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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
    <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
    <atom:link href="https://trid.trb.org/Record/RSS?s=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" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
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    <language>en-us</language>
    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
    <image>
      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
      <url>https://trid.trb.org/Images/PageHeader-wTitle.jpg</url>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/</link>
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    <item>
      <title>Hydrodynamic and structural responses of air-cushion vehicle skirt exposed to underwater explosions</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686771</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The skirts of air-cushion vehicles (ACVs) are subjected to highly nonlinear loads, which can compromise their stability and strength when exposed to underwater explosions. However, only a few studies have investigated the scenario of ACV skirts subjected to slamming loads or treated them as rigid bodies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the hydrodynamic and structural responses of an ACV skirt under underwater explosion conditions. A numerical model was developed by coupling the control volume approach with the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian method to examine these responses and was validated through a benchmark experiment. The results show that the occurrence of the plough-in phenomenon is governed by the detonation distance rather than charge weight. Given the complexity of the load, deformation, and maximum principal stress profiles, the corresponding numerical results should be used for evaluating the stability and strength of ACVs without simplification. The results of this study offer valuable guidelines for ACV design and navigation.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 14 May 2026 17:05:13 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2686771</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Adaptive trajectory tracking control for safe navigation of underactuated hovercraft with state-constraints</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2643481</link>
      <description><![CDATA[For the challenge of ensuring safety navigation of underactuated hovercraft in the presence of system uncertainties, this paper proposes an innovative adaptive safety trajectory tracking control strategy for hovercraft based on the nonlinear mapping function (NMF). The strategy not only eliminates constraints on boundaries but also can directly dealing with both constrained and unconstrained cases. Additionally, a novel composite anti-disturbance method is proposed, utilizing the neural network (NN) approximator and the nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO). Moreover, a novel first-order filter is designed to address the intricate differential computation issues in the backstepping control. The system's stability is examined using Lyapunov stability theory, showing that tracking errors converge to become ultimately uniformly bounded (UUB). Simulation resfults affirm the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed adaptive trajectory tracking control strategy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2026 17:04:41 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2643481</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Two-layer affine formation maneuvering control of multi-hovercraft with connectivity maintenance and collision avoidance</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2661535</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The dynamic affine formation control problem of underactuated hovercraft under the conditions of connectivity maintenance and collision avoidance is addressed in this paper, aiming to establish an affine formation maneuvering control strategy subject to safe distance constraints. Affine formation control method has advantages in solving target formation motion constraints in arbitrary dimensional space, but flexible formation transformation increases the security risk of collision and communication link disconnection. This paper proposes a novel two-layer compound affine control strategy to achieve a configuration that maintenances collinearity and ratios of distances with target configuration while avoiding the potential collision and communication link disconnection risks between adjacent nodes. Firstly, the signed Laplacian matrix is constructed based on the stress balance relationship, and the affine localizability of the target configuration is obtained under specific graphical conditions. On this basis, a connectivity maintenance and collision avoidance strategy based on finite-order partial derivative continuous potential function is proposed. Then the corresponding two-layer compound affine control law is constructed to achieve collision avoidance and connectivity preservation. Finally, numerical simulations verify the effectiveness of the theoretical results.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:57:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2661535</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Finite-time trajectory tracking of air cushion vehicles under dynamic event-triggered control and unknown disturbances</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2676591</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In this research, we propose a finite-time dynamic event-triggered control strategy with communication optimization for air cushion vehicle (ACV) trajectory tracking under the influence of high-frequency actuator activity, external disturbances, and model uncertainties. While a finite-time observer estimates and compensates for aggregated unknown disturbances in real time, a backstepping-based finite-time controller is created to guarantee rigorous finite-time convergence of the tracking error. A dynamic event-triggered control (DETC) system modifies control inputs only in response to certain triggering conditions, therefore reducing communication burden and suppressing unnecessary actuator activities. Using Lyapunov theory, the closed-loop system's finite-time stability is convincingly demonstrated. In comparison to traditional backstepping and integral sliding mode control techniques, two case studies demonstrate that the suggested approach provides faster convergence, significantly reduces communication demands, and mitigates actuator wear.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:44:53 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2676591</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Cascaded safety trajectory tracking control for a hovercraft with double-loop prescribed performance and state constraints</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582685</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper presents a cascaded safety trajectory tracking control scheme for hovercraft, addressing dump disturbances with a novel double-loop strategy that enforces prescribed performance and state constraints. Initially, an Adaptive Prescribed-Time Extended State Observer (APESO) is meticulously crafted to estimate lumped disturbances accurately. Subsequent to this, virtual velocity control laws are established through Double Power Appointed-Time Performance Function (DPATPF) combined with an Asymmetric Barrier Lyapunov Function (ABLF), streamlining the position error into a more manageable, equivalent unconstrained control system format. To effectively manage velocity safety constraints, a Unified Barrier Function (UBF) is introduced, ensuring that hovercraft velocities adhere to asymmetric safety boundary. The entire system state is rigorously ultimately uniformly bounded, in strict compliance with cascade control theories and Lyapunov stability criteria. Through simulation, the authors demonstrate the superior performance and effectiveness of the proposed control strategy, showcasing its potential for enhancing hovercraft navigational safety and reliability.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:49:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2582685</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>The inversion investigation of wave slamming response of air cushion vehicle skirt airbags based on mode superposition method</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2564323</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Air cushion vehicle (ACV) skirt airbags frequently encounter direct wave slams, which involve large deformations and complex gas-liquid-solid three-phase coupling. The direct slamming energy will break diverse sensors, bringing huge difficulty to accurately monitor the dynamic response among slamming areas. To effectively derive the dynamic behavior of ACVs under wave slamming, this paper identifies the response of the limited monitoring points outside the slamming area, then inverses the skirt airbag slamming response based on modal superposition and the least squares method. Firstly, a 3D finite element model of the skirt airbag is developed. The control volume method is used to simulate the inflated-forming process, and the overall modes database of the airbag is obtained. Next, based on the load forms, modal characteristics, and response features, the monitoring point arrangement and fundamental modal selection are determined. Finally, the inversion algorithm is employed to update modal weight factors in real time then superposing them to predict the focused response in the slamming areas. The proposed inversion method is applied to different scenarios with both symmetrical and asymmetrical loads, to verify the stress response prediction accuracy. The error between the inverted response and the actual response remains almost within 10 %, and the inversion method shows good numerical stability. The inversion method is convenient to implement with a friendly computation time and provides valuable insights for the consequent investigation into the complicated dynamic behaviors of ACV flexible airbags under actual marine environments.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:36:01 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2564323</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Formation and slamming response characteristics of flexible skirts in air-cushion vehicles under venting conditions</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2568135</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This study develops a refined numerical model for the formation and impact response of an air-cushion vehicle (ACV) flexible skirt, with particular consideration of realistic flow discharge conditions. The model incorporates fluid-structure interaction by treating the airbag and cushion as connected gas cavities, integrating continuous air inflation and inter-chamber gas exchange mechanisms to capture the skirt's dynamic behavior during actual operating scenarios. Transient wave slamming loads are applied to further analyze the internal pressure evolution and stress responses under impact conditions. Compared with conventional closed-cavity models, the proposed approach more accurately reflects the coupled aerodynamic and structural dynamics of the flexible skirt under complex service conditions, thereby improving its predictive capability and engineering relevance. A comprehensive parameter sensitivity analysis is conducted to elucidate the effects of key physical parameters on internal pressure and stress distribution during both the inflation and slamming phases, offering practical insights for the optimized design and performance evaluation of ACV flexible skirts.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 09:05:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2568135</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Discrete-Time Sliding Mode-Based Finite-Time Trajectory Tracking Control of Underactuated Surface Vessels With Large Sampling Periods</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2488043</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper investigates finite-time trajectory tracking control based on discrete-time sliding mode of underactuated surface vessels with compound disturbances comprising model parameter uncertainties and environmental disturbances under large sampling periods. By introducing the second-order Runge-Kutta method without complex operation to discretize the continuous-time vessel model, a high-precision discrete-time model is first obtained to ensure the controller design accuracy in discrete-time systems. Then, a novel finite-time discrete position tracking controller is developed by constructing a coordinate transformation to address the underactuating problem of surface vessels and convert position tracking error into expected velocity command. The compound disturbance is estimated and compensated by a high-order finite-time discrete disturbance observer. The current research on large sampling period control faces the shortcoming of adjusting parameters repeatedly to accommodate varying sampling periods while balancing convergence speed. To address it and enhance control system adaptability to large sampling periods while reducing operating losses and communication burdens on the sensing system, a novel adaptive reaching law is proposed based on existence conditions of the discrete-time sliding mode control system. Given this, a discrete-time sliding mode based finite-time velocity tracking controller is proposed to achieve stable velocity tracking over a large sampling period range. Finally, all tracking errors are demonstrated to converge within a finite time to a small region near zero. Two examples of comparative simulations validate the efficacy of the developed control strategy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jun 2025 16:12:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2488043</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Breaking the Ice Sheet and Extending Navigation with Hovercraft Technology</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2406908</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In the 1970s, observations and tests of the first self-propelled and non-propelled hovercrafts destroying ice cover were carried out. Model and full-scale experiments were conducted abroad (USA, Canada, Finland, etc.) and in Russia, which confirmed high efficiency of using new hovercraft technologies. The article provides justifications for the applicability of these technologies in different operational situations, based on the authors' research. The main purpose of the materials presented in the article is to show various possibilities of using hovercraft technologies in ice engineering operations. Two methods of ice cover failure by hovercrafts are discussed – the pressure and resonant methods. Both methods have high efficiency in terms of ice failure (including energy and operating costs). The expediency of using these methods for various ice operations is given: when creating an ice channel, servicing ships in freezing ports and harbors, during ship withdrawal out of ice captivity, when surrounding ships and structures, placing ships on winter lay-up, destroying the reservoir ice cover. It is also possible to use hovercraft technologies as ferries for transporting heavyweights.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2025 16:18:15 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2406908</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Business Opportunities for a Ground Effect Vehicle - Case of Canary Islands</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2487374</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The need to decarbonise and reduce pollutant emissions from maritime transport is facilitating the studies of ground effect vehicles. Technical development in recent decade concerning unmanned flights in drones has supported this development. These vehicles could have much higher speed than sea vessels and they are estimated to be less costly compared to air transport. Unmanned operations without passengers enable wider range of transport connections (even in difficult conditions). In this research the authors analyse prototype vehicle called Airship and its possible use in different routes of intra Canary Islands’ transport. The authors suggest the most lucrative routes and cargo groups. Initial cost and revenue considerations are made over the life-cycle of Airship. As a result, the authors can point that there are three main factors determine the success of the transport operations. They are: the number of journeys per day, business days operating per year and freight price.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:55:28 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2487374</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fixed-time observer-based heading control for underactuated hovercraft with slew rate safety constrain</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2449378</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This paper presents a safe-guaranteed backstepping sliding mode heading controller for the underactuated hovercraft in the presence of slew safety constraint and system uncertainties. To begin with, based on the four degrees-of-freedom mathematical model of the hovercraft with system uncertainties, a novel slew rate constraint scheme is proposed to constrain the virtual slew rate of the hovercraft by designing auxiliary dynamic function, and redefine the error constraint envelope according to the prescribed performance control idea to realise the slew rate error constraint. In addition, a second-order fixed time disturbance observer is designed to quickly estimate the uncertainties of the system. Finally, all tracking errors of the closed-loop system are verified global asymptotically stable. The simulation results show that the slew rate can be constrained within the set safety range$r \lt 2.5^\circ /s$r<2.5∘/s, and the error signals can converge to 0.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 21 Nov 2024 09:28:03 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2449378</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Adaptive Position Control Strategy of SRM-Based EMA System for Precision Position Tracking</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2403945</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The electromechanical actuator (EMA) driven by switched reluctance motor (SRM) is promising to be used in the steering vane control system on the landing craft air cushion (LCAC) hovercraft due to its reduced maintenance costs and increased control flexibility. The system parameter uncertainty, the unknown load disturbance, and the large torque ripple of SRM, however, make it challenging to achieve high position control precision. To improve the position control accuracy of the SRM-based EMA system, an adaptive position control strategy is proposed in this article. First, an adaptive fast terminal sliding mode controller (AFTSMC) is designed to address the issues of model parameter estimation and load disturbance rejection, which improves the dynamic response performance of the SRM-based EMA system. Second, a current-limited direct torque controller (CL-DTC) is proposed to track the reference torque calculated by AFTSMC with lower torque ripple and to limit the excessive currents of SRM at the same time, which helps further enhance the position control precision and prevent the SRM-based EMA from overheating. Finally, the proposed position control strategy is tested and compared with three other position controllers based on simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed position control strategy.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:38:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2403945</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Fuel cell hybrid electric air-cushion tracked vehicle for peat swamp</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2401911</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A prototype of a fuel cell (FC) hybrid electric air-cushion tracked vehicle of 4.96 kN ground contact area of 0.85 m2 including 0.20 m2 contact area of the air-cushion for the peat swamp of normal ground pressure in the range of 7-8.5 kN/m2 has been developed to overcome the problems associated with an internal combustion engine (ICE) power tracked vehicle. The vehicle power system has an FC terminal voltage of 60 V, 3.6 kW and 500 g of hydrogen mini tank and battery of 60 V and 5.2 kWh. The FC and batteries are connected in parallel with a DC/DC converter to optimum fuel efficiency and fuel cell longevity. Consecutively, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy intelligent system (ANFIS) is used to switch power from FC to battery for the vehicle sinkage >70 mm in milliseconds for high acceleration and to prevent the vehicle from excessive sinkage, and battery to FC switch for sinkage <70 mm. The vehicle is able to travel 31 km using FC hybrid power system.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:35:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2401911</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Evaluating one engine inoperative conditions in subscale electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft: An in-depth tethered hover test analysis</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2341540</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The direction of propeller rotation in a distributed electric-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft significantly influences control forces and induced drag during both helicopter and fixed-wing modes. This study proposes a strategy to determine the most effective rotational direction for each propeller. This approach effectively mitigates one-engine-inoperative (OEI) conditions during helicopter mode for a subscale eVTOL referred to as the optionally piloted personal air vehicle (OPPAV). Moreover, the study developed an optimal control law using the linear programming method, which minimizes the maximum power required for individual motors under OEI conditions. The lowest maximum power was achieved under OEI conditions when both the front and rear propellers in each pod rotated in the same direction. Furthermore, to validate this proposed control law, a tethered hover test was performed using the subscale OPPAV under OEI conditions. These findings demonstrate that determining the rotational direction of propellers using the newly proposed reconfiguration control method significantly enhances the safety of eVTOL aircraft operating under OEI conditions.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2024 16:03:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2341540</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Hierarchical Bayesian calibration of deck deflection models using distributed fiber optic strain data</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/2283710</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A naval hovercraft was outfitted with a distributed fiber optic sensing system (FOSS) on its cargo deck in which two fibers were placed along orthogonal axes. A series of trucks were loaded onto the cargo deck to simulate operational loading conditions and the resulting strain profiles were measured by the distributed FOSS. The aim of this study is to quantify the deck deflections that correspond to the measured strains under different vehicular loads. This is accomplished by idealizing the cargo deck as a rectangular plate and using the data to estimate the associated plate model parameters. In order to account for measurement noise and model prediction error, as well as the inherent variability of inferences made with different data sets, a hierarchical Bayesian scheme that considers both the model parameter uncertainty and the prediction error variance is utilized to derive the posterior distributions of the model hyper-parameters, i.e., their mean and variance. Given the volume of FOSS strain data available, different approaches were taken for incorporating the data into the hierarchical approach in order to determine whether the inclusion of all available strain data meaningfully reduced the uncertainty compared to using only time-averaged strain. Comparisons between the different approaches are explored in the context of 95% confidence intervals for strain profiles, deck deflection envelopes, and reliability indices based on allowable deflections.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 21 Nov 2023 17:07:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/2283710</guid>
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