Challenges of the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation in Financing the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network and the Way Forward: The Case of Standard Gauge Railway in Tanzania

Financing of the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN) through Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Projects is very expensive. As a result, most of the African countries seek financial supports from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). However, conditions provided by the IFIs through the Performance Standards (PS) of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) increase cost of the projects and thus, it becomes a burden to most of the African countries. This study aimed to explore the causes of IFC-PS through the SGR Projects that escalate costs and how to address them. The Tanzania SGR Lot 1 Project that covered 205 km from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro was selected as a case study. The methods used for data collection involved literature review, focus group discussions and interviews. The results and findings show a gap between the IFC-PS and the National Laws and Regulations that escalates costs of the projects if funds from the IFIs were to be secured. To bridge the gap, it is recommended that the African countries should engage into negotiations with the IFIs to agree to waive IFC-PS conditions that escalate costs provided they are adequately covered in the national laws and regulations;engagement of locally established national and regional financial institutions;and the responsible government institutions in the African countries should sit together for assessment and review of the IFC-PS against the national laws and regulations.

Switching Frequency Improvement of a High Speed on/off Valve Based on Pre-excitation Control Algorithm

The high-speed on/off valve(HSV)serves as the fundamental component responsible for generating discrete fluids within digital hydraulic systems.As the switching frequency of the HSV increases,the properties of the generated discrete fluid approach those of continuous fluids.Therefore,a higher frequency response characteristic of HSV is the key to ensure the control accuracy of digital hydraulic systems.However,the current research mainly focuses on its dynamic performance,but neglect its FRC.This paper presents a theoretical analysis demonstrating that the FRC of the HSV can be enhanced by minimizing its switching time.The maximum switching frequency(MSF)is mainly determined by opening dynamic performance when HSV operates with low switching duty ratio(SDR),whereas the closing dynamic performance limits the MSF when HSV operates with high SDR.Building upon these findings,the pre-excitation control algorithm(PECA)is proposed to reduce the switching time of the HSV,and consequently enhance its FRC.Experimental results demonstrate that PECA shortens the opening delay time of HSV by 1.12 ms,the closing delay time by 2.54 ms,and the closing moving time by 0.47 ms in comparison to the existing advanced control algorithms.As a result,a larger MSF of 417 Hz and a wider controllable SDR range from 20%to 70%were achieved at a switching frequency of 250 Hz.Thus,the proposed PFCA in this paper has been verified as an effective and promising approach for enhancing the control performance of digital hydraulic systems.

Research on the cutting performance and the wear mechanism of the cermet cutter in high speed turn-milling

When machining D60 steel by high speed turn-milling under the different cooling and lubricating conditions, the cutting performance and the wear mechanism of the cermet cutter are researched. With water soluble cooling fluid, the wear performance of the cermet cutter is bad, and does not adapt to the requirements of machining. However, when machining D60 by high speed turn-milling is under dry conditions, the wearing performance of the cermet cutter is very good and the cutting time lasts almost 3 hours. The wear mechanism of the cermet cutter under the water soluble cooling fluid is different from the dry condition. With the water soluble cooling fluid, a great deal of little chap units are formed since high frequency alternates heat stress. The crash and desquamate of these chap units is the main cause of the cutter wearing. Under dry cutting conditions, it is the main cause of cermet cutter wear in the felting phase intenerating causing rigid phase grains to fall.

Dynamic Performance of High Speed Solenoid Valve with Parallel Coils

The methods of improving the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve include increasing the magnetic force of armature and the slew rate of coil current, decreasing the mass and stroke of moving parts. The increase of magnetic force usually leads to the decrease of current slew rate, which could increase the delay time of the dynamic response of solenoid valve. Using a high voltage to drive coil can solve this contradiction, but a high driving voltage can also lead to more cost and a decrease of safety and reliability. In this paper, a new scheme of parallel coils is investigated, in which the single coil of solenoid is replaced by parallel coils with same ampere turns. Based on the mathematic model of high speed solenoid valve, the theoretical formula for the delay time of solenoid valve is deduced. Both the theoretical analysis and the dynamic simulation show that the effect of dividing a single coil into N parallel sub-coils is close to that of driving the single coil with N times of the original driving voltage as far as the delay time of solenoid valve is concerned. A specific test bench is designed to measure the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve. The experimental results also prove that both the delay time and switching time of the solenoid valves can be decreased greatly by adopting the parallel coil scheme. This research presents a simple and practical method to improve the dynamic performance of high speed on/off solenoid valve.

Influence of dynamic unbalance of wheelsets on the dynamic performance of high-speed cars

With further increasing in running speed of newer high-speed EMUs（electric multiple units）,higher demand for wheelset dynamic balance is required.In order to study the influence of the dynamic unbalance of wheelset on the stability,ride quality,and curving performance for a high-speed car,a detailed dynamic model of a high-speed EMU car is established using the software SIMPACK.The analysis results indicate that the dynamic unbalance of the wheelset significantly influences the dynamic performance of the high-speed car.The increase in dynamic unbalance of the wheelset will decrease the hunting critical speed,worsen the vertical ride quality,and increase the wheelset lateral force,derailment coefficient,and wheel unloading ratio.Therefore,in order to improve the stability,ride quality,and running safety of high-speed car,the values of dynamic unbalance of wheelset should be strictly controlled in manufacturing,and periodically monitored in operation.

Investigation on Rapidly Solidified T15 High Speed Steel Powder and Its Bulk Microcrystalline Material

Authors produced rapidly solidified T15 high speed steel powders by high pressure(5~ 6MPa) N_a atomization and liquid N_2 cooling,observed and analyzed the morphology and structure of the powders;at the same time,prepared bulk microcrystalline T15 high speed steel materials by hot extruding or HIPing and hot rolling of the powders,observed and measured the microstructure and performance of the bulk materials.It was shown that rapid solidification may change the solidification characteristics and structure of T15 high speed steel powder and improve the qualities and properties of T15 high speed steel materials.

A multidimensional examination of performances of HSR (High-Speed Rail) systems

This paper deals with a multidimensional examination of the infrastructural, technical/technological, operational, economic, social, and environmental performances of high-speed rail （HSR） systems, including their overview, analysis of some real-life cases, and limited （analytical） modeling. The infrastructural performances reflect design and geometrical characteristics of the HSR lines and stations. The technical/technological performances relate to the characteristics of rolling stock, i.e., high-speed trains, and supportive facilities and equipment, i.e., the power supply, signaling, and traffic control and management system（s）. The operational performances include the capacity and productivity of HSR lines and rolling stock, and quality of services. The economic per- formances refer to the HSR systems＇ costs, revenues, and their relationship. The social performances relate to the impacts of HSR systems on the society such as congestion, noise, and safety, and their externalities, and the effects in terms of contribution to the local and global/country social- economic development. Finally, the environmental performances of the HSR systems reflect their energy consumption and related emissions of green house gases, land use, and corresponding externalities.

Novel Rotors with Low Eddy Current Loss for High Speed Permanent Magnet Machines

Due to the large rotor eddy current loss and low thermal conductivity of carbon fiber sleeve,the high temperature usually occurs in high speed permanent magnet machines(HSPMMs)at the rated operation condition,resulting in irreversible demagnetization of the permanent magnet(PM).To obtain low rotor temperature,two novel rotor structures with low rotor eddy current loss are proposed in this paper.With the output torque and air gap flux density unchanged,the performance of HSPMMs with the two proposed rotor structures are analyzed based on finite element algorithm(FEA),including eddy current loss and temperature.Finally,the appropriate parameters of the proposed rotor structures are selected,and the electromagnetic(EM)performance,rotor stress and temperature are compared with those of the conventional rotor structure.Index Terms-Eddy current loss,finite element algorithm(FEA),electromagnetic(EM)performance,high speed permanent magnet machines(HSPMMs).

High－Performance Network Communications for CSCW

Computer supported cooperative work as a new multi disciplinary research area, brings a lot of new challenges for the computer technologies. Having analyzed the CSCW applications by using the groupware space time matrix, we conclude that the communicatio

Control method of unfavorable speed interval for high-speed trains

In tests on dynamic performance of high-speed trains, it is found that there is an unfavorable speed interval for some vehicles, which would he harmful to the daily operation of the vehicle. By analyzing the relationship of vibration frequencies of the vehicle and its running speed, this paper finds that the unfavorable speed interval is caused by the vibration superposition of the natural frequency of the vehicle system with the frequency of external excitation. Taking some electric multiple units （EMUs） as examples, we proposed an approach to obtaining the unfavorable speed interval of vehicles. By analyzing the relation between vibration frequencies and the running speed of the vehicle, the natural frequencies of the vehicle system and the external excitations are distinguished. In the end, we suggest some measures to minimize the negative influences of the unfavorable speed interval, such as shifting frequency, reducing or eliminating external excitation.

Design of High-speed Sampling System in Pulse Laser Application

In measurement system by means of pulse laser, such as plasma measuring, laser ranging, the amplitude of echoed laser wave is very weak and difficult to detect by traditional analog electronic technology. A digital high speed data acquisition and processing system was designed to meet the accuracy requirement. It adopted high speed AD chip and advantage FPGA chip as core unit. Experiment results have verified this system can reach to 1GHz sample rate and can catch weak echo wave effectively and the measuring accuracy is improved markedly.

Analysis and Impact of Surface Acoustic Wave Filter in-Band Ripple on Testing and Measurement of High Data Rate Communications

In this paper, we present a background and theory of the effect of Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Filter Module (SFM) in-band ripple on high data rate communications parameters such as the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM). In addition, we present analyses and statements for the choice of unbalanced S-parameters set of the SFM over balanced S-parameters set of the SFM in measurements and Agilent’s Advance Design System (ADS) Ptolemy simulations. A test and measurement setup using Agilent’s equipment will be presented.

Dynamic performance and temperature rising characteristic of a high-speed on/off valve based on pre-excitation control algorithm

High speed on/off valve(HSV)is an essential component in aerospace digital hydraulic systems(ADHS).Dynamic performance and temperature rising characteristic are two important features,which determine the performance of HSV,and affect the response speed and reliability of ADHS.Increasing the driving voltage is an effective method for improving the dynamic performance of HSV.However,continuous high voltage excitation will lead to more wasted energy,higher temperature rising and lower reliability.To solve this problem,a pre-excitation control algorithm(PECA)is proposed in this paper based on the theoretical model of the influence of electrical parameters on dynamic performance and temperature rising characteristics.In PECA,an appropriate initial coil current is generated by pre-excitation instead of increasing driving voltage,which significantly shortens the switching delay time.Then,based on real-time current online calculation and feedback mechanism,the adaptive switching of five equivalent voltages is realized.Consequently,the coil current can be rapidly kept at the expected state without consuming more energy and generating more heat.Results indicate that compared with conventional PWM control algorithm,the PECA can improve dynamic performance of HSV,shorten the total switching time by 71.5%,and increase the maximum operation frequency.Therefore,the linear area of flow characteristic is expended by 80.0%,the adjusting time of HSV-controlled system is reduced by 23%,while shortening steady error by 46.7%.Moreover,the temperature rising characteristics of HSV are better,the maximum operation temperature is reduced by 68.6%,and the time to reach the steady state temperature is shortened by 20%.From the results,it can be concluded that the PECA is not only an effective and practical control algorithm for improving the performance of HSVs and HSV-controlled systems while reducing the heat generation and decreasing the temperature rising of HSV,but also can be a potential solution in ADHS.

Experimental investigation on electrical characteristics and ignition performance of multichannel plasma igniter

Relighting of jet engines at high altitudes is very difficult because of the high velocity, low pressure, and low tempera- ture of the inlet airflow. Successful ignition needs sufficient ignition energy to generate a spark kernel to induce a so-called critical flame initiation radius. However, at high altitudes with high-speed inlet airflow, the critical flame initiation radius becomes larger; therefore, traditional ignition technologies such as a semiconductor igniter （SI） become infeasible for use in high-altitude relighting of jet engines. In this study, to generate a large spark kernel to achieve successful ignition with high-speed inlet airflow, a new type of multichannel plasma igniter （MCPI） is proposed. Experiments on the electrical char- acteristics of the MCPI and SI were conducted under normal and sub-atmospheric pressures （P = 10-100 kPa）. Ignition experiments for the MCPI and SI with a kerosene/air mixture in a triple-swirler combustor under different velocities of inlet airflow （60-110 m/s）, with a temperature of 473 K at standard atmospheric pressure, were investigated. Results show that the MCPI generates much more arc discharge energy than the SI under a constant pressure; for example, the MCPI generated 6.93% and 16.05 % more arc discharge energy than that of the SI at 30 kPa and 50 kPa, respectively. Compared to the SI, the MCPI generates a larger area and height of plasma heating zone, and induces a much larger initial spark kernel. Furthermore, the lean ignition limit of the MCPI and SI decreases with an increase in the velocity of the inlet airflow, and the maximum velocity of inlet airflow where the SI and MCPI can achieve successful and reliable ignition is 88.7 m/s and 102.2 m/s, respectively. Therefore, the MCPI has the advantage of achieving successful ignition with high-speed inlet airflow and extends the average ignition speed boundary of the kerosene/air mixture by 15.2%.

智慧高速铁路运行控制系统发展趋势综述

在保障安全的前提下,高速铁路运行控制系统进一步结合现代感知、控制、通信以及人工智能技术实现智慧化,是未来高速铁路发展的前沿方向。分析目前高速铁路运营中仍存在异物侵限造成安全事故、突发事件导致列车延误、运力与运量不匹配等问题,提出高速铁路运行控制系统的智能化、智慧化是解决上述问题的重要手段,是保持和提升我国高速铁路技术整体竞争力的核心组成部分。新时期的智慧高速铁路运行控制系统以实现列车(群)全天候全无人自主追踪运行控制为目标,主要包括移动闭塞、列车运行净空感知、列车状态智能监测、列车自主追踪、智能调度指挥、车-地动态自组网通信等关键技术。结合新一代使能技术,研究高速铁路运行控制智能技术的应用及其发展趋势,对我国智慧高速铁路的发展具有参考价值。

基于多孔介质的高速铁路透风式挡风墙关键参数研究

合理的匹配参数是风区铁路沿线防风设施研究的关键问题。针对风区铁路沿线部分区段混凝土实心挡风墙出现的环境风越过挡风墙顶导致严重的弓网离线、无法正常升弓,危及铁路行车安全问题,提出改“堵”为“疏”,通过一定的透风率来调控挡风墙后的线路风场,从而为缓解上述现象提供一种新思路,其关键问题在于透风式挡风墙关键参数与防风效果的合理匹配。为此,基于多孔介质的自身特性,提出一种基于多孔介质的挡风墙风场新研究方法,将挡风墙透风率与防风效果的合理匹配问题转化为多孔介质的阻力系数与列车气动载荷的关系研究。首先,通过比较数值模拟结果与兰新高铁挡风墙风场现场试验结果,修正并验证数值模拟方法的准确性。然后,通过数值模拟研究进一步探究多孔介质阻力参数与挡风墙透风率之间的关系,获得风区铁路沿线透风式挡风墙关键参数最优区间。研究结果表明:可以采用多孔介质代替挡风墙几何进行挡风墙风场研究,能够显著提升研究效率;多孔介质的黏性阻力系数在挡风墙风场研究中可以忽略,多孔介质的惯性阻力系数与挡风墙的透风率呈幂函数关系;风区铁路沿线透风式挡风墙高度为3.5 m,透风率在24.4%~28.7%区间时,对一线、二线列车的防风效果最好。

基于CAD-CAE集成技术的高速并联机器人弹性动力学性能分析

文中以一类由外转动副驱动、含平行四边形支链的2,3和4自由度高速并联机器人为研究对象,提出一种基于CAD-CAE集成技术的有限元快速建模与更新方法。其要点为:针对工作空间中某一参考位形,首先,通过IGES/STEP等标准接口,将各结构件SolidWorks实体模型导入CAE软件SAMCEF,并通过自动提取各结构件实体模型连体坐标系相对于机架参考坐标系的位姿特征信息,建立SAMCEF环境下的几何模型;然后,通过将有限元分析特征信息自动编译为参数化脚本(Bacon)文件,建立整个机器人的参数化有限元模型。该方法特色在于:当机器人位形变化时,仅需更新CAD模型提供的位姿与有限元分析信息,便可自动生成新位形下的机器人有限元模型,进而显著提高面向全域弹性动力学性能分析需求的有限元建模效率。

列车制动盘散热特性分析及拓扑优化

针对紧急制动工况下制动盘散热问题,采用计算流体力学分析方法对某型通风式制动盘进行了散热特性研究。对制动盘内部流道速度场和对流换热等进行评估,在此基础上,采用由N-S方程与达西定律耦合成的Brinkman方程拓扑优化,实现制动盘散热能力提升的优化目标。结果表明:优化后的模型在整个制动工况中散热量提高了13.46%。

高速多通道并行AD采集卡的设计思路构架实践

在高速多通道并行AD采集卡设计过程中,需要根据数据采集系统的要求,明确高速多通道并行数据采集的具体需求,分析高速多通道并行AD采集卡的设计思路,同时准确掌握高速多通道并行AD采集卡架构的实际应用,以期为类似数据采集卡设计提供一定参考。

脉动风场下二维高速列车/桥梁气动特性研究

强脉动环境风加剧高速列车周围流场瞬变特性,进而形成强脉动列车气动载荷,直接危及列车行车安全。当列车在高架桥上运行时,环境风-列车-桥梁耦合条件下的列车气动载荷变化将更为剧烈。因此,采用更加真实的风场边界模拟横风作用下高速列车在桥梁上运行时的气动特性、明确不同风场特征下的列车周围流动结构特征显得尤为重要。基于大涡模拟方法,研究了恒定均匀风场、指数平均风场以及指数脉动风场(基于谐波合成法并采用Kaimal风速谱密度模型生成风速时程数据)特征作用下二维车体在10 m高桥梁上的横风气动特性。研究结果发现:不同风场特征下,车体周围流场结构、气动性能存在较大差异。对比指数平均风场,恒定均匀风场下车体背风侧产生一对更加充分发展的漩涡结构;车体的侧向力系数减少16.4%,升力系数增加59.7%,倾覆力矩系数降低23.6%,不同速度剖面对应的2种时均风场下,列车的气动特性出现了显著差异。当采用更为真实的指数脉动风场剖面时,车体表面压力分布呈现差异性变化,车体的侧向力系数增加9.0%,升力系数减少13.4%,倾覆力矩系数增加9.5%,可见脉动风场对桥梁上高速列车的横风气动性能具有较显著的影响。研究成果可为风环境下桥上高速列车的行车安全和限速指挥系统提供技术支撑。