Optimal control of road vehicles: theory and applications

In this thesis Optimal Control (OC) of road vehicles is studied especially focusing on minimum lap time simulations. The theory underlying the most used optimal control solving techniques is described, including both the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and the reduction to Nonlinear Programming. Direct and indirect methods for optimal control problems are presented and compared against minimum lap time simulations (LTS). Modelling of vehicles for OC-LTSs is studied in order to understand how different design choices can affect simulation outcomes. Novel multibody models of four wheeled vehicles - a GP2 car and a go-kart - for OC-LTSs are developed and validated thorough comparison with experimental data. Particular attention is dedicated to the simulation of tyre load dynamics, that is achieved by a proper modelling of the chassis and suspension motions and of the aerodynamic forces. OC-LTSs are applied to electric vehicles too, specifically to optimise the design of an electric motorbike taking part at the Tourist Trophy Zero competition. A concise yet effective model is proposed in order to perform reliable simulations on a 60km long road in a reasonable amount of time. Experimental data is used to validate the model. A direct full collocation transcription method for OCPs dealing with implicit differential equations and control derivatives is presented, moreover the structure of the resulting NLP problem is accurately described. The relationship between the first order necessary conditions and the Lagrange multipliers of the NLP and OC problems are derived under the adopted discretisation scheme. The presented transcription method is implemented into a software which is currently in use at the University of Padova to solve OC-LTSs

Comparison of direct and indirect methods for minimum lap time optimal control problems

Minimum lap time simulations are especially important in the design, optimisation and setup of race vehicles. Such problems usually come in different flavours, e.g. quasi-steady state models vs full dynamic models and pre-defined (fixed) trajectory problems vs free trajectory problems. This work is focused on full dynamic models with free trajectory. Practical solution techniques include direct methods (i.e. solution of an NLP problem, widespread approach) and indirect method (i.e. based on Pontryagins principle, less common, yet quite efficient in some cases). In this contribution the performance of the direct and indirect methods are compared in a number of vehicle related problems

Working conditions as predictors of retirement intentions and exit from paid employment: a 10-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing

This work was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Medical Research Council as part of the Lifelong Health and Well-Being (LLHW) initiative (grant number ES/L002892/1)

A thirteen-year analysis of Plasmodium falciparum populations reveals high conservation of the mutant pfcrt haplotype despite the withdrawal of chloroquine from national treatment guidelines in Gabon

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chloroquine resistance (CR) decreased after the removal of chloroquine from national treatment guidelines in Malawi, Kenia and Tanzania. In this investigation the prevalence of the chloroquine resistance (CQR) conferring mutant <it>pfcrt </it>allele and its associated chromosomal haplotype were determined before and after the change in Gabonese national treatment guidelines from chloroquine (CQ) to artesunate plus amodiaquine (AQ) in 2003.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The prevalence of the wild type <it>pfcrt </it>allele was assessed in 144 isolates from the years 2005 - 07 by PCR fragment restriction digest and direct sequencing. For haplotype analysis of the chromosomal regions flanking the <it>pfcrt </it>locus, microsatellite analysis was done on a total of 145 isolates obtained in 1995/96 (43 isolates), 2002 (47 isolates) and 2005 - 07 (55 isolates).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of the mutant <it>pfcrt </it>allele decreased from 100% in the years 1995/96 and 2002 to 97% in 2005 - 07. Haplotype analysis showed that in 1995/96 79% of the isolates carried the same microsatellite alleles in a chromosomal fragment spanning 39 kb surrounding the <it>pfcrt </it>locus. In 2002 and 2005 - 07 the prevalence of this haplotype was 62% and 58%, respectively. <it>Pfcrt </it>haplotype analysis showed that all wild type alleles were CVMNK.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Four years after the withdrawal of CQ from national treatment guidelines the prevalence of the mutant <it>pfcrt </it>allele remains at 97%. The data suggest that the combination of artesunate plus AQ may result in continued selection for the mutant <it>pfcrt </it>haplotype even after discontinuance of CQ usage.</p

Global disparities in surgeons’ workloads, academic engagement and rest periods: the on-calL shIft fOr geNEral SurgeonS (LIONESS) study

: The workload of general surgeons is multifaceted, encompassing not only surgical procedures but also a myriad of other responsibilities. From April to May 2023, we conducted a CHERRIES-compliant internet-based survey analyzing clinical practice, academic engagement, and post-on-call rest. The questionnaire featured six sections with 35 questions. Statistical analysis used Chi-square tests, ANOVA, and logistic regression (SPSS® v. 28). The survey received a total of 1.046 responses (65.4%). Over 78.0% of responders came from Europe, 65.1% came from a general surgery unit; 92.8% of European and 87.5% of North American respondents were involved in research, compared to 71.7% in Africa. Europe led in publishing research studies (6.6 ± 8.6 yearly). Teaching involvement was high in North America (100%) and Africa (91.7%). Surgeons reported an average of 6.7 ± 4.9 on-call shifts per month, with European and North American surgeons experiencing 6.5 ± 4.9 and 7.8 ± 4.1 on-calls monthly, respectively. African surgeons had the highest on-call frequency (8.7 ± 6.1). Post-on-call, only 35.1% of respondents received a day off. Europeans were most likely (40%) to have a day off, while African surgeons were least likely (6.7%). On the adjusted multivariable analysis HDI (Human Development Index) (aOR 1.993) hospital capacity &gt; 400 beds (aOR 2.423), working in a specialty surgery unit (aOR 2.087), and making the on-call in-house (aOR 5.446), significantly predicted the likelihood of having a day off after an on-call shift. Our study revealed critical insights into the disparities in workload, access to research, and professional opportunities for surgeons across different continents, underscored by the HDI

Optimal control of road vehicles: theory and applications

In this thesis Optimal Control (OC) of road vehicles is studied especially focusing on minimum lap time simulations. The theory underlying the most used optimal control solving techniques is described, including both the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and the reduction to Nonlinear Programming. Direct and indirect methods for optimal control problems are presented and compared against minimum lap time simulations (LTS). Modelling of vehicles for OC-LTSs is studied in order to understand how different design choices can affect simulation outcomes. Novel multibody models of four wheeled vehicles - a GP2 car and a go-kart - for OC-LTSs are developed and validated thorough comparison with experimental data. Particular attention is dedicated to the simulation of tyre load dynamics, that is achieved by a proper modelling of the chassis and suspension motions and of the aerodynamic forces. OC-LTSs are applied to electric vehicles too, specifically to optimise the design of an electric motorbike taking part at the Tourist Trophy Zero competition. A concise yet effective model is proposed in order to perform reliable simulations on a 60km long road in a reasonable amount of time. Experimental data is used to validate the model. A direct full collocation transcription method for OCPs dealing with implicit differential equations and control derivatives is presented, moreover the structure of the resulting NLP problem is accurately described. The relationship between the first order necessary conditions and the Lagrange multipliers of the NLP and OC problems are derived under the adopted discretisation scheme. The presented transcription method is implemented into a software which is currently in use at the University of Padova to solve OC-LTSs.In this thesis Optimal Control (OC) of road vehicles is studied especially focusing on minimum lap time simulations. The theory underlying the most used optimal control solving techniques is described, including both the Pontryagin Maximum Principle and the reduction to Nonlinear Programming. Direct and indirect methods for optimal control problems are presented and compared against minimum lap time simulations (LTS). Modelling of vehicles for OC-LTSs is studied in order to understand how different design choices can affect simulation outcomes. Novel multibody models of four wheeled vehicles - a GP2 car and a go-kart - for OC-LTSs are developed and validated thorough comparison with experimental data. Particular attention is dedicated to the simulation of tyre load dynamics, that is achieved by a proper modelling of the chassis and suspension motions and of the aerodynamic forces. OC-LTSs are applied to electric vehicles too, specifically to optimise the design of an electric motorbike taking part at the Tourist Trophy Zero competition. A concise yet effective model is proposed in order to perform reliable simulations on a 60km long road in a reasonable amount of time. Experimental data is used to validate the model. A direct full collocation transcription method for OCPs dealing with implicit differential equations and control derivatives is presented, moreover the structure of the resulting NLP problem is accurately described. The relationship between the first order necessary conditions and the Lagrange multipliers of the NLP and OC problems are derived under the adopted discretisation scheme. The presented transcription method is implemented into a software which is currently in use at the University of Padova to solve OC-LTSs

The significance of high-order dynamics in lap time simulations

This work aims to study which level of detail should be preserved in the multi-body modelling of a racing car in order to obtain reliable results without excessive model complexity. Three multibody models have been developed and compared through optimal control simulations. The models differ from each other for the order of dynamics comprised: starting from a 14 degrees of freedom (dof) car which includes chassis and wheels motion, a 10 dof model model is obtained by neglecting the wheels hop dynamics, finally a 7 dof model is derived by completely eliminating the suspension motion. Optimal control problem simulations, including parametric analyses varying the center of mass position and suspensions stiffness, have been executed on a full lap on the International circuit of Adria. Simulations results show that the 10 dof model gives almost the same results of the 14 dof one, while significantly reducing the computing time. On the contrary, the basic 7 dof model highlights remarkable differences in both the parametric analysis, suggesting the dynamics has been over-simplified

Lap time optimisation of a racing go-kart

The minimum lap time optimal control problem has been solved for a go-kart model. The symbolic algebra software Maple has been used to derive equations of motion and an indirect method has been adopted to solve the optimal control problem. Simulation has been successfully performed on a full track lap with a multibody model endowed with seven degrees of freedom. Geometrical and mechanical characteristics of a real kart have been measured by a lab test to feed the mathematical model. Telemetry recorded in an entire lap by a professional driver has been compared to simulation results in order to validate the model. After the reliability of the optimal control model was proved, the simulation has been used to study the peculiar dynamics of go-karts and focus to tyre slippage dynamics, which is highly affected by the lack of differential