as next-bus monitors, signal preemption, queue-jump lanes, and so forth) affecting more lines and modes in local transit networks. Among the 14 systems examined here, most could be characterized as light rail lite.

The Role of Ultrasound-Guided Therapeutic Paracentesis in an Outpatient Transitional Care Program: A Case Series

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1256-1260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Wang ◽  
Shahida Khan ◽  
Paige Wyer ◽  
Jessica Vanderwilp ◽  
Justin Reynolds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transitional Care ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Care Program ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Refractory Ascites ◽  
Ultrasound Guided ◽  
Care Clinic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ed Visits

Background: Patients with ascites suffer from distressing symptoms and are at high risk for readmission after hospitalization. Timely paracentesis is an important palliative tool in managing this vulnerable population. At our institution, we have developed a multidisciplinary transitional care program for patients discharged from the hospital with a wide range of complex conditions including refractory ascites. Methods: We present a case series of 10 patients with symptomatic ascites who were enrolled in our transitional care program and treated with ultrasound-guided therapeutic paracentesis in our clinic. Patient medical records were retrospectively reviewed to collect procedure details, outcomes, and follow-up data on emergency department (ED) visits and readmissions. Cost data were obtained from the hospital financial system. Results: Over the span of 9 months (September 2016 to July 2017), 22 total therapeutic paracenteses were performed on 10 unique patients in the transitional care clinic. Median age of the patient cohort was 52.5 years (range: 27-71 years). All patients reported immediate relief of ascites-related discomfort following the procedure. We did not observe any major adverse effects due to the in-clinic procedure. Nine of the 10 patients did not have any ED visits or readmissions within 30 days of discharge. The cost of performing ultrasound-guided paracentesis in the transitional care clinic was US$546.77 compared to US$978.32 when performed in the hospital. Conclusion: Our experience suggests that outpatient paracentesis may be a safe, feasible, and cost-effective means of providing symptom management for patients with ascites during their transition from hospital to home.

scholarly journals Performance-efficient distributed transfer and transformation of big spatial histopathology datasets in the cloud

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esma Yildirim
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Image ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Pixel Resolution ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Slide Image ◽  
Amazon Web Services ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Novel Algorithms ◽  
Performance Results

AbstractWhole Slide Image (WSI) datasets are giga-pixel resolution, unstructured histopathology datasets that consist of extremely big files (each can be as large as multiple GBs in compressed format). These datasets have utility in a wide range of diagnostic and investigative pathology applications. However, the datasets present unique challenges: The size of the files, propriety data formats, and lack of efficient parallel data access libraries limit the scalability of these applications. Commercial clouds provide dynamic, cost-effective, scalable infrastructure to process these datasets, however, we lack the tools and algorithms that will transfer/transform them onto the cloud seamlessly, providing faster speeds and scalable formats. In this study, we present novel algorithms that transfer these datasets onto the cloud while at the same time transforming them into symmetric scalable formats. Our algorithms use intelligent file size distribution, and pipelining transfer and transformation tasks without introducing extra overhead to the underlying system. The algorithms, tested in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud, outperform the widely used transfer tools and algorithms, and also outperform our previous work. The data access to the transformed datasets provides better performance compared to the related work. The transformed symmetric datasets are fed into three different analytics applications: a distributed implementation of a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) application for prostate carcinoma datasets, a deep convolutional neural network application for classification of breast cancer datasets, and to show that the algorithms can work with any spatial dataset, a Canny Edge Detection application on satellite image datasets. Although different in nature, all of the applications can easily work with our new symmetric data format and performance results show near-linear speed-ups as the number of processors increases.

Smart Grid in California: The Value of Energy Storage and Permanent Load Shifting

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Sreedharan ◽  
David Miller
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Smart Grid ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Load Shifting ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Permanent Load ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Flexible Grid

Smart grid has become linked with topics of energy efficiency, renewables integration and climate policy. A smarter grid is one that utilizes communications and information systems to achieve more flexible grid operations. Energy storage and more broadly, load shifting, is one mechanism for achieving flexible grid operations. Unlike demand response, permanent load shifting moves energy on a regular basis, from peak to off-peak. Technologies that can deliver load shifting include thermal storage, electrical and mechanical storage and process shifting. This paper highlights findings from a recent study, mandated by a California Public Utilities Commission order, of permanent load shifting (PLS) opportunities located at customer sites in California. We developed a cost-effectiveness framework to estimate the costs and benefits of PLS technologies, demonstrated the framework with an analysis of PLS systems, and evaluated the market for PLS, including an assessment of challenges to expanding PLS. The cost-effectiveness analysis included a technology-neutral scenario analysis and an evaluation of technology-specific cases. Grid-level benefits of load shifting range from approximately $500–$2500/peak kW. Among the case studies, some approaches, such as refrigerated warehouse precooling, are cost-effective for both the utility and the consumer, while others, such as flow batteries, are not yet cost-effective and can be viewed as emerging technologies. Due to the wide range of technology costs and performance, these results are unsurprising. Still, PLS technologies can be one tool that can help set the stage for integrating large amounts of renewables in the future, a road California is paving.

Description of a Remote Still Photography System for Collection of Benthic Photo-Quadrats

2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kris I. Waddington ◽  
Ben W. Piek ◽  
Antony D. Payne ◽  
Simon L. Grove ◽  
Euan S. Harvey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Benthic Communities ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Taxonomic Resolution ◽  
Benthic Assemblages ◽  
Differential Gps ◽  
Short Baseline ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Distribution And Ecology

AbstractQuantitative sampling of benthic communities is central to a wide range of ecological research, from understanding spatial distribution and ecology to impact studies. With the need to sample deep as well as shallow regions, limited sampling capabilities of diver-based methods and the expanding footprint of human activity, there is a need for an effective system capable of classifying benthic assemblages and able to monitor potential anthropogenic impacts. Here we describe a remote system capable of collecting benthic photo-quadrats to depths of 100 m. A procedure for the classification of these images into 64 abiotic and biotic categories is also described. During a 64-day sampling program that included sampling at seven locations along 1,200 km of coastline that resulted in the collection of over 9,000 images, only one day of sampling was lost due to equipment malfunction, with 99.5% of points able to be classified to the taxonomic resolution required, demonstrating the reliability and accuracy of this system. Furthermore, the incorporation of differential GPS and ultra-short baseline positioning system allowed collected images to be geo-referenced to within 0.5 m. Such precision allows the system to be used in conjunction with hydroacoustic habitat mapping techniques and potentially for repeated monitoring of areas with a small spatial extent. Development of this system provides a cost-effective means of quantifying benthic assemblages over broad scales.

Evaluation of visual survey methods for monitoring Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) escapement in relation to conservation guidelines

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendra R Holt ◽  
Sean P Cox
Keyword(s):  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Survey Methods ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Trend Detection ◽  
Conservation Units ◽  
Visual Survey ◽  
Wide Range

Canada’s Wild Salmon Policy requires that biological status of conservation units of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) be assessed regularly in relation to abundance-based benchmarks. Visual survey methods, in which periodic counts of spawning fish are made throughout a season, will likely be used for this purpose because they provide a cost-effective means of monitoring interannual trends in escapement. Trend detection performance for visual survey methods depends mainly upon consistency in (i) the ability of observers to detect fish and (ii) the annual timing of fish presence in the survey area. We developed a Monte Carlo simulation procedure to evaluate the ability of four visual survey methods (peak count, mean count, trapezoidal area-under-the-curve (AUC), and likelihood AUC) to detect 30% declines in coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) escapement over 10 years (i.e., the magnitude of trend that would warrant listing a coho population as threatened using the listing criteria of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)) given realistic levels of variability in these two factors. The mean count outperformed all other approaches across a wide range of scenarios about true population dynamics and survey designs, suggesting that a simple mean count method is suitable for monitoring coho escapements in relation to COSEWIC guidelines.

Analysis of Long-Term Effectiveness of Thin Hot-Mix Asphaltic Concrete Overlay Treatments

2005 ◽  
Vol 1940 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Labi ◽  
Geoffrey Lamptey ◽  
Sravanthi Konduri ◽  
Kumares C. Sinha
Keyword(s):  
Service Life ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Ride Quality ◽  
Performance Curve ◽  
Pavement Condition ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
And Performance

Thin hot-mix asphalt (HMA) concrete overlays are preventive maintenance treatments used to address minor distresses, increase ride quality, and extend pavement life. This paper determines the long-term effectiveness of such treatments by using three measures of effectiveness: treatment service life, increase in average pavement condition, and area bounded by the performance curve. For each measure of effectiveness, the pavement performance indicators used are the international roughness index (IRI), rutting, and pavement condition rating (PCR). For each measure of effectiveness and performance indicator, treatment benefits were found to lie within a wide range because of the effect of varying levels of weather severity, traffic, and route type. The service life of the treatment ranges from 3 to 13 years (IRI performance indicator), 3 to 14 years (rutting), and 3 to 24 years (PCR). When the increase in average pavement condition is used as the measure of effectiveness, the results show that such treatments offer 18% to 36% decrease in IRI, 5% to 55% reduction in rutting, and 1% to 10% increase in PCR. For the area enclosed by the performance curve, thin HMA overlay effectiveness ranges from 40 to 360 IRI years (where IRI is in inches per mile), 0.13 to 0.76 RUT years (where RUT is in inches), and 7 to 130 PCR years (where PCR is on a 0 to 100 scale). The wide ranges of thin HMA overlay effectiveness for each combination of measure of effectiveness and performance indicator is suggestive of the sensitivity of the treatment effectiveness to levels of traffic loading and weather severity, and route type. The effectiveness of thin HMA overlay treatments is of interest to pavement professionals and is a vital input in the quest for cost-effective long-term pavement preservation practices.

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