Study on related simulations between exit characteristics and evacuation performance

Microsystem Technologies - During a building disaster, building occupants typically engage in herd behavior, which results in friction, pushing, and even injury and death. Building occupants...     

Planning and assessment system for light rail transit construction in Taiwan

Microsystem Technologies - The development of public transportation systems is emphasized worldwide. Energy conservation and carbon reduction are necessary and constitute a constraint for the...     

Characteristics and measurement of supersonic projectile shock waves by a 32-microphone ring array

This paper discusses about the characteristics of supersonic projectile shock wave in muzzle region during firing of high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive (HE) projectiles. HEAT projectiles are fired horizontally at a muzzle velocity of Mach 3.5 from a medium caliber tank gun equipped with a newly designed multi-perforated muzzle brake, whereas HE projectiles are fired at elevation angles at a muzzle velocity of Mach 2 from a large caliber howitzer equipped with a newly designed double-baffle muzzle brake. In the near field, pressure signatures of the N-wave generated from projectiles are measured by 32-microphone ring array wrapped by cotton sheath. Records measured by the microphone array are used to demonstrate several key characteristics of the shock wave of supersonic projectile. All measurements made in this study can be a significant reference for developing guns, tanks, or the chassis of fighting vehicles.     

Applying interpretive structure modeling on the interactive correlations on factor analysis in natural and cultural scenic area at Taiwan

This article was conducted with an evaluation and feedback system to identify planning evaluation criteria for natural and cultural scenic areas of indigenous tribes at Taiwan. The purpose of this article was to identify the interdependencies among the environmental, economic, societal and cultural, political evaluation frameworks that a complicated eco landscape system would contain. To reduce the errors caused by personal preferences of expert group members, interpretive structure modeling (ISM) was applied for the correlations among the evaluation factors to identify the causes and effects, criteria and conditions for the problems raised by this article. A decision structure system for eco landscape planning was proposed through the application of ISM. The results of this article are presented with 12 evaluation factors, among which the factor of the culture of historical heritage (C2) is independent to the others while the remains interdepend to one another.     

Study on constraint time construction model for replacement of air handling unit in department stores

The replacement of air handlers in department stores must be completed within a 12-h time frame outside normal working hours to avoid interrupting business operations. This study employed a work breakdown structure to develop a replacement regime for air handlers. This research has calculated start and finish times of these tasks for conventional and constraint time construction projects, and determined labor distribution for each task according to these times. Gantt charts were used to schedule construction progress and to analyze the increase in crashing costs when a constraint time construction model is employed. The start and finish times of various tasks were calculated for completed example projects. The comparison results were then used to analyze root causes and to formulate related countermeasures. An expert interview was conducted to verify the correctness of the proposed countermeasures. The findings of this study can serve as valuable references in air handler replacement projects.     

Study on the application of unity software in emergency evacuation simulation for elder

Whether residents of the buildings on fire can be timely and successfully evacuated is the key to protect the lives of people and the safety of properties. This study aims to investigate the challenges that are caused by group moving behavior and speed when the elderly passes through the doors of different widths in the living rooms during evacuation based on the literatures regarding the horizontal and vertical movement speed of Taiwanese elders. The evacuation simulation model which is developed by the Unity software is applied, and the results obtained are proven to match with the data in the research literature, showing Unity can be used as the basis for the evacuation equipment design and safety performance inspection of nursing homes. The result can be used to simulate evacuation of people if the environment needs to be changed such as adjustment of partitions or furniture arrangement.