Population growth and rising mobility demands have significantly increased traffic congestion and extended travel times. To address these challenges, traffic flow can be optimized by organizing vehicles into clusters, known as vehicle platoons, where cars travel closely together in a co-ordinated manner. Although the concept of vehicle platoon control holds great promise for improving traffic efficiency and reducing fuel consumption, its practical implementation faces several issues. Variations in vehicle specifications, such as differences in mass, can destabilize platoons and negatively impact overall performance. This paper introduces a novel method to maintain stable vehicle co-ordination despite such uncertainties. The proposed method utilizes a static output feedback control strategy, which simplifies the communication architecture within the platoon, as only partial state information from each vehicle is required. The simulation results demonstrate that this method effectively minimizes spacing errors and ensures platoon stability. This approach not only enhances safety but also improves traffic flow, making it a viable strategy for future intelligent transportation systems.

Camera calibration is necessary for many machine vision applications. The calibration methods are based on linear or non-linear optimization techniques that aim to find the best estimate of the camera parameters. One of the most commonly used methods in computer vision for the calibration of intrinsic camera parameters and lens distortion (interior orientation) is Zhang’s method. Additionally, the uncertainty of the camera parameters is normally estimated by assuming that their variability can be explained by the images of the different poses of a checkerboard. However, the degree of reliability for both the best parameter values and their associated uncertainties has not yet been verified. Inaccurate estimates of intrinsic and extrinsic parameters during camera calibration may introduce additional biases in post-processing. This is why we propose a novel Bayesian inference-based approach that has allowed us to evaluate the degree of certainty of Zhang’s camera calibration procedure. For this purpose, the a prioriprobability was assumed to be the one estimated by Zhang, and the intrinsic parameters were recalibrated by Bayesian inversion. The uncertainty of the intrinsic parameters was found to differ from the ones estimated with Zhang’s method. However, the major source of inaccuracy is caused by the procedure for calculating the extrinsic parameters. The procedure used in the novel Bayesian inference-based approach significantly improves the reliability of the predictions of the image points, as it optimizes the extrinsic parameters.

This research study presents a new theoretical model to calculate the indirect tensile strength for the Brazilian disk with loading arcs, based on numerical simulations, two-dimensional elasticity theory, and Griffith failure criterion. The new expression incorporates a no uniform contact pressure distribution determined by the results of the simulations with the finite element method. A computational experiment design has been developed to test the accuracy of the predictions made with the proposed model. This study demonstrates that the stresses predicted with the new model are closer to those determined by the finite element models than other theoretical solutions available in the literature. Additionally, a comparative analysis with experimental results obtained by other authors also indicates that the new model provides a more accurate magnitude of the indirect tensile strength.

In this study, a finite element model of a bicycle crank arm are compared to experimental results. The structural integrity of the crank arm was analyzed in a universal dynamic test bench. The instrumentation used has allowed us to know the fatigue behavior of the component tested. For this, the prototype was instrumented with three rectangular strain gauge rosettes bonded in areas where failure was expected. With the measurements made by strain gauges and the forces registers from the load cell used, it has been possible to determine the state of the stresses for different loads and boundary conditions, which has subsequently been compared with a finite element model. The simulations show a good agreement with the experimental results, when the potential sources of uncertainties are considered in the validation process. This analysis allowed us to improve the original design, reducing its weight by 15%. The study allows us to identify the manufacturing process that requires the best metrological control to avoid premature crank failure. Finally, the numerical fatigue analysis carried out allows us to conclude that the new crank arm can satisfy the structural performance demanded by the international bicycle standard. Additionally, it can be suggested to the standard to include the verification that no permanent deformations have occurred in the crank arm during the fatigue test. It has been observed that, in some cases this bicycle component fulfils the minimum safety requirements, but presents areas with plastic strains, which if not taken into account can increase the risk of injury for the cyclist due to unexpected failure of the component.