Using Instrumented Vehicles to Detect Damage in Bridges

This paper describes a ‘drive-by’ method of bridge inspection using an instrumented vehicle. Accelerometers on the vehicle are proposed as a means of detecting damage on the bridge in the time it takes for the vehicle to cross the bridge at full highway speed. For a perfectly smooth road profile, the method is shown to be feasible. Changes in bridge damping, which is an indicator of damage, are clearly visible in the acceleration signal of a quarter-car vehicle on a smooth road surface modelled using MatLab. When road profile is considered, the influence of changes in bridge damping on the vehicle acceleration signal is much less clear. However, when a half-car model is used on a road with a rough profile, it is again possible to detect changes in bridge damping, provided the vehicle has two identical axles.

Parametric study to extract bridge frequencies from the dynamic response of passing vehicles

A conventional way to identify bridge frequencies is utilizing vibration data measured directly from the bridge. A drawback with this approach is that the deployment and maintenance of the vibration sensors are generally costly and time-consuming. One way to cope with the drawback is an indirect approach utilizing vehicle vibrations while the vehicle passes over the bridge. In the indirect approach, however, the vehicle vibration includes the effect of road surface roughness, which makes it difficult to extract the bridge modal properties. One solution may be subtracting signals of two trailers towed by a vehicle to reduce the effect of road surface roughness. A simplified vehicle-bridge interaction model is used in the numerical simulation; the vehicle - trailer and bridge system are modeled as a coupled model. In addition, a laboratory experiment is carried out to verify results of the simulation and examine feasibility of the damage detection by the indirect method.

'Rosie Hackett, the Irish Citizen Army and the Military Service Pensions Collection'

This chapter uses the newly released Military Service Pensions files to examine the contribution of Rosana 'Rosie' Hackett and the members of the Irish Citizen Army to the Irish revolution. It also includes and assessment of the collection as a source for studying the revolution and assesses how it helps reassess the role of the ICA in the revolution. It was produced to mark the naming of a Liffey bridge in Dublin after Rosie Hackett

Sustainable non-automotive vehicles: The simulation challenges

Simulation is a well-established and effective approach to the development of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles in both on-highway and off-highway applications.

The simulation of on-highway automotive vehicles is widely reported in literature, whereas research relating to non-automotive and off-highway vehicles is relatively sparse. This review paper focuses on the challenges of simulating such vehicles and discusses the differences in the approach to drive cycle testing and experimental validation of vehicle simulations. In particular, an inner-city diesel-electric hybrid bus and an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) powered forklift truck will be used as case studies.

Computer prediction of fuel consumption and emissions of automotive vehicles on standardised drive cycles is well-established and commercial software packages such as AVL CRUISE have been specifically developed for this purpose. The vehicles considered in this review paper present new challenges from both the simulation and drive-cycle testing perspectives. For example, in the case of the forklift truck, the drive cycles involve reversing elements, variable mass, lifting operations, and do not specify a precise velocity-time profile. In particular, the difficulties associated with the prediction of productivity, i.e. the maximum rate of completing a series of defined operations, are discussed. In the case of the hybrid bus, the standardised drive cycles are unrepresentative of real-life use and alternative approaches are required in the development of efficient and low-emission vehicles.

Two simulation approaches are reviewed: the adaptation of a standard automotive vehicle simulation package, and the development of bespoke models using packages such as MATLAB/Simulink.

Tanzanian scepticism of a militarised East African Federation and underlying military concerns

Attitudes towards a regional military force are of paramount importance when exploring public support for regional integration. Until now, however, scholarly research has not considered the influence of attitudes towards a regional military mechanism in the sub-Saharan African context. Using Afrobarometer data, we demonstrate that military concerns are vital when exploring Tanzanian attitudes towards the proposed political federation of the East African Community (EAC), the East African Federation (EAF). More specifically, opposition to military cooperation strongly influences Tanzanian scepticism of the EAF. This finding is highly relevant given that referendums in the participating member states must be passed to facilitate political integration. Heightened opposition towards military cooperation raises the possibility of the public rejecting a politically integrated EAC. This poses a potential obstacle to the implementation of joint security policies and crucial mechanisms to provide a more stable region at large. We account for alternative explanations of Tanzanian opinion formation and reflect on the strength of military-orientated concerns for investigating public support for the East African project specifically and regional integration in sub-Saharan Africa more widely.

Novel hardware and software combination for automotive motorsport vehicles based on direct processing of graphical functions

The main motivation for the work presented here began with previously conducted experiments with a programming concept at the time named "Macro". These experiments led to the conviction that it would be possible to build a system of engine control from scratch, which could eliminate many of the current problems of engine management systems in a direct and intrinsic way. It was also hoped that it would minimize the full range of software and hardware needed to make a final and fully functional system. Initially, this paper proposes to make a comprehensive survey of the state of the art in the specific area of software and corresponding hardware of automotive tools and automotive ECUs. Problems arising from such software will be identified, and it will be clear that practically all of these problems stem directly or indirectly from the fact that we continue to make comprehensive use of extremely long and complex "tool chains". Similarly, in the hardware, it will be argued that the problems stem from the extreme complexity and inter-dependency inside processor architectures. The conclusions are presented through an extensive list of "pitfalls" which will be thoroughly enumerated, identified and characterized. Solutions will also be proposed for the various current issues and for the implementation of these same solutions. All this final work will be part of a "proof-of-concept" system called "ECU2010". The central element of this system is the before mentioned "Macro" concept, which is an graphical block representing one of many operations required in a automotive system having arithmetic, logic, filtering, integration, multiplexing functions among others. The end result of the proposed work is a single tool, fully integrated, enabling the development and management of the entire system in one simple visual interface. Part of the presented result relies on a hardware platform fully adapted to the software, as well as enabling high flexibility and scalability in addition to using exactly the same technology for ECU, data logger and peripherals alike. Current systems rely on a mostly evolutionary path, only allowing online calibration of parameters, but never the online alteration of their own automotive functionality algorithms. By contrast, the system developed and described in this thesis had the advantage of following a "clean-slate" approach, whereby everything could be rethought globally. In the end, out of all the system characteristics, "LIVE-Prototyping" is the most relevant feature, allowing the adjustment of automotive algorithms (eg. Injection, ignition, lambda control, etc.) 100% online, keeping the engine constantly working, without ever having to stop or reboot to make such changes. This consequently eliminates any "turnaround delay" typically present in current automotive systems, thereby enhancing the efficiency and handling of such systems.

Measuring underwater noise with high endurance surface and underwater autonomous vehicles

This paper describes the results of AcousticRobot'13 - a noise measurement campaign that took place off the Portuguese Coast in May 2013, using two high endurance autonomous vehicles capable of silent operation (an underwater glider and an autonmomous sailing vessel) equipped with hydrophones, and a moored hydrophone that served as reference. We show that the autonomous vehicles used can provide useful measurements of underwater noise, and describe the main advantages and shortcomings that became evident during the campaign.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1985-1986

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1986-1987

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1991-1992

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1987-1988

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1988-1989

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1989-1990

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1992-1993

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.

THE CITADEL THE MILITARY COLLEGE OF SOUTH CAROLINA ANNUAL REPORT 1993-1994

South Carolina laws require that each state agency submit an annual accountability report to the Governor and General Assembly that contains the agency's or department's mission, objectives to accomplish the mission, and performance measures that show the degree to which objectives are being met.