<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>TRB Publications Index</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link><atom:link href="http://pubsindex.trb.org/common/TRIS Suite/feeds/rss.aspx?tc=NN%3AQbhx%2A" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /><description></description><language>en-us</language><copyright>Copyright © 2015. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright><docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs><managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor><webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster><image><title>TRB Publications Index</title><url>http://pubsindex.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.png</url><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/</link></image><item><title>High-Speed Jetfoil Ferry Service Tested by Washington DOT in Puget Sound</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2539833</link><description><![CDATA[A $7 million, 242-passenger hydrofoil boat was subjected to a trial program after its authorization by Washington's State Transportation Commission in June. The test program, which was aimed at examining the feasibility and potential of high-speed passenger-only service, was carried out by the State Ferry Service of the Washington State Department of Transportation. This article describes this trial program and gives a brief history of hydrofoil boats. The boat tested was the Jetfoil, manufactured by Boeing Marine Systems in Seattle. It is the latest in hydrofoil craft, which combine the best features of airplane and ship to give maximum passenger comfort at high speeds.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:29:58 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/2539833</guid></item><item><title>Quadrimaran Ferries: High Speed with Shallow Draft</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/802670</link><description><![CDATA[The ideal marine vessel would be fast, reliable, comfortable, safe, economical, environmentally friendly, and operable even in shallow water. However, some of these characteristics conflict with each other; this conflict makes it almost impossible to obtain them all to a satisfactory degree in a single package. The Quadrimaran is a new vessel design that appears to combine more of these characteristics than any other design now available. It achieves this level of functionality by violating some long-held ideas about how vessels should be designed. Although the design may be suitable for large freight carriers, for now it makes sense to focus on smaller sizes; ferries are an excellent application. Several related applications (e.g., emergency relief) can benefit greatly from the Quadrimaran’s particular characteristics.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 27 Sep 2007 15:35:48 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/802670</guid></item><item><title>Human Response to Simulated Low-Intensity Sonic Booms</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/813654</link><description><![CDATA[This paper describes how NASA’s High Speed Research (HSR) program of the 1990s was intended to develop a technology base for a future High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). As part of this program, the NASA Langley Research Center sonic boom simulator (SBS) was built and used for a series of tests on the subjective responses to sonic booms. At the end of the HSR program, an HSCT was deemed impractical, but since then the interest in supersonic flight has reawakened, this time focusing on smaller aircraft more suitable for a business jet. In order to respond to this interest, the Langley sonic boom simulator has been refurbished. The upgraded computer-controlled playback system is based on an SGI O2 computer, in place of the previous DEC MicroVAX. As the frequency response of the booth is not flat, an equalization filter is required. Because of the changes made during the renovation (new loudspeakers), the previous equalization filter no longer performed as well as before, so a new equalization filter has been designed. Booms to be presented in the booth are preprocessed using the filter. When the preprocessed signals are presented into the booth and measured with a microphone, the results are very similar to the intended shapes. Signals with short rise times and sharp “corners” are observed to have a small amount of “ringing” in the response. During the HSR program a considerable number of subjective tests were completed in the SBS.  Topics of study included shaped sonic booms, asymmetrical booms, realistic (recorded) boom waveforms, indoor and outdoor booms shapes, among other factors. One conclusion of that research was that a loudness metric, like the Stevens’ Perceived Level (PL), predicted human reaction much more accurately than overpressure or unweighted sound pressure level. Structural vibration and rattle were not included in these studies.]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:26:05 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/813654</guid></item><item><title>TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF FAST SHIPS FOR THE U.S. NAVY</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/701584</link><description><![CDATA[The success of some commercial fast ferry designs and technologies has fueled an interest in achieving high speeds in the next generation of naval ships.  Some commercial fast ferries already have been adapted for naval use.  The U.S. Navy would like to reach speeds of 50 knots, which any naval architect knows are not achieved without difficulty.  High-speed ships have many virtues but also present several drawbacks. These drawbacks concern performance on the open ocean in high sea states, structural integrity, speed at the expense of range and payload, and reliability.  Each drawback is briefly discussed and it is concluded that pursuing high speed as a principal characteristic of ships poses challenges for Navy technology, research, and dedication.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 24 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/701584</guid></item><item><title>FAST VEHICLE FERRIES FOR THE ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY SYSTEM</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/723693</link><description><![CDATA[For more than 40 years the Alaska Marine Highway System has maintained and operated a vehicle-ferry service that provides critical transportation needs throughout coastal regions of Alaska.  It is now implementing plans to markedly improve ferry service in southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound. High-speed roll on/roll off (ro-ro) ferries, or fast vehicle ferries, are an important part of these improvements.  Such ferries have been used successfully in other areas of the world, but this is the first U.S. application of fast ferries for year-round ro-ro service.  Why speed is important to economic improvements in Alaska transportation is discussed, some critical features of the fast vehicle ferry design are outlined, and insight into the decision-making process to date is provided.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 10 Sep 2002 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/723693</guid></item></channel></rss>