6,206 research outputs found
Future long-range transports: Prospects for improved fuel efficiency
A status report is provided on current thinking concerning potential improvements in fuel efficiency and possible alternate fuels. Topics reviewed are: (1) historical trends in airplane efficiency; (2) technological opportunities including supercritical aerodynamics, (3) vortex diffusers, (4) composite materials, (5) propulsion systems, (6) active controls, and terminal-area operations; (7) unconventional design concepts, and (8) hydrogen-fueled airplane
A Model for the Propagation of Sound in Granular Materials
This paper presents a simple ball-and-spring model for the propagation of
small amplitude vibrations in a granular material. In this model, the
positional disorder in the sample is ignored and the particles are placed on
the vertices of a square lattice. The inter-particle forces are modeled as
linear springs, with the only disorder in the system coming from a random
distribution of spring constants. Despite its apparent simplicity, this model
is able to reproduce the complex frequency response seen in measurements of
sound propagation in a granular system. In order to understand this behavior,
the role of the resonance modes of the system is investigated. Finally, this
simple model is generalized to include relaxation behavior in the force network
-- a behavior which is also seen in real granular materials. This model gives
quantitative agreement with experimental observations of relaxation.Comment: 21 pages, requires Harvard macros (9/91), 12 postscript figures not
included, HLRZ preprint 6/93, (replacement has proper references included
Geometric origin of excess low-frequency vibrational modes in amorphous solids
Glasses have a large excess of low-frequency vibrational modes in comparison
with crystalline solids. We show that such a feature is a necessary consequence
of the geometry generic to weakly connected solids. In particular, we analyze
the density of states of a recently simulated system, comprised of weakly
compressed spheres at zero temperature. We account for the observed a)
constancy of the density of modes with frequency, b) appearance of a
low-frequency cutoff, and c) power-law increase of this cutoff with
compression. We predict a length scale below which vibrations are very
different from those of a continuous elastic body.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. Argument rewritten, identical result
Critical behavior of a traffic flow model
The Nagel-Schreckenberg traffic flow model shows a transition from a free
flow regime to a jammed regime for increasing car density. The measurement of
the dynamical structure factor offers the chance to observe the evolution of
jams without the necessity to define a car to be jammed or not. Above the
jamming transition the dynamical structure factor exhibits for a given k-value
two maxima corresponding to the separation of the system into the free flow
phase and jammed phase. We obtain from a finite-size scaling analysis of the
smallest jam mode that approaching the transition long range correlations of
the jams occur.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Physical Review
Towards a realistic microscopic description of highway traffic
Simple cellular automata models are able to reproduce the basic properties of
highway traffic. The comparison with empirical data for microscopic quantities
requires a more detailed description of the elementary dynamics. Based on
existing cellular automata models we propose an improved discrete model
incorporating anticipation effects, reduced acceleration capabilities and an
enhanced interaction horizon for braking. The modified model is able to
reproduce the three phases (free-flow, synchronized, and stop-and-go) observed
in real traffic. Furthermore we find a good agreement with detailed empirical
single-vehicle data in all phases.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure
Drop Splashing on a Dry Smooth Surface
The corona splash due to the impact of a liquid drop on a smooth dry
substrate is investigated with high speed photography. A striking phenomenon is
observed: splashing can be completely suppressed by decreasing the pressure of
the surrounding gas. The threshold pressure where a splash first occurs is
measured as a function of the impact velocity and found to scale with the
molecular weight of the gas and the viscosity of the liquid. Both experimental
scaling relations support a model in which compressible effects in the gas are
responsible for splashing in liquid solid impacts.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure
A realistic two-lane traffic model for highway traffic
A two-lane extension of a recently proposed cellular automaton model for
traffic flow is discussed. The analysis focuses on the reproduction of the lane
usage inversion and the density dependence of the number of lane changes. It is
shown that the single-lane dynamics can be extended to the two-lane case
without changing the basic properties of the model which are known to be in
good agreement with empirical single-vehicle data. Therefore it is possible to
reproduce various empirically observed two-lane phenomena, like the
synchronization of the lanes, without fine-tuning of the model parameters
Calibration of the Particle Density in Cellular-Automaton Models for Traffic Flow
We introduce density dependence of the cell size in cellular-automaton models
for traffic flow, which allows a more precise correspondence between real-world
phenomena and what observed in simulation. Also, we give an explicit
calibration of the particle density particularly for the asymmetric simple
exclusion process with some update rules. We thus find that the present method
is valid in that it reproduces a realistic flow-density diagram.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figure
Why the idea of framework propositions cannot contribute to an understanding of delusions
One of the tasks that recent philosophy of psychiatry has taken upon itself is to extend the range of understanding to some of those aspects of psychopathology that Jaspers deemed beyond its limits. Given the fundamental difficulties of offering a literal interpretation of the contents of primary delusions, a number of alternative strategies have been put forward including regarding them as abnormal versions of framework propositions described by Wittgenstein in On Certainty. But although framework propositions share some of the apparent epistemic features of primary delusions, their role in partially constituting the sense of inquiry rules out their role in helping to understand delusions
Optimizing Traffic Lights in a Cellular Automaton Model for City Traffic
We study the impact of global traffic light control strategies in a recently
proposed cellular automaton model for vehicular traffic in city networks. The
model combines basic ideas of the Biham-Middleton-Levine model for city traffic
and the Nagel-Schreckenberg model for highway traffic. The city network has a
simple square lattice geometry. All streets and intersections are treated
equally, i.e., there are no dominant streets. Starting from a simple
synchronized strategy we show that the capacity of the network strongly depends
on the cycle times of the traffic lights. Moreover we point out that the
optimal time periods are determined by the geometric characteristics of the
network, i.e., the distance between the intersections. In the case of
synchronized traffic lights the derivation of the optimal cycle times in the
network can be reduced to a simpler problem, the flow optimization of a single
street with one traffic light operating as a bottleneck. In order to obtain an
enhanced throughput in the model improved global strategies are tested, e.g.,
green wave and random switching strategies, which lead to surprising results.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figure
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