Full Battery and Hybrid Bus based Rapid Transit System as a Cost Effective Urban Transit Mode alternative to Metros in Tier II Tier III Indian Cities

Intra-city travel is a significant part of urban life and a fully functional intra-city transit system will help in reducing the number of private vehicles on the road, thus reducing pollution and traffic congestions. A robust urban transit system helps in the physical expansion of city limits, making education, job, and medical facilities accessible to people living in city fringe areas. This will help in depopulating the Central Business District areas and optimization of real estate cost. Heavy Rail Based Metro Transit system has improved living conditions in Metropolitan cities. The High Capital Investment required for setting up a metro system necessitates the requirement of alternate Transit systems for Medium and smaller cities. This paper delves into this important area of suggesting an alternate urban transit model for Tier II and Tier III Indian cities. In this paper, modifications were suggested in the Metro Neo specification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs [10], to make it more cost-effective (to construct and maintain), agile, and with scope to harness new technologies as they become commercially viable in the future. Elevated or dedicated Busways with Full Diesel Hybrid Buses comprising an Energy Storage system (Li-ion battery pack) and a diesel power pack are suggested as the rolling stock for the transit system. This suggested rolling stock will be not only cost effective but also environmentally friendly. In the future, the Diesel Power Packs in the buses can be replaced with Hydrogen Fuel Cells or additional batteries to enable full electric and non-fossil fuel operation. The need for further research in developing cost-optimized structures in the Construction of viaducts and bus stations is felt and details in these areas have been highlighted. The suggested system will have the flexibility of a Bus Rapid Transit system and shall have some advantages of a metro system. Even in big cities with a full-fledged Metro system, the suggested modified Metro Neo system can act as a feeder system from faraway places. The paper proposes essential features of a transit system that is robust in present and is future-ready.

“Mechanistic Analysis of Rigid Pavement for Wheel Load Stresses By Finite Element Method Considering Different Sub-Grade with Different Percentage of Metal Fibre”

In the present work, analysis of concrete pavements using ANSYS software has been attempted. ANSYS is a finite element method-based software. The concrete slab has been modeled with solid 45 brick element and spring elements for soil. Analysis was carried out for a wide range of load and slab soil combination. The soil as “Winkler type” represented by elastic springs and their stiffness was derived from modulus of sub-grade reaction. The influence of any particular base or sub base on edge stresses was not studied here. The model will be then subjected to number of varying input parameters like the change in the thickness of pavement slab, sub-grade material to winkler foundation, modulus of elasticity by adding metal chips in different percentage like 10%, 20%, 30% and also intensity of loads. It is aimed to compare the stresses of the model study with classical approach of Westergaards and IRC 58- 2002 method. Westergaards equation under estimate edge wheel load stresses when compared with those obtained from ANSYS. For generating the charts, edge loading condition was considered which is critical case for wheel load stresses. Also, it was aimed to compare the results with those given by IRC 58 – 2002 design charts. Design charts were developed in thesis work yield the same value of pavement thickness as that of IRC 58 – 2002 method.

Full Battery and Hybrid Bus based Rapid Transit System as a Cost Effective Urban Transit Mode alternative to Metros in Tier II Tier II I Indian Cities

Intra-city travel is a significant part of urban life and a fully functional intra-city transit system will help in reducing the number of private vehicles on the road, thus reducing pollution and traffic congestions. A robust urban transit system helps in the physical expansion of city limits, making education, job, and medical facilities accessible to people living in city fringe areas. This will help in depopulating the Central Business District areas and optimization of real estate cost. Heavy Rail Based Metro Transit system has improved living conditions in Metropolitan cities. The High Capital Investment required for setting up a metro system necessitates the requirement of alternate Transit systems for Medium and smaller cities. This paper delves into this important area of suggesting an alternate urban transit model for Tier II and Tier III Indian cities. In this paper, modifications were suggested in the Metro Neo specification issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs [10], to make it more cost-effective (to construct and maintain), agile, and with scope to harness new technologies as they become commercially viable in the future. Elevated or dedicated Busways with Full Diesel Hybrid Buses comprising an Energy Storage system (Li-ion battery pack) and a diesel power pack are suggested as the rolling stock for the transit system. This suggested rolling stock will be not only cost effective but also environmentally friendly. In the future, the Diesel Power Packs in the buses can be replaced with Hydrogen Fuel Cells or additional batteries to enable full electric and non-fossil fuel operation. The need for further research in developing cost-optimized structures in the Construction of viaducts and bus stations is felt and details in these areas have been highlighted. The suggested system will have the flexibility of a Bus Rapid Transit system and shall have some advantages of a metro system. Even in big cities with a full-fledged Metro system, the suggested modified Metro Neo system can act as a feeder system from faraway places. The paper proposes essential features of a transit system that is robust in present and is future-ready.

“Mechanistic Analysis of Rigid Pavement for Wheel Load Stresses By Finite Element Method Considering Different Sub-Grade with Different Percentage of Metal Fibre”

In the present work, analysis of concrete pavements using ANSYS software has been attempted. ANSYS is a finite element method-based software. The concrete slab has been modeled with solid 45 brick element and spring elements for soil. Analysis was carried out for a wide range of load and slab soil combination. The soil as “Winkler type” represented by elastic springs and their stiffness was derived from modulus of sub-grade reaction. The influence of any particular base or sub base on edge stresses was not studied here. The model will be then subjected to number of varying input parameters like the change in the thickness of pavement slab, sub-grade material to winkler foundation, modulus of elasticity by adding metal chips in different percentage like 10%, 20%, 30% and also intensity of loads. It is aimed to compare the stresses of the model study with classical approach of Westergaards and IRC 58- 2002 method. Westergaards equation under estimate edge wheel load stresses when compared with those obtained from ANSYS. For generating the charts, edge loading condition was considered which is critical case for wheel load stresses. Also, it was aimed to compare the results with those given by IRC 58 – 2002 design charts. Design charts were developed in thesis work yield the same value of pavement thickness as that of IRC 58 – 2002 method.