00488684

Component

http://onlinepubs.trb.org...trr/1988/1193/1193-002.pdf

https://scholar.google.co...o+Jr&publication_year=1988

Regulatory controls for handling hazardous material in tunnels and on bridges are extensive, detailed, and subject to constant changes. Local authorities responsible for tunnel and bridge facilities are concerned with developing facility restrictions for hazardous materials that will reduce the risk of death and injury without unnecessarily burdening commerce. The lack of expertise among tunnel personnel in general and the lack of a scientific basis on which to develop such regulations, however, have created problems for local tunnel authorities when they must update restrictions or create new ones for new materials introduced by industry. This paper describes the development of a prototype expert system to aid decision making about hazardous material safety in tunnel and bridge transportation. The regulatory process is modeled as a classification type of problem, which lends itself neatly to an expert system implementation. A heuristic problem solver, which is commonly used in solving classification problems, involves systematically matching the attributes of an unknown entity to a set of predefined solutions. For this study's application, the regulatory groupings inherent in existing tunnel regulations are the basis for the development of the solution space. The computer program developed uses knowledge that specifies the appropriate regulation applicable to a new commodity based on the material's physical and chemical properties.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1193, Transportation of Hazardous Materials 1988. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved

01413980

p. 10-21

1988

Transportation Research Record

0309047641

Figures (5) ; References (16)

Bridges; Computer programs; Decision making; Expert systems; Hazardous materials; Hazards; Highway safety; Regulations; Risk assessment; Tunnels

Bridges and other structures; Highways; Law; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

Oct 31 1989 12:00AM

• BENCHMARK ESTIMATES OF RELEASE ACCIDENT RATES IN HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION BY RAIL AND TRUCK (WITH DISCUSSION AND CLOSURE)
• HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRANSPORTATION RULES AND REGULATIONS AT BRIDGE-TUNNEL FACILITIES
• LOCATING EMERGENCY RESPONSE CAPABILITY FOR DANGEROUS GOODS INCIDENTS ON A ROAD NETWORK