In this paper, a genetic algorithm is developed for the optimal design of storm water networks. The nodal elevations of the sewer network are taken as the decision variables. A steady state simulation code is used to analyze the trial solutions provided by the GA optimizer. The performance of the four selection schemes namely, conventional roulette wheel, roulette wheel selection with linear sc...

NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF LONGITUDINAL GROUND VEHICLE TRACTION By Brian John Olson The purpose of this study is to investigate and understand the nonlinear dynamics of longitudinal ground vehicle traction. Specifically, the performance of rubber-tired automobiles under straight-ahead braking and acceleration conditions is discussed in detail. Two vehicle-traction models are considered—a quarter-car...

The susceptibility of railway wheels to wear and rolling contact fatigue damage is influenced by the properties of the wheel material. These are influenced by the steel composition, wheel manufacturing process, and thermal and mechanical loading during operation. The in-service properties therefore vary with depth below the surface and with position across the wheel tread. This paper discusses ...

The motivation for this paper comes from the study of a simple model of bicycle motion. The bicycle is modeled as an oriented segment in the plane of fixed length `, the wheelbase of the bicycle. The motion is constrained so that the segment is always tangent to the path of the rear wheel; this non-holonomic constraint is due to the fact that the rear wheel is fixed on the frame, whereas the fr...

Pursuit Evasion (P-E) problem has been studied as a non-cooperative zero-sum game in Homicidal Chauffer problem [1] in 1960s and in the game of two identical cars [2] most recently. The capture conditions in the two games, which govern the capture behavior, can be determined by solving Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs (HJI) equations. However, the existing game theoretic solution does not consider wheel ...

This paper presents a design for stair-climbing using a wheel that can split into segments and walk up stairs or surmount other obstacles often found where humans traverse, while still being able to retain a perfectly round shape for traveling on smooth ground. Using this change of configuration, staircases with a wide range of dimensions can be covered efficiently and safely. The design, named...

The application of an electrically conductive diamond material to a new type of grinding wheel whose cutting edges possess electrical conductivity has been tried in this research work. Firstly, electrical discharge machining is applied on a solid surface of an electrically conductive CVD diamond film to create protrusions like cutting edges. Secondly, it is confirmed that the EDMed surface of t...

An automated system is developed to control the rotation of the wheel chair based on touch screen and head movement by the physically challenged person. Independent movement can be done by them with the help of an accelerometer device which is fitted on person’s head and a touch screen is placed with the wheelchair which can be operated by the person [1]. Based on the touch and head movements, ...

The equations for wheelchair caster wheel shimmy are presented along with experimental data. The report includes the theory and performance of single wheel casters for a variety of tires, and a new design for wheelchair casters using a grooved dual-tread tire or co-rotating caster wheels. The dual-tread tire was found to significantly inhibit caster shimmy. The turning resistance due to a groov...

In any brake system of an automobile or passenger vehicle, an increase in Master/Wheel cylinder diameter ratio leads to an increase in brake efficiency. This paper focuses on Master/Wheel cylinder diameter effect on the brake efficiency. A VISUAL BASIC computer code was developed for computation of Master/Wheel cylinder diameter ratio corresponding to break efficiency. Aided by the developed so...