Effect of temperature gradientinduced periodic deformation of CRTS Ⅲ slab track on dynamic responses of the train-track system

Purpose-Temperature is an important load for a ballastless track.However,little research has been conducted on the dynamic responses when a train travels on a ballastless track under the temperature gradient.The dynamic responses under different temperature gradients of the slab are theoretically investigated in this work.Design/methodology/approach-Considering the moving train,the temperature gradient of the slab,and the gravity of the slab track,a dynamic model for a high-speed train that runs along the CRTS Ⅲ slab track on subgrade is developed by a nonlinear coupled way in Abaqus.Findings-The results are as follows:(1)The upward transmission of the periodic deformation of the slab causes periodic track irregularity.(2)Because of the geometric constraint of limiting structures,the maximum bending stresses of the slab occur near the end of the slab under positive temperature gradients,but in the middle of the slab under negative temperature gradients.(3)The periodic deformation of the slab can induce periodic changes in the interlayer stiffness and contact status,leading to a large vibration of the slab.Because of the vibration-reduction capacity of the fastener and the larger mass of the concrete base,the accelerations of both the slab and concrete base are far less than the acceleration of the rail.Originality/value-This study reveals the influence mechanism of temperature gradient-induced periodic deformation in the dynamic responses of the train-track system,and it also provides a guide for the safe service of CRTS Ⅲ slab track.

Testing and Approval Procedures for New Slab Track Systems in Europe

This paper describes the required testing and approval procedures of new track systems operated in Europe. To begin with, test methods and performance specifications according to European Standard （EN） are outlined. These include the repeated loading test, the determination of the static and dynamic stiffness of rail pads, clamping force and longitudinal rail resistance. The fact that labor tests are unable to simulate all the conditions in situ shows that these labor tests are not sufficient for the evaluation of the long term behaviour of a new track system： a test track of sufficient length must be constructed and exposed to traffic loads. In Europe to be accredited as a new system, a new slab track system must have a trial time of more than two years, during which the features of the whole system can be recognized. In the second part of this paper, the experience of the Institute of Road, Railway and Airfield Construction of TUM concerning the measuring methods of slab track systems carrying traffic are outlined. Also the approval procedure of the new slab tracks in Germany is discussed.

Analysis theory of spatial vibration of high-speed train and slab track system

The motor and trailer cars of a high-speed train were modeled as a multi-rigid body system with two suspensions. According to structural characteristic of a slab track, a new spatial vibration model of track segment element of the slab track was put forward. The spatial vibration equation set of the high-speed train and slab track system was then established on the basis of the principle of total potential energy with stationary value in elastic system dynamics and the rule of ＂set-in-right-position＂ for formulating system matrices. The equation set was solved by the Wilson-θ direct integration method. The contents mentioned above constitute the analysis theory of spatial vibration of high-speed train and slab track system. The theory was then verified by the high-speed running experiment carried out on the slab track in the Qinghuangdao-Shenyang passenger transport line. The results show that the calculated results agree well with the measured rcsults, such as the calculated lateral and vertical rail displacements are 0.82 mm and 0.9 mm and the measured ones 0.75 mm and 0.93 mm, respectively; the calculated lateral and vertical wheel-rail forces are 8.9 kN and 102.3 kN and the measured ones 8.6 kN and 80.2 kN, respectively. The interpolation method, that is, the lateral finite strip and slab segment element, for slab deformation proposed is of simplification and applicability compared with the traditional plate element method. All of these demonstrate the reliability of the theory proposed.

Effect of cross-wind on spatial vibration responses of train and track system

By taking cross-wind forces acting on trains into consideration, a dynamic analysis method of the cross-wind and high-speed train and slab track system was proposed on the basis of the analysis theory of spatial vibration of high-speed train and slab track system. The corresponding computer program was written by FORTRAN language. The dynamic responses of the high-speed train and slab track under cross-wind action were calculated. Meanwhile, the effects of the cross-wind on the dynamic responses of the system were also analyzed. The results show that the cross-wind has a significant influence on the lateral and vertical displacement responses of the car body, load reduction factor and overturning factor. For example, the maximum lateral displacement responses of the car body of the first trailer with and without cross-wind forces are 32.10 and 1.60 mm, respectively. The maximum vertical displacement responses of the car body of the first trailer with and without cross-wind forces are 6.60 and 3.29 mm, respectively. The maximum wheel load reduction factors of the first trailer with and without cross-wind forces are 0.43 and 0.22, respectively. The maximum overturning factors of the first trailer with and without cross-wind forces are 0.28 and 0.08, respectively. The cross-wind affects the derailment factor and lateral Sperling factor of the moving train to a certain extent. However, the lateral and vertical displacement responses of rails with the crnss-wind are almost the same as those without the cross-wind. The method presented and the corresponding computer program can be used to calculate the interaction between trains and track in cross-wind.

Rotational Friction Damper’s Performance for Controlling Seismic Response of High Speed Railway Bridge-Track System

CRTS-II slab ballastless track on bridge is a unique system in China high speed railway.The application of longitudinal continuous track system has obviously changed dynamic characteristics of bridge structure.The bridge system and CRTS-II track system form a complex nonlinear system.To investigate the seismic response of high speed railway(HSR)simply supported bridge-track system,nonlinear models of three-span simply supported bridge with piers of different height and CRTS-II slab ballastless track system are established.By seismic analysis,it is found that shear alveolar in CRTS-II track system is more prone to be damaged than bridge components,such as piers,girders and bearings.The result shows that the inconsistent displacement of bridge girders is the main cause of the CRTS-II track system’s damage.Then the rotational friction damper(RFD)is adopted,which utilizes the device’s rotation and friction to dissipate seismic energy.The hysteretic behavior of RFD is studied by numerical and experimental methods.Results prove that RFD can provide good hysteretic energy dissipation ability with stable performance.Furthermore,the analysis of RFD’s influence on seismic response of HSR bridge-track system shows that RFD with larger sliding force is more effective in controlling excessive inconsistent displacement where RFD is installed,though response of other bridge spans could slightly deteriorated.

Modeling of miner track system during steering motion

Equipment for deep sea mining has risen from a position of virtual non-existence to a major industrial significance and in deep sea bed mining, the miner is the key equipment of the whole system that charges with the most complex and dangerous task.Evaluation of trafficability for tracked vehicles for deep sea mining is essential. Rare earth elements(REEs) are used in a wide range of modern applications. These applications are highly specific and substitutes are inferior or unknown. One possible source of the REE could be the poly-metallic nodule, at present explored in the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean. In developing miners of high performance, dynamic behaviour should be investigated under various traveling conditions. The mechanics of tracked vehicles is of continuing interest to organizations and agencies that specify design and operate tracked vehicles. Most works done are on the complete track vehicle system but in this work the research activity is aimed only at the track system with the basic aim of optimizing the track system design so that it can be manufactured by using the minimum resources. Equations and models are developed for the track system of a miner during steering motion. These equations and models could further be used for design optimization of the track system.

Probe into the double track system reform of the old age insurance system

In recent years, with the development of socialist market economy is gradually perfect, the endowment insurance system gradually affects people＇s daily life, the old-age insurance benefits of the ＂dual track＂ operation of the drawbacks caused by more and more people＇s attention, so the old-age insurance system reform, not only is the national endowment for the special requirements of self. It is the realization of China＇s social security reform priority among priorities. Based on the endowment insurance system of endowment insurance system reform, the interpretation of the resistance, found that at present our country how to deal with the problems of merger reform, discuss how to better realize the merger of the pension insurance system.

Prescribed Performance Tracking Control of Time-Delay Nonlinear Systems With Output Constraints

The problem of prescribed performance tracking control for unknown time-delay nonlinear systems subject to output constraints is dealt with in this paper. In contrast with related works, only the most fundamental requirements, i.e., boundedness and the local Lipschitz condition, are assumed for the allowable time delays. Moreover, we focus on the case where the reference is unknown beforehand, which renders the standard prescribed performance control designs under output constraints infeasible. To conquer these challenges, a novel robust prescribed performance control approach is put forward in this paper.Herein, a reverse tuning function is skillfully constructed and automatically generates a performance envelop for the tracking error. In addition, a unified performance analysis framework based on proof by contradiction and the barrier function is established to reveal the inherent robustness of the control system against the time delays. It turns out that the system output tracks the reference with a preassigned settling time and good accuracy,without constraint violations. A comparative simulation on a two-stage chemical reactor is carried out to illustrate the above theoretical findings.

Reinforcement learning based adaptive control for uncertain mechanical systems with asymptotic tracking

This paper mainly focuses on the development of a learning-based controller for a class of uncertain mechanical systems modeled by the Euler-Lagrange formulation.The considered system can depict the behavior of a large class of engineering systems,such as vehicular systems,robot manipulators and satellites.All these systems are often characterized by highly nonlinear characteristics,heavy modeling uncertainties and unknown perturbations,therefore,accurate-model-based nonlinear control approaches become unavailable.Motivated by the challenge,a reinforcement learning(RL)adaptive control methodology based on the actor-critic framework is investigated to compensate the uncertain mechanical dynamics.The approximation inaccuracies caused by RL and the exogenous unknown disturbances are circumvented via a continuous robust integral of the sign of the error(RISE)control approach.Different from a classical RISE control law,a tanh(·)function is utilized instead of a sign(·)function to acquire a more smooth control signal.The developed controller requires very little prior knowledge of the dynamic model,is robust to unknown dynamics and exogenous disturbances,and can achieve asymptotic output tracking.Eventually,co-simulations through ADAMS and MATLAB/Simulink on a three degrees-of-freedom(3-DOF)manipulator and experiments on a real-time electromechanical servo system are performed to verify the performance of the proposed approach.

Path Tracking Controller Design of Automated Parking Systems via NMPC with an Instructible Solution

Parking difficulties have become a social issue that people have to solve.Automated parking system is practicable for quick par operations without a driver which can also greatly reduces the probability of parking accidents.The paper proposes a Lyapunov-based nonlinear model predictive controller embedding an instructable solution which is generated by the modified rear-wheel feedback method(RF-LNMPC)in order to improve the overall path tracking accuracy in parking conditions.Firstly,A discrete-time RF-LNMPC considering the position and attitude of the parking vehicle is proposed to increase the success rate of automated parking effectively.Secondly,the RF-LNMPC problem with a multi-objective cost function is solved by the Interior-Point Optimization,of which the iterative initial values are described as the instructable solutions calculated by combining modified rear-wheel feedback to improve the performance of local optimal solution.Thirdly,the details on the computation of the terminal constraint and terminal cost for the linear time-varying case is presented.The closed-loop stability is verified via Lyapunov techniques by considering the terminal constraint and terminal cost theoretically.Finally,the proposed RF-LNMPC is implemented on a selfdriving Lincoln MKZ platform and the experiment results have shown improved performance in parallel and vertical parking conditions.The Monte Carlo analysis also demonstrates good stability and repeatability of the proposed method which can be applied in practical use in the near future.

Fixed-Time Antidisturbance Consensus Tracking for Nonlinear Multiagent Systems With Matching and Mismatching Disturbances

In this paper,fixed-time consensus tracking for mul-tiagent systems(MASs)with dynamics in the form of strict feed-back affine nonlinearity is addressed.A fixed-time antidistur-bance consensus tracking protocol is proposed,which consists of a distributed fixed-time observer,a fixed-time disturbance observer,a nonsmooth antidisturbance backstepping controller,and the fixed-time stability analysis is conducted by using the Lyapunov theory correspondingly.This paper includes three main improvements.First,a distributed fixed-time observer is developed for each follower to obtain an estimate of the leader’s output by utilizing the topology of the communication network.Second,a fixed-time disturbance observer is given to estimate the lumped disturbances for feedforward compensation.Finally,a nonsmooth antidisturbance backstepping tracking controller with feedforward compensation for lumped disturbances is designed.In order to mitigate the“explosion of complexity”in the tradi-tional backstepping approach,we have implemented a modified nonsmooth command filter to enhance the performance of the closed-loop system.The simulation results show that the pro-posed method is effective.

A framework for dynamic modelling of railway track switches considering the switch blades,actuators and control systems

The main contribution of this paper is the development and demonstration of a novel methodology that can be followed to develop a simulation twin of a railway track switch system to test the functionality in a digital environment.This is important because,globally,railway track switches are used to allow trains to change routes;they are a key part of all railway networks.However,because track switches are single points of failure and safety-critical,their inability to operate correctly can cause significant delays and concomitant costs.In order to better understand the dynamic behaviour of switches during operation,this paper has developed a full simulation twin of a complete track switch system.The approach fuses finite element for the rail bending and motion,with physics-based models of the electromechanical actuator system and the control system.Hence,it provides researchers and engineers the opportunity to explore and understand the design space around the dynamic operation of new switches and switch machines before they are built.This is useful for looking at the modification or monitoring of existing switches,and it becomes even more important when new switch concepts are being considered and evaluated.The simulation is capable of running in real time or faster meaning designs can be iterated and checked interactively.The paper describes the modelling approach,demonstrates the methodology by developing the system model for a novel“REPOINT”switch system,and evaluates the system level performance against the dynamic performance requirements for the switch.In the context of that case study,it is found that the proposed new actuation system as designed can meet(and exceed)the system performance requirements,and that the fault tolerance built into the actuation ensures continued operation after a single actuator failure.

Research on the strain gauge mounting scheme of track wheel force measurement system based on high-speed wheel/rail relationship test rig

Purpose-This paper aims to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface and study the optimal strain gauge location for force measurement system of the track wheel.Design/methodology/approach-Finite element method was employed to analyze the stress and strain distribution on the track wheel web surface under varying wheel-rail forces.Locations with minimal coupling interference between vertical and lateral forces were identified as suitable for strain gauge installation.Findings-The results show that due to the track wheel web’s unique curved shape and wheel-rail force loading mechanism,both tensile and compressive states exit on the surface of the web.When vertical force is applied,Mises stress and strain are relatively high near the inner radius of 710 mm and the outer radius of 1110mmof the web.Under lateral force,high Mises stress and strain are observed near the radius of 670mmon the inner and outer sides of the web.As the wheel-rail force application point shifts laterally toward the outer side,the Mises stress and strain near the inner radius of 710 mm of the web gradually decrease under vertical force while gradually increasing near the outer radius of 1110 mm of the web.Under lateral force,the Mises stress and strain on the surface of the web remain relatively unchanged regardless of the wheel-rail force application point.Based on the analysis of stress and strain on the surface of the web under different wheel-rail forces,the inner radius of 870 mm is recommended as the optimal mounting location of strain gauges for measuring vertical force,while the inner radius of 1143 mm is suitable for measuring lateral force.Originality/value-The research findings provide valuable insights for determining optimal strain gauge locations and designing an effective track wheel force measurement system.

Practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control for uncertain nonlinear systems with time-varying actuators faults

The paper investigates the practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control problem for a category of nonlinear system subject to time-varying actuator faults.The presence of unknown nonlinear dynamics and actuator faults makes achieving tracking control within a prescribed-time challenging.To tackle this issue,we propose a novel practical prescribed-time fuzzy tracking control strategy,which is independent of the initial state of the system and does not rely on precise modeling of the system and actuators.We apply the approximation capabilities of fuzzy logic systems to handle the unknown nonlinear functions and unidentified actuator faults in the system.The piecewise controller and adaptive law constructed based on piecewise prescribed time-varying function and backstepping technique method establish the theoretical framework of practical prescribed-time tracking control,and extend the range of prescribed-time tracking control to infinity.Regardless of the initial conditions,the proposed control strategy can guarantee that all signals remain uniformly bounded within the practical prescribed time in the presence of unknown nonlinear item and time-varying actuator faults.Simulation example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

Probabilistic Global Maximum Power Point Tracking Algorithm for Continuously Varying Partial Shading Conditions on Autonomous PV Systems

A photovoltaic (PV) string with multiple modules with bypass diodes frequently deployed on a variety of autonomous PV systems may present multiple power peaks under uneven shading. For optimal solar harvesting, there is a need for a control schema to force the PV string to operate at global maximum power point (GMPP). While a lot of tracking methods have been proposed in the literature, they are usually complex and do not fully take advantage of the available characteristics of the PV array. This work highlights how the voltage at operating point and the forward voltage of the bypass diode are considered to design a global maximum power point tracking (GMPPT) algorithm with a very limited global search phase called Fast GMPPT. This algorithm successfully tracks GMPP between 94% and 98% of the time under a theoretical evaluation. It is then compared against Perturb and Observe, Deterministic Particle Swarm Optimization, and Grey Wolf Optimization under a sequence of irradiance steps as well as a power-over-voltage characteristics profile that mimics the electrical characteristics of a PV string under varying partial shading conditions. Overall, the simulation with the sequence of irradiance steps shows that while Fast GMPPT does not have the best convergence time, it has an excellent convergence rate as well as causes the least amount of power loss during the global search phase. Experimental test under varying partial shading conditions shows that while the GMPPT proposal is simple and lightweight, it is very performant under a wide range of dynamically varying partial shading conditions and boasts the best energy efficiency (94.74%) out of the 4 tested algorithms.

Trajectory Tracking for MmWave Communication Systems via Cooperative Passive Sensing

A cooperative passive sensing framework for millimeter wave(mmWave)communication systems is proposed and demonstrated in a scenario with one mobile signal blocker.Specifically,in the uplink communication with at least two transmitters,a cooperative detection method is proposed for the receiver to track the blocker’s trajectory,localize the transmitters and detect the potential link blockage jointly.To facilitate detection,the receiver collects the signal of each transmitter along a line-of-sight(LoS)path and a non-line-of-sight(NLoS)path separately via two narrow-beam phased arrays.The NLoS path involves scattering at the mobile blocker,allowing its identification through the Doppler frequency.By comparing the received signals of both paths,the Doppler frequency and angle-of-arrival(AoA)of the NLoS path can be estimated.To resolve the blocker’s trajectory and the transmitters’locations,the receiver should continuously track the mobile blocker to accumulate sufficient numbers of the Doppler frequency and AoA versus time observations.Finally,a gradient-descent-based algorithm is proposed for joint detection.With the reconstructed trajectory,the potential link blockage can be predicted.It is demonstrated that the system can achieve decimeterlevel localization and trajectory estimation,and predict the blockage time with an error of less than 0.1 s.

A Study of Pharmacist-Patient Communication: Examining Optimal Distance and Angle Using an Eye-Tracking System

This study focuses on seating arrangement and interpersonal distance as important aspects of nonverbal communication and aims to elucidate the optimal distance and angle between pharmacist and patient through an analysis based on the subjective evaluation of the patient and the objective evaluation of eye movements. Seven female simulated patients and one male and one female pharmacist cooperated as patients and pharmacists, respectively. The medication teaching scenes were set up with three pharmacist placements (face-to-face at 50 cm and 70 cm, 90-degree at 70 cm) and three hospital rooms (0-degree, 45-degree, 90-degree). Pupil diameter, blink rate, saccades, and fixation rate of the patient at each of these locations were measured using a Tobii Pro Glass 2. The patient’s subjective evaluation at each placement was also investigated using the conversation scale, which assesses the optimal distance for conversation. The results for the pharmacy setting revealed that pupils were significantly more mydriatic at the 50 cm point than at the other points. The results for the hospital room setting showed the greatest mydriasis at the 0-degree point. The result of the 50 cm point for the pharmacy setting and the 0-degree point for the hospital room setting was similar to that of the subjective evaluation. When the likelihood of saccades occurrence in the hospital room setting was compared, saccades were found to be most likely to occur when medication instructions were given to patients at the 0-degree point. We believe that using pupil diameter for interpersonal distance, and saccades for angle will enable more accurate determinations of the optimal distance and angle between pharmacist and patient. The results of the present study suggest that the 70 cm face-to-face point in the pharmacy and the 45-degree point in the ward may be suitable for medication instruction.

Theoretical and Experimental Quantification of Solar Radiation through a Tracking System

This work deals with the estimation of solar radiation through a solar tracker aimed at evaluating the effect of solar tracking on the solar deposit in Burkina Faso. Using a two-axis solar tracking system, we experimentally measured solar radiation at our Joseph KI-ZERBO University site and compared it with that obtained by a numerical simulation run using Fortran programming software based on a mathematical model by Brichambaut. The results obtained from the mathematical and experimental studies show that, with a solar tracker, on a clear-sky day, solar irradiation is between 800 W·m−2 and 1000 W·m−2 between about 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., i.e. a duration of 8 hours of insolation. Analysis of the numerical and experimental results shows very good quantitative and qualitative agreement, with an average relative error of 18%.

Tracking Control of Multi-Agent Systems Using a Networked Predictive PID Tracking Scheme

With the rapid development of network technology and control technology,a networked multi-agent control system is a key direction of modern industrial control systems,such as industrial Internet systems.This paper studies the tracking control problem of networked multi-agent systems with communication constraints,where each agent has no information on the dynamics of other agents except their outputs.A networked predictive proportional integral derivative(PPID)tracking scheme is proposed to achieve the desired tracking performance,compensate actively for communication delays,and simplify implementation in a distributed manner.This scheme combines the past,present and predictive information of neighbour agents to form a tracking error signal for each agent,and applies the proportional,integral,and derivative of the agent tracking error signal to control each individual agent.The criteria of the stability and output tracking consensus of multi-agent systems with the networked PPID tracking scheme are derived through detailed analysis on the closed-loop systems.The effectiveness of the networked PPID tracking scheme is illustrated via an example.

Cubature Kalman Filter Based Millimeter Wave Beam Tracking for OTFS Systems

In this paper,a Millimeter wave(mmWave)beam tracking problem is studied in orthogonal time frequency space(OTFS)systems.Considering the nonlinearity of beamforming and the constraints of existing Kalman-filtering based beam tracking schemes,we propose a novel Cubature Kalman Filter(CKF)framework tracking the channel state information(CSI)to manage the challenge of highspeed channel variation in single-user moving scene for OTFS systems.Aiming for low complexity for mobile settings,this paper trains only one beam pair to track a path to maintain the reliable communication link in the analog beamforming architecture.Simulation results show that our proposed method has better tracking performance to improve the accuracy of the estimated beam angle compared with prior work.