A Predictive Energy Management Strategies for Mining Dump Trucks

The plug-in hybrid vehicles(PHEV)technology can effectively address the issues of poor dynamics and higher energy consumption commonly found in traditional mining dump trucks.Meanwhile,plug-in hybrid electric trucks can achieve excellent fuel economy through efficient energy management strategies(EMS).Therefore,a series hybrid system is constructed based on a 100-ton mining dump truck in this paper.And inspired by the dynamic programming(DP)algorithm,a predictive equivalent consumption minimization strategy(P-ECMS)based on the DP optimization result is proposed.Based on the optimal control manifold and the SOC reference trajectory obtained by the DP algorithm,the P-ECMS strategy performs real-time stage parameter optimization to obtain the optimal equivalent factor(EF).Finally,applying the equivalent consumption minimization strategy(ECMS)realizes real-time control.The simulation results show that the equivalent fuel consumption of the P-ECMS strategy under the experimentally collected mining cycle conditions is 150.8 L/100 km,which is 10.9%less than that of the common CDCS strategy(169.3 L/100 km),and achieves 99.47%of the fuel saving effect of the DP strategy(150 L/100 km).

Intermodal Competition: Cargo Airships versus Long-Haul Trucking for Perishable Commodities

Intermodal competition changes with changes in technology, economics, and environmental concerns. Trucks and airships are generally considered not to be competitors, but this depends on the distance of haul. The tonne-kilometer cost of trucking rises much more quickly with distance than it does the cost of a cargo airship. At some distance, the two modes are direct substitutes. The costs of the Mexico-Canada refrigerated truck supply chain are compared with the costs of a 100t-lift, electrically-powered airship. The flight characteristics of the Hindenburg Zeppelin are used as a model for a modern cargo airship. The supply chain cost of trucking tomatoes is used to test the theorical proposition. The cost difference works out to about US10￠/kg (5￠/lb) advantage for trucking Mexican tomatoes to Canada. However, this cost disadvantage of the airship could be made up by their vibrationless ride, better air circulation and one-day service versus four days by truck. This alternative form of transportation could have a positive impact on worldwide north-south distribution of food. Airships can overcome trade barriers and distance to open new markets for perishable food exports. In addition, they would reduce the carbon emissions of transport. Canada imports 160,000 refrigerated truckloads of fruits and vegetables by from the southern US and Mexico. With an average driving distance of 3,000 km, these trucks emit 606,000 MT of CO2 annually. Airships powered by hydrogen fuel cells would have zero-carbon emissions. Markets are not yet incorporating the environmental advantage of airships in any freight comparison, but inevitably this will be important.

Excessive Drowsiness among Truck Drivers in Benin in 2023: Associated Factors and Risk of Crashes Occurrence

Introduction: Over-drowsiness is a condition with serious consequences, including road accidents. The condition, however, is often ignored both by carers as well as victims themselves. The aim of the present study was to investigate the factors associated with excessive drowsiness in Cotonou, Benin 2023, along with its influence on the occurrence of crashes among truck drivers. Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study, held from March 13 to April 10, 2023, focusing on large truck drivers over 18 years of age, selected by convenience from parking lots in and around the city of Cotonou. Data collected using questionnaires on socio-demographic and behavioral factors, sleeping habits and working conditions were processed using Stata 15.0 software. Excessive drowsiness was defined by a score above 10 on the Epworth scale. Associated factors were found by multiple logistic regression, at a threshold of 0.05. Results: Altogether 304 drivers, all male and aged 35.98 ± 8.42 years, were surveyed. The prevalence of excessive drowsiness was 29.2%. The associated factors identified were not practicing sport OR = 2.27, CI95% = [1.33;3.86], p = 0,002;sleep duration per working day OR = 1.82;CI95% = [1.06;3.11], p = 0,027 and average distance travelled per day OR = 3.40;CI95% = [1.53;7.56], p = 0,003. Excessive drowsiness was associated with a 1.73-fold increased risk of road accidents (CI95% [1.04;2.87];p = 0.03). Conclusion: Communicating excessive drowsiness and its associated factors to all the stakeholders in the haulage chain is essential to help prevent road accidents.

Seroprevalence Survey of HIV and Hepatitis B Virus and Behavioral Characteristics among Heavy Truck Drivers along Port Sudan-Khartoum Highways

The prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (AIDS) and hepatitis B virus among heavy truck drivers and their assistants has been well documented globally in correlation with their behavioral characteristics. The present study aimed to screen for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and behavioral characteristics among heavy truck drivers in Port Sudan. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 274 heavy truck drivers and their assistants who used the highway Port Sudan-Khartoum in Port Sudan city during 2019-2021. Data on behavioral characteristics and substance use habits were collected using a structured questionnaire, and an ELISA test was used to screen for HIV and HBV infections in the study participants. The chi-square test, odds ratio, and confidence intervals were used to find the association between behavioral characteristics and seropositive HIV/HBV. Of the 274 enrolled participants, the seroprevalence rates of HIV were 2.7% and HBV was 23.7%. Ninety-four (34.3%) of them had a history of high-risk sexual behavior outside of marriage;only two (0.7%) used condoms;14.2% of participants reported alcohol use;and 1.1% reported drug use. Univariate analysis revealed that having a sex history outside of marriage with ≥1 sex partner and never using a condom with a spouse or casual partner were significant risk factors for HIV and HBV among drivers. Fortunately, we found that most of the drivers reported low alcohol and drug use. Concerning this study, the seroprevalence of HIV and HBV is highly associated with a history of having sex outside of marriage and sexual behavior among truck drivers and assistances. Additional studies are needed to further investigate other STIs and behavioral characteristics associated with factors in truck drivers/assistance in different truck stop regions in Sudan.

基于TruckSim矿用汽车转向工况侧倾运动特性分析

车辆发生转向时,由于离心力的作用而产生侧倾运动,空载高速转向时该部分作用将更为明显,进而影响车辆平稳运输。根据悬挂系统的特性差异,对所研究矿用汽车前后悬挂的侧倾中心和侧倾轴进行分析;基于以上分析,对转向时的侧倾运动进行分析,获取关键参数的变化模型;根据理论分析结果,基于Matlab/Simulink建立车辆转向工况表征侧倾运动的分析模型;根据悬挂特性和转向特性,分别建立分析模型,与车辆多体动力学模型联合,基于TruckSim建立整车转向特征分析模型;分析在固定转向盘稳态回转试验时,车辆的行驶轨迹;对空载高速转向工况下,车辆内外轮转角特征曲线,悬挂刚度、位移、侧倾刚度等参数变化进行分析;对比分析考虑转向侧倾与否的转角特征及偏差与理论分析之间的差异,以验证分析的可靠性。结果可知:车辆内外侧悬挂缸出现伸缩跳动,此时出现了附加转向效应叠加在车轮上;车轮需要较大的侧偏角,满足侧向力的需要;此时,整车的转向角关系不单单满足Ackerman定理,还增加了轮胎的侧偏角;未考虑转向侧倾时,转角偏差值随着转角的增加而不断增大,最大偏差达到了0.4223°,而考虑时,转角偏差的目标值为0.3618°。因此表明,所建立的分析模型具有较好的分析结果,能够更精确的反应车辆转向过程中,侧倾运动各部分参数的变化,为此类研究提供参考。

A Comparative Study on the Truck Frame Stiffness with Solid and Beam Element FEA Models

Truck frames should be designed and fabricated with enough rigidity to avoid excessive deflections. Finite element analysis (FEA) plays an important role in all stages of frame designs. While being accurate, 3D solid element FEA models are built upon frame configuration details which are not feasible in the preliminary design stage, partially because of limited available design data of frames and heavy computation costs. This research develops 1D beam element FEA models for simulating frame structures. In this paper, the CAD model of a truck frame is first created. The solid element FEA analysis, which is adopted as the baseline in this study, is subsequently conducted for the stiffness of the frame, Next, beam element FEA analysis is performed for validating the feasibility of the beam element FEA model by comparing the results from the solid and beam element FEA models. It is found that the beam element FEA model can predict the frame stiffness with acceptable accuracy and reduce the computation cost significantly.

Cycle Time Analysis of Open Pit Mining Dump Trucks

This study demonstrates a practical cycle time analysis of dump truck haulage system of “Ukhaa Khudag” open-pit coal mine located in Umnugobi Province, Mongolia. It examines the possibility of minimizing the cycle time of the haulage system as well as factors impacting the speed of the dump truck. The current study divides the open pit mine road for the dump trucks into five sections which are bench road, ramp, surface road, dump road uphill, and dump road. Meanwhile, it investigates the influence of the length, the grade, and the rolling resistance of the road section on the cycle time. The data is analyzed using mathematical regression methods via Microsoft Excel program. For each of the five road sections, we compare the statistical calculations of three regression models: linear, quadratic and exponential;thus, a total of thirty regression models are obtained in this research. Accordingly, the cycle time for each road section is predicted by the most accountable model. The loaded and empty direction of the movement is measured and calculated for each road section, and it appears that the difference between the calculated mean value and the actual cycle time of the models is 0.82 seconds with a relative error of 2.51 percent.

Design and Optimization of New Smoke Exhaust Pipe for Mining Trucks

In order to improve the maintenance efficiency,extend the use time,ensure that the exhaust emission meets the standard,forthe 830E truck heating bucket exhaust pipe design defects,the current single smoke exhaust system is transformed into atime period,convertible smoke exhaust system.After the transformation,it can not only realize the side row to prevent direct corrosion of the box bucket in summer,but also realize the heating of the box bucket at low temperature in winter to prevent snow and ice and frozen blocks from sticking to the box bucket and the materials transported.After the transformation can save a lot of manpower,material resources,financial resources,improve the service life.

Application of multinomial and ordinal logistic regressionto model injury severity of truck crashes, using violationand crash data

In 2016 alone, around 4000 people died in crashes involving trucks in the USA, with 21% of these fatalities involving only single-unit trucks. Much research has identified the underlying factors for truck crashes.However, few studies detected the factors unique to single and multiple crashes, and none have examined these underlying factors to severe truck crashes in conjunction with violation data. The current research assessed all of these factors using two approaches to improve truck safety.The first approach used ordinal logistic regression to investigate the contributory factors that increased the odds of severe single-truck and multiple-vehicle crashes, with involvement of at least one truck. The literature has indicated that past violations can be used to predict future violations and crashes. Therefore, the second approach used risky violations, related to truck crashes, to identify the contributory factors to the risky violations and truck crashes. Driver actions of failure to keep proper lane following too close and driving too fast for conditions accounted for about 40% of all the truck crashes. Therefore, the same violations as the aforementioned driver actions were included in the analysis. Based on ordinal logistic regression, the analysis for the first approach indicated that being under non-normal conditions at the time of crash, driving on dry-road condition and having a distraction in the cabin are some of the factors that increase the odds of severe single-truck crashes. On the other hand,speed compliance, alcohol involvement, and posted speed limits are some of the variables that impacted the severity of multiple-vehicle, truck-involved crashes. With the second approach, the violations related to risky driver actions,which were underlying causes of severe truck crashes, were identified and analysis was run to identify the groups at increased risk of truck-involved crashes. The results of violations indicated that being nonresident, driving offpeak hours, and driving on weekends could increase the risk of truck-involved crashes. This paper offers an insight into the capability of using violation data, in addition to crash data, in identification of possible countermeasures to reduce crash frequency.

基于TruckSim的半挂汽车列车转向特性的仿真分析

通过TruckSim软件建立半挂汽车列车整车仿真模型,分别改变半挂汽车列车参数对车辆进行稳态回转仿真试验,以研究不同结构参数对半挂汽车列车转向特性的影响。结果表明:适当的增加牵引车的质量、加长牵引车轴距、加长挂车车轴距牵引车前轴距离、降低挂车质量、缩短牵引车铰接点到前轴的距离,会增加不足转向特性的趋势。

基于Trucksim的整车动力性能仿真分析

利用Trucksim软件对某重型商用车进行建模及动力性能仿真,将仿真结果与理论计算值进行比较和分析。结果表明,采用Trucksim建模仿真得到的动力性指标结果均比理论计算结果更加准确。

Trucks at Roundabouts: A Synthesis Study

Roundabouts in United States and other countries have been proved to be very successful, effective, and a safe traffic control treatment. Roundabouts in the context of regularly expected truck configuration have also been successful for effective roundabout designs;however, there are always some site specific issues for trucks accommodation at roundabouts. Therefore, there is a great need for an informational guide in the form of synthesis report for roundabout designs specific to unique trucking traffic activity. While there are not significant literatures and studies in this subject, there are few studies/reports spread out which address various issues in this subject area. This study attempts to synthesize the research and knowledge of truck accommodation at roundabouts by synthesizing various research studies, reports, and articles;various subject areas such as roundabout designs for trucking activity, roundabout designs and accommodation strategies for specialized trucking activity such as oversized trucks, truck safety at roundabouts, and motor carrier perspective of trucking at roundabouts have been analyzed and relevant knowledge has been synthesized. This synthesis can be useful o researchers, designers, planners, and decision makers to determine effective ways to address specific trucking related issues at a roundabout.

基于Trucksim的半挂汽车列车方向盘角阶跃输入工况仿真试验研究

通过Truck Sim软件建立半挂汽车列车整车仿真模型,进行方向盘角阶跃输入仿真试验,通过改变牵引车及挂车的参数,以研究不同参数对操纵稳定性的影响.试验表明:适当的增加牵引车的质量、加长牵引车轴距、加长挂车车轴距牵引车前轴的距离,降低挂车质量、缩短牵引车铰接点到前轮的距离能有效提高半挂汽车列车操纵稳定性.

A Novel Integrated Stability Control Based on Differential Braking and Active Steering for Four-axle Trucks

Di erential braking and active steering have already been integrated to overcome their shortcomings. However, existing research mainly focuses on two-axle vehicles and controllers are mostly designed to use one control method to improve the other. Moreover, many experiments are needed to improve the robustness; therefore, these control methods are underutilized. This paper proposes an integrated control system specially designed for multi-axle vehicles, in which the desired lateral force and yaw moment of vehicles are determined by the sliding mode control algorithm. The output of the sliding mode control is distributed to the suitable wheels based on the abilities and potentials of the two control methods. Moreover, in this method, fewer experiments are needed, and the robustness and simultaneity are both guaranteed. To simplify the optimization system and to improve the computation speed, seven simple optimization subsystems are designed for the determination of control outputs on each wheel. The simulation results show that the proposed controller obviously enhances the stability of multi-axle trucks. The system improves 68% of the safe velocity, and its performance is much better than both di erential braking and active steering. This research proposes an integrated control system that can simultaneously invoke di erential braking and active steering of multi-axle vehicles to fully utilize the abilities and potentials of the two control methods.

State Estimation of the Electric Drive Articulated Dump Truck Based on UKF

The requirements of vehicle dynamic stability control are higher than ever as the significant increase of electric drive articulated vehicle speed. According to the construction features of articulated dumping truck and nonlinear characteristics of moving vehicles,nonlinear observer of vehicle status is designed to strength robustness of dynamic control system in this paper. A 4-degree-of-freedom nonlinear dynamic model of articulated electric drive vehicle is built as reference model to estimate the state of the articulated vehicle. And by adopting Unscented Kalman Filter( UKF) algorithm,a series of state parameters such as longitudinal velocities of front and rear frames,yaw rate and side-slip angle are estimated. During the test of 60 t articulated electric drive vehicle,2 inertial navigation modules are installed in the front frame and rear frame respectively and the speed of each electric drive wheel is obtained simultaneously. As the test results suggest,in various working conditions,the algorithm based on UKF is able to accurately estimate the state parameters of articulated vehicle with the estimated error less than 5%. The proposed method is justified to be the theoretical basis and application guidance for articulated vehicle stability control.

A comparison of strategic mine planning approaches for in-pit crushing and conveying, and truck/shovel systems

In a global environment where energy and labor are becoming increasingly expensive, continuous mining systems such as In-Pit Crushing and Conveying(IPCC) systems have been advanced as offering a real alternative to conventional truck haulage systems. The implementation of IPCC systems in hard rock operations in open pit mines however requires different and more comprehensive planning approaches in order to adequately reflect the practical aspects associated with these. This paper investigates the impact that these approaches may have on the implementation of IPCC systems on a basic metalliferous deposit amenable to open pit exploitation. A strategic life of mine plan to provide numerous economic indicators for each approach is analyzed and compared to traditional truck haulage systems. The mine planning and evaluation process highlights the increased overall resource recovery that may accompany the use of IPCC systems. This investigation also provides insights into the issues associated with IPCC and the scale and type of operation and orebody that is likely to provide a feasible alternative to truck haulage.

Rollover Prevention and Motion Planning for an Intelligent Heavy Truck

It is very necessary for an intelligent heavy truck to have the ability to prevent rollover independently.However,it was rarely considered in intelligent vehicle motion planning.To improve rollover stability,a motion planning strategy with autonomous anti rollover ability for an intelligent heavy truck is put forward in this paper.Considering the influence of unsprung mass in the front axle and the rear axle and the body roll stiffness on vehicle rollover stability,a rollover dynamics model is built for the intelligent heavy truck.From the model,a novel rollover index is derived to evaluate vehicle rollover risk accurately,and a model predictive control algorithm is applicated to design the motion planning strategy for the intelligent heavy truck,which integrates the vehicle rollover stability,the artificial potential field for the obstacle avoidance,the path tracking and vehicle dynamics constrains.Then,the optimal path is obtained to meet the requirements that the intelligent heavy truck can avoid obstacles and drive stably without rollover.In addition,three typical scenarios are designed to numerically simulate the dynamic performance of the intelligent heavy truck.The results show that the proposed motion planning strategy can avoid collisions and improve vehicle rollover stability effectively even under the worst driving scenarios.

应用TruckSim自卸车操纵稳定性在环仿真平台研究

自卸车良好的操纵稳定性既保证整车正常运行,也保证矿山正常生产运营。根据自卸车整车结构特点和设计参数,基于TruckSim搭建所研究自卸车整车动力学模型,包括电传动系统、悬架系统、转向系统和轮胎等。将悬架系统K&C特性作为整车模型唯一可变输入。基于动力学模型进行操纵稳定性开环仿真,包括方向盘角阶跃、角脉冲和稳态回转仿真。基于TruckSim整车模型,结合PXI实时硬件和Labview搭建整车操纵稳定性驾驶员在环仿真平台,对整车进行双移线工况下闭环试验,对整车操纵稳定性进行分析。分析结果表明:总体上能够很好响应驾驶员操纵并沿着目标路径行驶,且转向轻便;但行驶路径与期望路径存在一定差异,驾驶员需要多次调整转向盘转角才能完成双移线;研究内容和研究结论为进一步实车测试提供参考依据。

Optimization model of truck flow at open-pit mines and standards for feasibility test

In order to increase production efficiency at open-pit mines, on the basis oflinear programming, a practical mathematical model for optimizing truck flow was developed, whichimproved the traditional fixed manual schedule method. The model has advantages from linearprogramming and objective programming, makes most handling points working at full capacity and keepsan optimized ratio between trucks and excavators. For ensuring feasibility of the model inpractical production, four standards for feasibility test were proposed. The model satisfied all thestandards. The application in a large scale open-pit iron mine indicated that the model reduced thenumber of required trucks by 10 percent compared with the fixed manual schedule method.

A metaheuristic method for the multireturn-to-depot petrol truck routing problem with time windows

The petrol truck routing problem is an important part of the petrol supply chain.This study focuses on determining routes for distributing petrol products from a depot to petrol stations with the objective of minimizing the total travel cost and the fixed cost required to use the trucks.We propose a mathematical model that considers petrol trucks returning to a depot multiple times and develop a heuristic algorithm based on a local branch-and-bound search with a tabu list and the Metropolis acceptance criterion.In addition,an approach that accelerates the solution process by adding several valid inequalities is presented.In this study,the trucks are homogeneous and have two compartments,and each truck can execute at most three tasks daily.The sales company arranges the transfer amount and the time windows for each station.The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by comparing its results with the optimal results.In addition,a real-world case of routing petrol trucks in Beijing is studied to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.