The Influence of Route Characteristics, Train Design and Maintenance Policy on Wheel Tread Damage, Wheel Life and Costs for Multiple-Unit Trains

In the UK, the use of similar vehicle types by a range of privatised operators gives the opportunity to assess the influence of different route conditions and maintenance practices on wheel tread damage, wheelset life and costs. This paper investigates these influences, using data obtained directly from the train operators and maintainers. By disseminating best practice it is expected that wheelset life can be improved on many fleets, with resultant cost savings

Residual Stress in Wheels: Comparison of Neutron Diffraction and Ultrasonic Methods, with Trends in RCF

The critical damage mechanism on many GB passenger train wheels is Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF) cracking in the rim. Evidence from field observations suggests that RCF damage occurs much more quickly as the wheelsets near the end of their life. Wheel manufacturing processes induce a compressive hoop stress in the wheel rim; variations in residual stress through the life of a wheel may influence the observed RCF damage rates. This paper describes experiments to measure residual stresses in new and used wheel rims to identify whether this could be a significant factor, and compares the findings from neutron diffraction and ultrasonic birefringence methods. The scope goes beyond previous applications of neutron diffraction to railway wheels and identifies key considerations for future testing. Assuming that the as-manufactured stress distribution was similar for all three wheels tested, it is found that the stresses are redistributed within the wheel rim during its life as material is removed and plastic flow occurs. However, the hoop stress near the running surface remains compressive and may not have a large influence on the RCF damage rates

The Evolution of Rules, Markets and Culture-based Control III an Organizational Setting: A Case Study

This paper focuses on the issue of rules. markets and culture as bases of control. In particular, it seeks to address the question of how does the management c0ntrol system (MICS) of an organization change Over time" .A. television company in the UK provided the selling for the study, and empirical data were gathered during 18 month of field research. From the evidence gathered we were able to suggest that the MCS evolved towards increasing reliance on rules and markets and not controls based (}11 organizational culture

Artistic control over the glitch in AI-generated motion capture

Artificial intelligence (AI) models are prevalent today and provide a valuable tool for artists. However, a lesser-known artifact that comes with AI models that is not always discussed is the glitch. Glitches occur for various reasons; sometimes, they are known, and sometimes they are a mystery. Artists who use AI models to generate art might not understand the reason for the glitch but often want to experiment and explore novel ways of augmenting the output of the glitch. This paper discusses some of the questions artists have when leveraging the glitch in AI art production. It explores the unexpected positive outcomes produced by glitches in the specific context of motion capture and performance art

Can apparent superluminal neutrino speeds be explained as a quantum weak measurement?

Probably not.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figur

Optimisation of Wheelset Maintenance: Current Research Activities

Recent research projects relating to wheelset damage and maintenance practices includes: - Influence of changes in material properties on observed damage - Optimisation of wheelset maintenance to reduce whole-system costs - Investigating the influence of route and vehicle design and maintenance policy on wheel tread damage - Assessment of alternative wheel profiles, considering both whole-system costs and running safety - Categorisation of wheel damage mechanisms to improve identification and selection of appropriate mitigation This presentation provides an overview of some of these research area

Group velocity of neutrino waves

We follow up on the analysis of Mecozzi and Bellini (arXiv:1110:1253v1) where they showed, in principle, the possibility of superluminal propagation of neutrinos, as indicated by the recent OPERA result. We refine the analysis by introducing wave packets for the superposition of energy eigenstates and discuss the implications of their results with realistic values for the mixing and mass parameters in a full three neutrino mixing scenario. Our analysis shows the possibility of superluminal propagation of neutrino flavour in a very narrow range of neutrino parameter space. Simultaneously this reduces the number of observable events drastically. Therefore, the OPERA result cannot be explained in this frame-work.Comment: 10 pages revtex with 2 figures. Important changes have been made; in particular, it has been revised to include a discussion on the nature of the measurement and its impact on the resul

Developing and testing a model of knowledge utilisation through marketing research

Little research has examined the return on marketing research, be that financial or knowledge acquisition. Furthermore, there has been insufficient research into the factors affecting the conduct of marketing research. This paper investigates and reports on a conceptual model proposed by Yaman (2000), which explores knowledge acquisition, dissemination, and utilisation through marketing research. The study specifically explores and attempts to replicate the model&rsquo;s conceptual structure. The data were collected electronically via emails and an HTML web-form questionnaire, with a sample of 182 being obtained. Using structural equation modelling, the results obtained indicated an adequate fit for a modified Yaman model to the data from this particular sample.<br /

The rationale for local authority pension fund investment decisions

This Brief assesses the rationale behind the strategic asset allocation of the UK’s largest local authority pension funds (LAPF) since the 2007/2008 financial crisis. The analysis builds directly upon that of our previous Brief, Local Authority Pension Fund Investment Since the Financial Crisis, which charted changes in the investment patterns of pension funds between 2005 and 2016. This Brief explores the basis of these changes, such as the move away from equity investment, and the partial move towards ‘alternative’ investments such as infrastructure. It also explores LAPF attitudes towards further ‘pooling’; that is, the agenda, first developed by the Cameron government, to merge LAPFs into a small number of ‘mega-funds’

Local Authority Pension Fund Investment Since the Financial Crisis

In this Brief, the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) presents evidence on asset allocations by local authority pension funds in the UK, based on annual data published by funds. It charts in particular the changes in investment patterns evident since the 2007/08 financial crisis, and the extent of moves towards ‘alternative’ investments such as infrastructure. This analysis will shortly be supplemented by a further Brief which assesses the strategic decision-making of local authority pension funds; that is, the rationale behind some of the changes documented in this Brief