In this paper, a prediction model is developed that combines a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) and a Kalman filter for online forecasting of traffic safety on expressways. Raw time-to-collision (TTC) samples are divided into two categories: those representing vehicles in risky situations and those in safe situations. Then, the GMM is used to model the bimodal distribution of the TTC samples, and the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation parameters of the TTC distribution are obtained using the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. We propose a new traffic safety indicator, named the proportion of exposure to traffic conflicts (PETTC), for assessing the risk and predicting the safety of expressway traffic. A Kalman filter is applied to forecast the short-term safety indicator, PETTC, and solves the online safety prediction problem. A dataset collected from four different expressway locations is used for performance estimation. The test results demonstrate the precision and robustness of the prediction model under different traffic conditions and using different datasets. These results could help decision-makers to improve their online traffic safety forecasting and enable the optimal operation of expressway traffic management systems.

In this study, a fouled ballast taken from the site of Sénissiat, France, was investigated. For the hydraulic behaviour, a large-scale cell was developed allowing drainage and evaporation tests to be carried out with monitoring of both suction and volumetric water content at various positions of the sample. It was observed that the hydraulic conductivity of fouled ballast is decreasing with suction increase, as for common unsaturated soils. The effect of fines content was found to be negligible. For the mechanical behaviour, both monotonic and cyclic triaxial tests were carried out using a large-scale triaxial cell. Various water contents were considered. The results were interpreted in terms of shear strength and permanent axial strain. It appeared that the water content is an important factor to be accounted for since any increase of water content or degree of saturation significantly decreases the shear strength and increases the permanent strain. Constitutive modelling has been attempted based on the experimental results. The model in its current state is capable of describing the effects of stress level, cycle number and water content.

The paper is to design and construct a coupled elasto-plasticity damage constitutive model for concrete. Based on the energy dissipation principle, the Hsieh-Ting-Chen four-parameter yield function is used. The model can reflect different strength characteristics of concrete in tension and compression, and reduce the limitation and lacuna of the traditional damage constitutive models for concrete. Furthermore, numerical test for concrete stress-strain relation under uniaxial tension and compression is given. Moreover, the damage process of concrete gravity dam is calculated and analyzed in seismic load. Compared with other damage constitutive models, the proposed model contains only one unknown parameter and the other parameters can be found in the Hsieh-Ting-Chen four-parameter yield function. The same damage evolution law, which is used for tension and compression, is good for determining stress-strain constitutive and damage characteristics in complex stress state. This coupled damage constitutive models can be applied in analyzing damage of concrete gravity dam and arch dam.

Recently, the finite element method (FEM) has been commonly applied in the engineering analysis of rotor dynamics. Gyroscopic moments, rotary inertia, transverse shear deformation and gravity can be included in computational models of rotor-bearing systems. In this paper, a finite element model and its solution method are presented for the calculation of the dynamics of dual rotor systems. A typical structure with two rotor shafts is discussed and the procedure for obtaining the coupling motion equations of the subsystems is illustrated. A computer program is developed to solve critical speeds and to simulate the transient motion. The influence of gyroscopic moments on co-rotation and counter-rotation is analyzed, and the effect of the speed ratio on critical speed is studied. The dynamic characteristics under different conditions of increasing speed during start-up are demonstrated by comparison with transient nodal displacements. The presented model provides a complete foundation for further investigation of the dynamics of dual rotor systems.

Vibrations inherently generated by on-board disturbance sources degrade the performance of the instruments in an on-orbit spacecraft, which have stringent accuracy requirements. The Stewart platform enables both track-positioning and vibration control. The strut of the Stewart platform is designed as a piezoelectric (PZT) element in series with a voice coil motor (VCM) element and a viscoelastic element. The track-positioning system uses a VCM as the main positioning control driver and a PZT as the positioning compensator. The vibration control system uses the characteristics of struts including active and passive control elements to attenuate the vibration. Simulation results indicate that the Stewart platform with the designed struts has good performance in tracking and vibration attenuation with different interference waves.

This paper presents a deterministic model to predict the pit evolving morphology and crack initiation life of corrosion fatigue. Based on the semi-ellipsoidal pit assumption, the thermodynamic potential including elastic energy, surface energy and electrochemical energy of the cyclically stressed solid with an evolving pit is established, from which specific parameters that control the pit evolution are introduced and their influence on the pit evolution are evaluated. The critical pit size for crack nucleation is obtained from stress intensity factor criterion and the crack nucleation life is evaluated by Faraday’s law. Meanwhile, this paper presents a numerical example to verify the proposed model and investigate the influence of cyclic load on the corrosion fatigue crack nucleation life. The corrosion pit appears approximately as a hemisphere in its early formation, and it gradually transits from semicircle to ellipsoid. The strain energy accelerates the morphology evolution of the pit, while the surface energy decelerates it. The higher the stress amplitude is, the smaller the critical pit size is and the shorter the crack initiation life is.

This study aimed to establish a closed-cycle operation technology with high thermal efficiency in the thermochemical sulfur-iodine cycle for large-scale hydrogen production. A series of experimental studies were performed to investigate the occurrence of side reactions in both the H₂SO₄ and HI_x phases from the H₂SO₄/HI/I₂/H₂O quaternary system within a constant temperature range of 323–363 K. The effects of iodine content, water content and reaction temperature on the side reactions were evaluated. The results showed that an increase in the reaction temperature promoted the side reactions. However, they were prevented as the iodine or water content increased. The occurrence of side reactions was faster in kinetics and more intense in the H₂SO₄ phase than in the HI_x phase. The sulfur or hydrogen sulfide formation reaction or the reverse Bunsen reaction was validated under certain conditions.