<?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%3AQpbau%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>Geometric Design of Driveways Update</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/1247275</link><description><![CDATA[NCHRP Project 15-35, Geometric Design of Driveways, is currently underway. After considering a number of possible options, the project oversight panel decided to focus project resources on the following issues related to driveway connections with public roadways. (1) Identify vertical geometry that will cause the underside of a vehicle to drag. (2) Determine the effects of different vertical geometries on the speeds and exposure times of vehicles entering driveways. To examine the first issue, the research team measured and analyzed the underclearance dimensions of selected vehicles, and measured existing driveways with obvious scrapes from vehicle underbodies. For the second issue, the research team measured speeds and elapsed travel times of vehicles entering driveways with either relatively flat, moderate, or steep grades. The findings are expected to help answer some of the questions raised by those concerned about deceleration and speed differential of vehicles entering a driveway, or concerned about pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ exposure to turning vehicles. This paper discussed the current state of the project.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Apr 2013 13:14:06 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/1247275</guid></item><item><title>Automated Inspection of Railcar Underbody Structural Components Using Machine Vision Technology</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/881963</link><description><![CDATA[Monitoring the structural health of railcars is important to ensure safe and efficient railroad operation.  The structural integrity of freight cars depends on the health of certain structural components within their underframes.  These components serve two principal functions: supporting the car body and lading and transmitting longitudinal buff and draft forces.  Although railcars are engineered to withstand large static, dynamic and cyclical loads, they can still develop a variety of structural defects.  As a result, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) regulations and individual railroad mechanical department practices require periodic inspection of railcars to detect mechanical and structural damage or defects.  These inspections are primarily a manual process that relies on the acuity, knowledge and endurance of qualified inspection personnel.  Enhancements to the process are possible through machine vision technology, which uses computer algorithms to process digital image data of railcar underframes into diagnostic information. This paper describes research investigating the feasibility of an automated inspection system capable of detecting structural defects in freight car underframes and presents an inspection approach using machine vision techniques including multi-scale image segmentation.  A preliminary image acquisition system has been developed, field trials conducted and algorithms developed that can analyze the images and identify certain underframe components, assessing aspects of their condition.  The development of this technology, in conjunction with additional preventive maintenance systems, has the potential to provide more objective information on railcar structural condition, improved utilization of railcar inspection and repair resources, increased train and employee safety, and improvements to overall railroad network efficiency.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2009 07:48:54 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/881963</guid></item><item><title>COST-EFFECTIVE ANALYSIS FOR TANKER STRUCTURAL REPAIRS</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/500596</link><description><![CDATA[Structural failures cost operators dearly in terms of down time and repair expense.  Although some fractures can be traced to material or construction defects, many can be designated as "class" or design problems.  Many modifications resulting from repair analysis should be incorporated into new ship design. This paper addresses the field of repair analysis and the potential benefits to both operators and new construction design.  This paper uses an actual case study of a tanker double-bottom structure to describe the various degrees of analytical complexity associated with ship structural repairs. The results at each level of analysis are compared to indicate the accuracy at each level.  The comparison is for reference only because the solutions may be sensitive to the particular geometry and loading.  The comparison does demonstrate the choices available to repair decision makers when responding to a failure.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 May 1999 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/500596</guid></item><item><title>HULL STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR A 40,000 DWT DOUBLE-HULL PRODUCTS CARRIER</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/500599</link><description><![CDATA[This paper is intended to provide a global to local overview of the design process and analytical methods used to evaluate the structural design of a 40,000 DWT products tanker for strength, producibility, and fatigue resistance.  The global design process will discuss selection of key parameters, such as transverse web spacing, longitudinal stiffener spacing and access requirements.  The local design will consider critical structure for reduction of stress concentration fatigue as well as producibility issues.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 04 May 1999 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/500599</guid></item><item><title>POLLUTION PREVENTION AND BILGE WATER RECOVERY</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/540200</link><description><![CDATA[At American Commercial Barge Line Co. (ACBL), protection of the marine environment is a top operating priority.  As part of this commitment, every effort is made, using ingenuity and technology, in pollution prevention.  An example of pollution prevention in practice at ACBL is the recovery of petroleum from bilge water (an oil/water mixture that collects in the bottom of a towboat), which is then blended into virgin fuel for use on ACBL towboats or resold as a cutter stock to a petroleum company.  The source of petroleum in the bilge water is the diesel engines that power the towboat.  The petroleum fraction is typically 30%.  The bilge water is pumped from containment tanks on the boat into larger storage tanks at fueling or repairing facilities.  ACBL currently operates a certificated barge that is dispatched to the various fueling and repair facilities to collect bilge water.  This barge takes the mixture to American Commercial Liquid Terminal (ACLT) in Memphis, Tennessee.  A process separates the oil from the water.  The recovered oil is then blended with virgin diesel fuel for ACBL's towboat fleet, used as ACLT boiler fuel, or sold as a cutter stock for ocean vessels.  The separated water moves through a series of treatment tanks and an ultrafiltration system.  The purified water is discharged into the Mississippi River according to a Tennessee National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.  In 1996 and 1997 combined, this process recovered 4.2 million L (1.1 million gal) of oil, which is material that was disposed of as waste in the past. ACBL is making a difference and embracing the principles of pollution prevention.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 1998 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/540200</guid></item><item><title>CHARACTERISTICS OF DOUBLE-TRAILER TRUCKS IN NEW YORK STATE</title><link>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/217660</link><description><![CDATA[The characteristics of double-trailer truck operations are described for a selected location on the New York State Thruway in upstate New York. Vehicles were observed during a typical weekday for an 8-hour period and their characteristics were recorded. Of 13,999 vehicles passing the observation point, 1,322 (9.4 percent) were semitrailers and 90 (0.65 percent) were double trailers. Even though the New York State Thruway permits flexible operation of such vehicles, they were found to be quite uniform in overall characteristics. In 90 percent of the observed vehicles, one of two axle configurations were observed: eight or nine axles. For 51 percent of the observed vehicles, an out-of-state registered trailer was pulled by a New york State registered tractor; and 30 percent of the vehicles had New York registrations on both tractor and second trailer. Almost 90 percent of the vehicles observed were hauling two long trailers; that is, trailers 40 feet or more in length (double-bottoms). No combinations were observed in which the first trailer was shorter than the second trailer. Of all vehicles, 90 percent were owned by commercial transportation companies, but these represented only a handful of large transportation companies. United Parcel Service, Consolidated Freight, and Oneida Express accounted for 44 percent of the observed vehicles. Only nine vehicles were privately owned. The paper concludes that despite the flexibility permitted in operations, the double-trailer market operating on the New York State Thruway is represented by a narrow spectrum of vehicle types and companies.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate><guid>http://pubsindex.trb.org/view/217660</guid></item></channel></rss>