Modeling Headlight Sight Distance on Three-Dimensional Highway Alignments

1997 ◽  
Vol 1579 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Said M. Easa ◽  
A. O. Abd El Halim
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Major Elements ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Element Technique

Sight distance is one of the major elements that must be considered in the geometric design to achieve safe and comfortable highways. Daytime sight distance has been extensively studied, and analytical models for two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) alignments have been developed. However, nighttime (headlight) sight distance has received less attention. Despite the higher accident rate during nighttime than during daytime, existing analytical models evaluating headlight sight distance are very primitive. Moreover, the interaction between the horizontal and vertical alignments has not been modeled. A four-phase analytical model for headlight sight distance on 3-D combined alignments is presented. The model is an application of the finite-element technique in highway geometric design. The model can determine the maximum distance that can be covered by the vehicle’s headlights and that is not obstructed by any sight obstructions including the road surface. On the basis of this analytical model, computer software was developed and used in a preliminary application for 3-D headlight sight distances on a sag or crest vertical curve combined with a horizontal curve. The application showed that the 3-D sight distance on sag vertical curves was generally lower than the corresponding 2-D value when the sag curve was overlapping with a horizontal curve. On the other hand, the overlapping of horizontal curves with crest vertical curves enhanced the 3-D sight distance. The difference between 2-D and 3-D sight distance values in both cases increased with a decrease in the horizontal curve radius and an increase in the pavement cross slope. The model was proved to be extremely valuable in establishing 3-D highway geometric design standards.

State-of-the-art of three-dimensional highway geometric design

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 500-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Said M Easa ◽  
A O Abd El Halim
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Vehicle Dynamics ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Design Criterion ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Current Standards

Geometric design is an important phase in the highway design process that is directly related to traffic safety. Highway elements should be jointly designed to account for such design criteria as sight distance, vehicle stability, driver comfort, drainage, and aesthetics. Intuitively, such a design should be based on a three-dimensional (3-D) analysis. This paper reviews the current practice and research work related to each design criterion with emphasis on the conformity with the 3-D nature of the highway. Current standards are based mainly on a two-dimensional (2-D) analysis that does not guarantee a satisfactory design. Recently, several research efforts have been expended in the 3-D highway analysis with sight distance being the most researched area. Analytical models and computer software have been developed to accurately model 3-D daytime and nighttime sight distances. Roads designed using current 2-D standards may compromise safety or economy. Different models are currently available to simulate the forces acting on a vehicle in 3-D. These models show that the point-mass formula for modelling vehicle dynamics in the current standards can be inaccurate. Current standards contain recommendations for drainage of surface water, but explicit quantitative coordination of combined alignments is lacking. Furthermore, research is still needed to study the effect of alignment coordination on highway aesthetics and driver's perception of information.Key words: highway geometric design, three-dimensional analysis, sight distance, vehicle dynamics, drainage, highway aesthetics.

Highway Alignment: Three-Dimensional Problem and Three-Dimensional Solution

1998 ◽  
Vol 1612 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Said M. Easa ◽  
A. O. Abd El Halim
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Computer Software ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Dimensional Solution ◽  
Distance Analysis ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
The Status ◽  
Current Design ◽  
Highway Alignment

Highway geometric design has usually been considered in separate two-dimensional (2-D) projections of horizontal and vertical alignments. Such a practice was followed mainly because three-dimensional (3-D) analysis of combined highway alignments was expected to be difficult. As a result, the effect of ignoring the 3-D nature of the highway alignment could not be quantified. With the long-term objective of developing 3-D design practice, a framework for 3-D highway geometric design was developed and 3-D sight distance was extensively studied as the first design basis. The status of sight distance in current design policies and previous research is summarized, and mainly 2-D analysis was considered. The five main tasks performed to cover the 3-D highway sight distance are presented. ( a) As a preliminary step, the 2-D sight distance on complex separate horizontal and vertical alignments was modeled, and the finite element method was used for the first time in the highway geometric design. ( b) The 2-D models were then expanded to cover the daytime and nighttime sight distances on 3-D combined alignments. ( c) The analytical models were coded into computer software that can determine the available sight distance on actual highway segments. ( d) The models were applied in 3-D design of combined horizontal and vertical curves in cut-and-fill sections, and preliminary design aids were derived. ( e) Finally, a new concept of red zones was suggested to mark the locations on alignments designed according to current practices where the available sight distance will drop below that required. A comprehensive work on 3-D sight distance analysis has been compiled that should be of great importance for highway researchers and professionals.

Analytical Model for Sight Distance Analysis on Three-Dimensional Highway Alignments

1996 ◽  
Vol 1523 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Said M. Easa ◽  
A. O. Abd El Halim
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
The Finite Element Method ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
New Model ◽  
Distance Analysis ◽  
Horizontal Curves ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Standards And Guidelines

Existing sight distance models are applicable only to two-dimensional (2-D) separate horizontal and vertical alignments or simple elements of these separate alignments (vertical curve, horizontal curve). A new model is presented for determining the available sight distance on 3-D combined horizontal and vertical alignments. The model is based on the curved parametric elements that have been used in the finite element method. The elements presented are rectangular (4-node, 6-node, and 8-node elements) and triangular. These elements are used to represent various features of the highway surface and sight obstructions, including tangents (grades), horizontal curves, vertical curves, traveled lanes, shoulders, side slopes, cross slopes, superelevation, lateral obstructions, and overpasses. The available sight distance is found analytically by examining the intersection between the sight line and the elements representing the highway surface and the sight obstructions. Application of the new model is illustrated using numerical examples, and the results show that existing 2-D models may underestimate or overestimate the available sight distance. The proposed model should be valuable in establishing design standards and guidelines for 3-D highway alignments and determining the effect of various highway features on sight distance.

Effect of driver and road characteristics on required preview sight distance

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Tarek Sayed
Keyword(s):  
Computer Animation ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Human Perception ◽  
Physical Modelling ◽  
Geometric Design ◽  
Geometric Parameters ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Road Characteristics

Highway geometric design is a complex process that is closely related to human perception and behaviour. Among the human perception issues that can affect highway geometric design is the preview sight distance, which has been defined as the distance required to perceive a horizontal curve and react properly to it. Previous attempts to quantify preview sight distance included measurement on actual roads, physical modelling, and computer animation. This paper presents a computer animation experiment that was designed to examine the effects of geometric parameters and driver characteristics on preview sight distance and to statistically model preview sight distance. Statistical analysis showed that preview sight distance depends on geometric parameters such as the horizontal curve radius, use of spiral curve and its length, presence of crest vertical curve, algebraic difference of vertical grades, vertical curvature, and road delineation. On the other hand, driver characteristics were mostly found to be insignificant parameters. Finally, statistical models were developed to predict the value of preview sight distance using linear regression analysis. The models vary in simplicity and accuracy and were formulated as a function of the general alignment configuration or as a function of the exact geometric parameters.Key words: highway geometric design, sight distance, driver characteristics, three-dimensional alignment.

Sight distance red zones on combined horizontal and sag vertical curves

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-630 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasser Hassan ◽  
Said M Easa
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
The Other ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Stopping Sight Distance ◽  
Three Dimensional Models ◽  
Highway Alignment ◽  
Current Standards

Coordination of highway horizontal and vertical alignments is based on subjective guidelines in current standards. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of coordinating horizontal and sag vertical curves that are designed using two-dimensional standards. The locations where a horizontal curve should not be positioned relative to a sag vertical curve (called red zones) are identified. In the red zone, the available sight distance (computed using three-dimensional models) is less than the required sight distance. Two types of red zones, based on stopping sight distance (SSD) and preview sight distance (PVSD), are examined. The SSD red zone corresponds to the locations where an overlap between a horizontal curve and a sag vertical curve should be avoided because the three-dimensional sight distance will be less than the required SSD. The PVSD red zone corresponds to the locations where a horizontal curve should not start because drivers will not be able to perceive it and safely react to it. The SSD red zones exist for practical highway alignment parameters, and therefore designers should check the alignments for potential SSD red zones. The range of SSD red zones was found to depend on the different alignment parameters, especially the superelevation rate. On the other hand, the results showed that the PVSD red zones exist only for large values of the required PVSD, and therefore this type of red zones is not critical. This paper should be of particular interest to the highway designers and professionals concerned with highway safety.Key words: sight distance, red zone, combined alignment.

Research and Development of Three-Dimensional Isolation System for Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactor: Part 1 — Proposal of Analytical Models Based on Loading Tests

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsuyoshi Fukasawa ◽  
Shigeki Okamura ◽  
Takahiro Somaki ◽  
Takayuki Miyagawa ◽  
Masato Uchita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Response ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Seismic Response Analysis ◽  
Natural Period ◽  
Isolation System ◽  
Loading Tests ◽  
Rubber Bearings

This paper describes that the analytical model for the three-dimensional isolation system [1], which consists of thick rubber bearings, disc springs and oil dampers, is created through loading tests. The new-type analytical models of each element are proposed to improve the prediction accuracy of the seismic response analysis. The concept of the three-dimensional isolation system has been proposed to ensure the structural integrity for large reactor vessels. The primary specifications of the three-dimensional isolation system are a horizontal natural period of 3.4 s and a vertical natural period of 0.33 s. The investigations of horizontal isolation performances have been conducted for the various types of isolation devices, beginning with rubber bearings, whereas the previous studies focused on the vertical isolation performances are only a few. Hence, isolation characteristics, such as restoring force and damping force, should be clarified by loading tests using vertical seismic isolation elements, and analytical model to assess the seismic response should be identified on the basis of the loading test results. This paper presents a new analytical model with providing of the differential equations to improve the prediction accuracy and demonstrates the seismic performance, including beyond-design-basis ground motion, for the three-dimensional isolation system by the seismic response analysis.

Three-Dimensional Analytical Model for Pressure-Driven Cross-Stream Diffusion in Microchannels With Arbitrary Aspect Ratios

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongjun Song ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Kapil Pant
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Scaling Law ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Convection Diffusion ◽  
Convection Diffusion Equation ◽  
Aspect Ratios ◽  
Pressure Driven Flow ◽  
Pressure Driven

The utilization of cross-stream diffusion under laminar flow for precise analyte handling plays a critical role in microfluidic biochemical assays such as sample preparation, concentration gradient generation, and molecular interactions. The non-uniform velocity profile along the cross-section of a rectangular microchannel with arbitrary aspect ratio under pressure-driven flow results in unique, heterogeneous species transport including Taylor dispersion and position-dependent diffusion scaling law. Although numerical methods such as finite difference method, finite element method, the method of lines and lattice Boltzmann (LB) method have been used for quantitative study of the phenomena, they inherently suffer from several limitations, such as difficulty to provide direct, physical insight into the underlying transport mechanism and prohibitive computational cost to suppress the artificial numerical diffusion (ND). To address these issues, several analytical models have been proposed, which share several common assumptions such as large aspect ratio and neglecting depth-wise diffusion due to the non-uniform axial velocity in the 3D convection-diffusion equation, markedly limiting their utility. In this paper, we present a three dimensional (3D) analytical model to investigate the diffusion of analyte between two cross streams in rectangular microchannels with arbitrary aspect ratios under pressure-driven flow. The 3D convection-diffusion equation is solved in a Fourier series form using a double integral transformation method and associated eigensystem calculation. Therefore, the model for the first time is capable of capturing the non-uniform transport rate (i.e., the ‘butterfly effect’) and the position-dependent scaling-law of diffusion (1/3-power at the channel wall and 1/2-pwer at the half-depth plane) through an analytical solution. Our analytical model was extensively validated against both experimental and numerical data in terms of the concentration distribution, diffusion scaling law and the mixing efficiency with excellent agreement (the relative error is much less than 0.5% in various benchmark test cases.) Quantitative comparison between our analytical model and other prior analytical models in extensive parameter space was also performed, which convincingly demonstrates that our model accommodates much broader transport regimes and more practical microfluidic applications.

An analytical model for the energetics of quantum dots: beyond the small slope assumption

2006 ◽  
Vol 462 (2076) ◽  
pp. 3523-3553 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.P.A Gill ◽  
A.C.F Cocks
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dots ◽  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Elastic Properties ◽  
Analytical Model ◽  
Unit Volume ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Elastic Interaction ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Relaxation Energy ◽  
Physical Principles

Analytical models for strained heteroepitaxial quantum dot systems have invariably assumed that the dots have a low-aspect ratio (small slopes) and that the elastic properties of the dot and the substrate are identical. In this paper, a three-dimensional analytical model for the energetics of an array of axisymmetric quantum dots is developed from physical principles. This is valid for high-aspect ratio dots (such as GeSi and InGaAs) and allows the dot and substrate to have different elastic properties. It is shown that these features are very important in determining the strain energy of both isolated dots and arrays of interacting dots. Both the elastic relaxation energy (per unit volume) of a single dot and the elastic interaction energy (per unit volume) between multiple dots are found to be greatest for tall, steep dots and for dots which are stiffer than the substrate. The equilibrium of two-facet dots is investigated and shape transition phase diagrams for small slope monoelastic theory, GeSi and InGaAs are compared. Different features of the bimodal dot size distributions in these systems are explained.

Three-Dimensional, Probabilistic Highway Design

2008 ◽  
Vol 2060 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Sarhan ◽  
Yasser Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Reliability Analysis ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Vertical Alignment ◽  
Highway Design ◽  
Side Slope ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Stopping Sight Distance

The potential usefulness of reliability analysis has recently been stressed in many engineering applications. Given the variability in the design parameters, a reliability-based probabilistic approach is well suited to replace the current deterministic highway design practice. However, progress in this regard is generally slow. In this study, the reliability analysis was used to estimate the probability of hazard (POH) that might result from insufficiency of sight distances. As an application, the available sight distance was checked against required stopping sight distance on an assumed road segment. Variation of the design parameters was addressed with Monte Carlo simulation using 100,000 sets of design parameters based on distributions available in the literature. A computer program was developed to use these sets of design parameters to calculate the profiles of available and required stopping sight distances in two- and three-dimensional projections as well as the profile of POH. The approach was applied to a horizontal curve overlapping with flat grade, crest curves, and sag curves in a cut section where the side slope would restrict the sightline. The analysis showed that the current deterministic approach yields very conservative estimates of available and required stopping sight distance, resulting in very low POH. The application example also showed the change of POH with the change of vertical alignment parameters.

scholarly journals Modelling of Three-Dimensional Intersection Sight Distance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Zain Abrahim Ali
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Design Element ◽  
Major Road ◽  
Horizontal Curve ◽  
Vertical Alignment ◽  
Left Turn ◽  
Horizontal Curves ◽  
Sight Distance ◽  
Minor Road ◽  
Left Turns

Intersection sight distance(ISD) is an important design element. Each intersection has a potential for several different types of vehicular conflicts that can be greatly reduced through the provision of proper sight distance. Current guidelines do not adequately address sight distance requirements for intersections located on horizontal curves alone or horizontal curves combined with vertical alignments. In many practical situations, however, sight distance is required to be checked for an existing or proposed three-dimensional(3D) intersection alignments. In this thesis, models were developed to check sight (2001) were considered on 3D alignment: (1)Departure from stop-control minor-road and (2) Left-turns from major-road. For stop-control intersections, several cases were addressed. These include Case 1(a): Intersection and approaching vehicle (object) lie on the curve, Case 2: Intersection lies on the tangent and object lies on the curve. For both cases (1) and (2), obstruction may lie inside or outside the horizontal curve and the intersection and object can be anywhere with respect to the vertical alignment. In many practical situations, however, sight distance is required to be checked for an existing or proposed three-dimensional(3D) intersection alignments. In this thesis, models were developed to check sight (2001) were considered on 3D alignment: (1)Departure from stop-control minor-road and (2) Left-turns from major-road. For stop-control intersections, several cases were addressed. These include Case 1(a): Intersection and approaching vehicle (object) lie on the curve, Case 2: Intersection lies on the tangent and object lies on the curve. For both cases (1) and (2), obstruction may lie inside or outside the horizontal curve and the intersection and object can be anywhere with respect to the vertical alignment. Design aids for required minimum lateral clearance (from the minor and major roads) are presented for different radii of intersections located on horizontal curves, guidelines are presented for offsetting opposing left-turn lanes to provide unobstructed required sight distance. Applications of the methodologies are illustrated using numerical examples.

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