The book aims at empowering readers with a clear understanding of multi-stage mechanism, different microactuators' performances, their limitations to control system performance and problems encountered in control system design and techniques for solving these problems and dealing with these limitations. This book is designed for academic researchers and engineering practitioners in systems and control, especially those engaged in the area of control in mechanical systems with microactuators and multi-stage actuations. Provides specific applications of multi-stage mechanical actuation systems Discusses issues and solutions in control system design for multi-stage mechanical actuation systems Discusses various types of microactuators and their control methods in multi-stage mechanism Includes real-world examples for demonstrating underlying concepts and design techniques Explores what a multi-stage mechanical systems is, for what purpose the multi-stage system is applied, how it works and how to control it for high performance

This edited book comprises papers about the impacts, benefits and challenges of connected and automated cars. It is the third volume of the LNMOB series dealing with Road Vehicle Automation. The book comprises contributions from researchers, industry practitioners and policy makers, covering perspectives from the U.S., Europe and Japan. It is based on the Automated Vehicles Symposium 2015 which was jointly organized by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Transportation Research Board (TRB) in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in July 2015. The topical spectrum includes, but is not limited to, public sector activities, human factors, ethical and business aspects, energy and technological perspectives, vehicle systems and transportation infrastructure. This book is an indispensable source of information for academic researchers, industrial engineers and policy makers interested in the topic of road vehicle automation.

This brief explores two of the main challenges of spatial network data analysis: the many connected components in the spatial network and the many candidates that have to be processed. Within this book, these challenges are conceptualized, well-defined problems are explored, and critical techniques are discussed.The process of summarizing spatial network data entails finding a compact description or representation of observations or activities on large spatial or spatiotemporal networks. However, summarizing spatial network data can be computationally challenging for various reasons, depending on the domain. The content has applications for professionals, organizations, and researchers in transportation safety, public safety, public health, disaster response, and related fields.

Written by a team of experts that has been working together for several years in the context of a research network involving international institutions, this book brings several applications related to smart material systems such as vibration and noise control, structural health monitoring, energy harvesting and shape memory alloys. Furthermore, this book also provides basic knowledge on the fundamentals of smart material systems and structures. Consequently, the present title serves as an important resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, it serves as a guide for engineers and scientists working with smart structures and materials both with an application and basic research perspective. Smart material systems and structures represent a new paradigm which is increasing the capabilities of engineering systems. Adaptability and versatility are some important aspects related to such systems. In brief, research on smart materials is characterized by synergistically combining different physical features, such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, and magnetic. As a result, smart material technologies have a huge potential to enhance the performance of engineering structures opening unlimited opportunities to innovation and economic benefits.

This book describes methods for distributing power in high speed, high complexity integrated circuits with power levels exceeding many tens of watts and power supplies below a volt. It provides a broad and cohesive treatment of power delivery and management systems and related design problems, including both circuit network models and design techniques for on-chip decoupling capacitors, providing insight and intuition into the behavior and design of on-chip power distribution systems. Organized into subareas to provide a more intuitive flow to the reader, this fourth edition adds more than a hundred pages of new content, including inductance models for interdigitated structures, design strategies for multi-layer power grids, advanced methods for efficient power grid design and analysis, and methodologies for simultaneously placing on-chip multiple power supplies and decoupling capacitors. The emphasis of this additional material is on managing the complexity of on-chip power distribution networks.

This book contributes to making urban rail transport fast, punctual and energy-efficient -significant factors in the importance of public transportation systems to economic, environmental and social requirements at both municipal and national levels. It proposes new methods for shortening passenger travel times and for reducing energy consumption, addressing two major topics: (1) train trajectory planning: the authors derive a nonlinear model for the operation of trains and present several approaches for calculating optimal and energy-efficient trajectories within a given schedule; and (2) train scheduling: the authors develop a train scheduling model for urban rail systems and optimization approaches with which to balance total passenger travel time with energy efficiency and other costs to the operator. Mixed-integer linear programming and pseudospectral methods are among the new methods proposed for single- and multi-train systems for the solution of the nonlinear trajectory planning problem which involves constraints such as varying speed restrictions and maximum traction/braking force. Signaling systems and their effects are also accounted for in the trajectory planning model.Origin-destination passenger demand is included in the model formulation for train scheduling. Iterative convex programming and efficient bi-level approaches are utilized in the solution of the train-scheduling problem. In addition, the splitting rates and route choices of passengers are also optimized from the system point of view. The problems and solutions described in Optimal Trajectory Planning and Train Scheduling for Urban Rail Transit Systems will interest researchers studying public transport systems and logistics whether from an academic or practitioner background as well as providing a real application for anybody studying optimization theory and predictive control.

This book provides an understanding of the nature of short-circuit currents, current interruption theories, circuit breaker types, calculations according to ANSI/IEEE and IEC standards, theoretical and practical basis of short-circuit current sources, and the rating structure of switching devices. The book aims to explain the nature of short-circuit currents, the symmetrical components for unsymmetrical faults, and matrix methods of solutions, which are invariably used on digital computers. It includes innovations, worked examples, case studies, and solved problems.

This monograph presents a tactical planning approach for service network design in metropolitan areas. Designing the service network requires the suitable aggregation of demand data as well as the anticipation of operational relocation decisions. To this end, an integrated approach of data analysis and mathematical optimization is introduced. The book also includes a case study based on real-world data to demonstrate the benefit of the proposed service network design approach. The target audience comprises primarily research experts in the field of traffic engineering, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

The work demonstrates a techno-economic model of power generation for the cost-effective integration of renewable energy sources, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. The methodological approach outlined by the author is based on periodic simulation of price variations. The result demonstrates that a 10% transition to renewable energy generation is possible, practical and affordable when supported by an effective policy framework that does not need to introduce a feed-in tariff or loan-based financial mode.

Have you ever wondered by how much CO2 emissions can be reduced by running cars electrically or with hydrogen as fuel? This Brief provides a quantitative answer to this question using the example of the combined road traffic in Spain. The authors calculate the resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the production of hydrogen gas or the required electricity and installing and maintaining the necessary infrastructure. In this way, they can compare with the GHG emissions in the present situation of oil fueled cars. Using different scenarios, they obtain an assessment how much 'greener' the electric or hydrogen cars can get.The method described in this Brief is scalable and readily adaptable to other countries. It can thus be used for investigating sensible approaches and developing recommendations for a conversion. As expected, the results depend strongly on the production scenarios for hydrogen or electricity production. The wrong choice can even result in increased GHG emissions. A proper choice of the roadmap toward a more sustainable and greener future is of greatest importance - the results described in this Brief can serve as a valuable and useful guide on our way.

This book covers the topic of vibration energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials. Piezoelectric materials are analyzed in the context of their electromechanical coupling, heterogeneity, microgeometry and interrelations between electromechanical properties. Piezoelectric ceramics and composites based on ferroelectrics are advanced materials that are suitable for harvesting mechanical energy from vibrations using inertial energy harvesting which relies on the resistance of a mass to acceleration and kinematic energy harvesting which couples the energy harvester to the relative movement of different parts of a source. In addition to piezoelectric materials, research efforts to develop optimization methods for complex piezoelectric energy harvesters are also reviewed. The book is important for specialists in the field of modern advanced materials and will stimulate new effective piezotechnical applications.

This book examines the physical and economic characteristics of the global oil resource to explain why peak oil has been so poorly understood. The author draws on information held in oil industry datasets that are not widely available outside of the specialist literature, and describes a number of methods that have been successfully used to predict oil peaks. In contrast to the widely-held view that 'all oil forecasts are wrong', these methods correctly predicted the current peak in global conventional oil production. Current oil forecasts are then compared to evaluate the expected dates for regional and global oil peaks for conventional oil, all-oils, and all-liquids. The dates of global peaks in the production of all-oil and all-liquids appear to be reasonably soon, while the oil price that is needed to support these global production levels continues to rise. The world faces serious constraints in its oil supply, which accounts for about one-third of total world energy use, and over 90% of the fuel used for transportation. Readers of this book will gain a thorough understanding of the critical, but poorly understood, phenomenon of peak oil that has already had significant impacts on society in terms of high oil prices, and which will place increasing constraints on mankind's supply of energy and economic well-being in the coming years.

The proceedings collect the latest research trends, methods and experimental results in the field of electrical and information technologies for rail transportation. The topics cover intelligent computing, information processing, communication technology, automatic control, and their applications in rail transportation etc. The proceedings can be a valuable reference work for researchers and graduate students working in rail transportation, electrical engineering and information technologies.

This book analyzes the influence of electric vehicles on microclimate and the indirect influence on power load from a unique perspective. It discusses different aspects of Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, including large and small-scale charging infrastructures, and describes the effect on electricity price, voltage, frequency and other key V2G technologies. It introduces various aspects of the influence of electric vehicles on the power grids and the control strategies for achieving economic, safe and steady grid operation using V2G technologies. This book is suitable for senior undergraduates and postgraduates majoring in electrical, transportation, or environmental engineering, as well as other related professionals.

The proceedings collect the latest research trends, methods and experimental results in the field of electrical and information technologies for rail transportation. The topics cover intelligent computing, information processing, communication technology, automatic control, and their applications in rail transportation etc. The proceedings can be a valuable reference work for researchers and graduate students working in rail transportation, electrical engineering and information technologies.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of magnetic levitation (Maglev) technologies, from fundamental principles through to the state-of-the-art, and describes applications both realised and under development. It includes a history of Maglev science and technology showing the various milestones in its advancement. The core concepts, operating principles and main challenges of Maglev applications attempted across various fields are introduced and discussed. The principle difficulties encountered when applying Maglev technology to different systems, namely air gap control and stabilization, are addressed in detail. The book describes how major advancements in linear motor and magnet technologies have enabled the development of the linear-motor-powered Maglev train, which has a high speed advantage over conventional wheeled trains and has the potential to reach speed levels achieved by aircraft. However, many expect that Maglev technology to be a green technology that is applied not only in rail transportation, but also in diverse other fields; to ensure clean transfer in LCD manufacturing, in ropeless high speed elevators, small capacity rail transportation, space vehicle launchers, missile testers, energy storage, and so on. These potential applications and their unique challenges and proposed technological solutions are introduced and discussed in depth. The book will provide readers from academia, research institutes and industry with insights on where and how to apply Maglev technology, and will serve as a guide to the realization of their Maglev applications.

This monograph focuses on the dynamical research work on crank-piston mechanisms considering basic and additional motions. In order to have full dynamical analyses of piston machines and their mechanisms, the book studies the crank-piston mechanisms with clearances in kinematic pairs. The tasks are carried out by focusing on friction, wear and impacts in mechanisms, as well as cracks formation in links and elasticity of details, with distributed and concentrated masses. Then, the reliability and durability of the mechanisms of piston machines is applied on oil and gas transportation. The monograph is meant for design specialists. It is also useful for specialists-manufacturers and designers of piston machines, scientists and lecturers, doctoral students.

This book compares the cross-border integration of infrastructures in Europe such as post, telecommunication and transportation in the 19th century and the period following the Second World War. In addition to providing a unique perspective on the development of cross-border infrastructures and the international regimes regulating them, it offers the first systematic comparison of a variety of infrastructure sectors, identifies general developmental trends and supplies theoretical explanations. In this regard, integration is defined as international standardization, network building and the establishment of international organizations to regulate cross-border infrastructures.

This book presents a universal mass-production micro/nano integrated fabrication technology, which can be used to realize micro/nano hierarchical structures on Si-based materials and flexible polymeric materials. This fabrication technology has been systematically investigated by using experimental measurements, mechanism analyses, theoretical simulations and so on. Three common materials (i.e., silicon, PDMS and Parylene-C) with micro/nano hierarchical structures have been successfully fabricated, which also show several attractive properties. Furthermore, this book introduces this fabrication technology into microenergy field, and proposes several high-performance nanogenerators, of which practical applications have also been studied in commercial electronic device and biomedical microsystem.

This short, practical book offers advice on the safe storage, handling and transportation of liquid natural gas (LNG), liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and other cryogenic fluid mixtures. It begins with a review of the physical properties of LNG and LPG, and a brief overview of basic handling and storage methods. The chapters that follow address more in-depth topics such as heat flows in LNG and LPG storage systems, insulation techniques and surface evaporation phenomena. Two chapters are then devoted to the specific sequence of problems caused by stratification and rollover, and the techniques used to manage and alleviate these issues. The book then considers the use of vacuum insulated tanks for the storage of pressurised LNG, and the effective transfer of liquids avoiding 2-phase flow. It concludes with a summary of safe storage and handling protocols, and addresses the specific health issues encountered when dealing with cryogenic liquid mixtures. Throughout the book the author presents real-life case studies to illustrate the situation being discussed. Written in a practical style, it will prove an invaluable companion to anyone working with LNG, LPG or other cryogenic liquid mixtures.

This edited monograph collects theoretical, empirical and political contributions from different fields, focusing on the commercial launch of electric mobility, and intending to shed more light on the complexity of supply and demand. It is an ongoing discussion, both in the public as well as in academia, whether or not electric mobility is capable of gaining a considerable market share in the near future. The target audience primarily comprises researchers and practitioners in the field, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students.

This book presents seven chapters examining selected noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) topics that are highly relevant for automotive vehicle development. These include applications following the major trends toward increased passenger comfort, vehicle electrification and lightweight design. The authors of the seven chapters, all of which are experts from the automotive industry and academia, present the foremost challenges and potential solutions in this demanding field. Among others, applications for sound optimization in downsized engines, noise optimization in electric powertrains, weight reduction options for exhaust systems, porous materials description, and the vibro-acoustic analysis of geared systems are discussed.

The essential guide that combines power system fundamentals with the practical aspects of equipment design and operation in modern power systems Written by an experienced power engineer, AC Circuits and Power Systems in Practice offers a comprehensive guide that reviews power system fundamentals and network theorems while exploring the practical aspects of equipment design and application. The author covers a wide-range of topics including basic circuit theorems, phasor diagrams, per-unit quantities and symmetrical component theory, as well as active and reactive power and their effects on network stability, voltage support and voltage collapse. Magnetic circuits, reactor and transformer design are analyzed, as is the operation of step voltage regulators. In addition, detailed introductions are provided to earthing systems in LV and MV networks, the adverse effects of harmonics on power equipment and power system protection. Finally, European and American engineering standards are presented where appropriate throughout the text, to familiarize the reader with their use and application. This book is written as a practical power engineering text for engineering students and recent graduates. It contains more than 400 illustrations and is designed to provide the reader with a broad introduction to the subject and to facilitate further study. Many of the examples included come from industry and are not normally covered in undergraduate syllabi. They are provided to assist in bridging the gap between tertiary study and industrial practice, and to assist the professional development of recent graduates. The material presented is easy to follow and includes both mathematical and visual representations using phasor diagrams. Problems included at the end of most chapters are designed to walk the reader through practical applications of the associated theory.

This volume contains papers presented at the International conference "The Aerodynamics of Heavy Vehicles III: Trucks, Buses and Trains" held in Potsdam, Germany, September 12-17, 2010 by Engineering Conferences International (ECI). Leading scientists and engineers from industry, universities and research laboratories, including truck and high-speed train manufacturers and operators were brought together to discuss computer simulation and experimental techniques to be applied for the design of more efficient trucks, buses and high-speed trains in the future. This conference was the third in the series after Monterey-Pacific Groove in 2002 and Lake Tahoe in 2007.The presentations address different aspects of train aerodynamics (cross wind effects, underbody flow, tunnel aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, experimental techniques), truck aerodynamics (drag reduction, flow control, experimental and computational techniques) as well as computational fluid dynamics and bluff body, wake and jet flows.

This work tackles the problems of understanding how energy is transmitted and distributed in power-grids as well as in determining how robust this transmission and distribution is when modifications to the grid or power occur. The most important outcome is the derivation of explicit relationships between the structure of the grid, the optimal transmission and distribution of energy, and the grid's collective behavior (namely, the synchronous generation of power). These relationships are extremely relevant for the design of resilient power-grid models. To allow the reader to apply these results to other complex systems, the thesis includes a review of relevant aspects of network theory, spectral theory, and novel analytical calculations to predict the existence and stability of periodic collective behavior in complex networks of phase oscillators, which constitute a paradigmatic model for many complex systems.