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Torque is one of the main loads acting on the aircraft wing, the horizontal tail and the vertical tail. In flight load measurement, due to the significant influence of the bending moment and the shear force on the strain gauge, the accuracy of torque measurement is usually low. Therefore, aircraft torque measurement is difficult. Based on the characteristics of a certain type of horizontal tail, a measurement method for the torque with high accuracy was proposed in this paper.

A new simplified torque measurement method for the all-moving horizontal tail was proposed based on the spiral driver. The feasibility of the method and key points of the tests were analyzed and studied through a virtual load calibration test.

Based on the results of the real load calibration test, the torque load equation with high accuracy was established, and the torque measurement was achieved in load flight tests.

However, the proposed method is based on the structure of the spiral driver. If there is generally no spiral driver at the aircraft wings and vertical tails, then the appropriate torque measurement method needs to be derived according to the specific object.

The research in this paper provides a new idea for the torque measurement of aircraft structures, which can be used for the torque measurement of subsequent aircraft types.

This study advances network brokerage theory by examining both benefits-driven and altruistic brokerage behaviors within the mutual fund retail markets of emerging economies.

Using a methodological combination of netnographic observations and in-depth interviews with fund investors, social influencers, sales agents and staffs from do-it-yourself (DIY) investment platforms, it uncovers the digital evolution of the mutual fund industry.

Our findings illuminate a significant pivot from traditional retail channels to third-party DIY investment platforms, a change accelerated by the recent pandemic. This shift underscores a critical theoretical extension by spotlighting the altruistic actions of social influencers, or key opinion leaders (KOLs), challenging the prevalent focus on solely benefits-driven motives in network brokerage literature. Furthermore, the study reveals a diminishing significance of arbitrage network brokering amidst the industry’s digital overhaul.

Concluding with an insightful discussion on its implications to policymakers and practitioners and acknowledging potential limitations, this research offers valuable perspectives for understanding the dynamics of network brokerage in the context of digital transformation within consumer financial markets.

With an increasing air cargo demand in the global air cargo transport industry, not only domestic airlines but also foreign carriers are actively investing in the air cargo service sector and trying to provide a differentiated service in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are a variety of service quality models available but most research to date has not found an optimal model for the air cargo service sector.

Using questionnaire data collected from air freight forwarders in Korea with respect to the air cargo service provided by Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and foreign carriers(JAL or China Eastern), this paper compares four models in measuring the service quality in the air cargo sector and identifies the best model. We then analyze the weakness of each airline’s service operation and make suggestions for improvement.

For demonstration analysis, the survey of domestic air cargo forwarders revealed that Reliability>Responsiveness> Supply ability>Security in important order in air cargo service quality dimension. In the context of this paper, we considered four models-unweighted SERVQUAL, unweighted SERVPERF, weighted SERVQUAL, and weighted SERVPERF–for our investigation into which is the most suitable model in the air cargo service sector with testing of goodness of fit by three criteria. Our results indicate that the most suitable model for the air cargo service sector is the weighted SERVPERF model.

The purpose of this paper is to point out the importance of technology trust and relationships between technology trust and trust antecedents. The paper aims to seek answers to the following questions: what determines technology trust (technology trust antecedents) and how to measure it in the case of the University Student Service System (USSS) technology?

In this study, the survey method was used to collect data. The online survey engaged 413 students representing one Polish technical university. The USSS was the technology of interest. The USSS web is an IT system for managing the course of higher education. The USSS web evolved into a multipurpose platform, which is used by university students for many different purposes.

Positive verification of three accepted hypotheses H1, H3 and H5 shows that the ease of use, general trust level of respondents and institutional trust have a statistically significant influence on USSS technology trust. The diversification of regression coefficients indicates that the ease of use determines USSS technology trust more than general trust and institutional trust.

An important limitation of the conducted study was the reduction of the sample group of students representing one university – the Bialystok University of Technology. The relationships between variables, however, have made it possible to explain the reasons for the existing dependencies from the perspective of a single university, which constitutes an important cognitive value in the context of motivating and disseminating information and communication technology solutions. A good adjustment of the developed theoretical model indicates that it can be used to a wider degree.

From the practical point of view, achieved results showed that there are many factors that can be influenced by managers within an organisation to build up technology trust relations. Institutional trust is one example of such factors. Also, considering that building trust is a process, managers should take into account that different factors can affect technology trust in different stages of this process. At the beginning phase, the ease of use of a particular technology seems to be most important for its users, and then the usefulness of the technology becomes the factor which determines the technology trust. Despite the fact that the conducted research did not show statistically significant relations between technology trust and the intention of future system use, results explained main factors affecting such situations. Also, the frequency of system use seemed to be the most important variable that determines the intention of future system use.

The scientific value of the study is an attempt to build a measurement scales relating to trust in technology and constructs determining that trust. According to a very popular technology acceptance model, which explains the behaviour of technology users, the author expanded the acceptance model and finally proposed the model consisting of five input variables (the ease of use, usefulness, institutional trust, general trust, trust in technology and science) and one output variable – the intention to use the system in the future. The novelty of the research results from the fact that it was the first research conducted in Poland on the topic of technology trust topic.

Consistency and consensus are two important research issues in group decision-making (GDM). Considering some drawbacks associated with these two issues in existing GDM methods with intuitionistic multiplicative preference relations (IMPRs), a new GDM method with complete IMPRs (CIMPRs) and incomplete IMPRs (ICIMPRs) is proposed in this paper.

A mathematically programming model is constructed to judge the consistency of CIMPRs. For the unacceptably consistent CIMPRs, a consistency-driven optimization model is constructed to improve the consistency level. Meanwhile, a consistency-driven optimization model is constructed to supplement the missing values and improve the consistency level of the ICIMPRs. As to GDM with CIMPRs, first, a mathematically programming model is built to obtain the experts' weights, after that a consensus-driven optimization model is constructed to improve the consensus level of CIMPRs, and finally, the group priority weights of alternatives are obtained by an intuitionistic fuzzy programming model.

The case analysis of the international exchange doctoral student selection problem shows the effectiveness and applicability of this GDM method with CIMPRs and ICIMPRs.

First, a novel consistency definition of CIMPRs is presented. Then, a consistency-driven optimization model is constructed, which supplements the missing values and improves the consistency level of ICIMPRs simultaneously. Therefore, this model greatly improves the efficiency of consistency improving. Experts' weights determination method considering the subjective and objective information is proposed. The priority weights of alternatives are determined by an intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) programming model considering the risk preference of experts, so the method determining priority weights is more flexible and agile. Based on the above theoretical basis, a new GDM method with CIMPRs and ICIMPRs is proposed in this paper.

In order to solve the problems faced by First Order Reliability Method (FORM) and First Order Saddlepoint Approximation (FOSA) in structural reliability optimization, this paper aims to propose a new Reliability-based Design Optimization (RBDO) strategy for offshore engineering structures based on Original Probabilistic Model (OPM) decoupling strategy. The application of this innovative technique to other maritime structures has the potential to substantially improve their design process by optimizing cost and enhancing structural reliability.

In the strategy proposed by this paper, sequential optimization and reliability assessment method and surrogate model are used to improve the efficiency for solving RBDO. The strategy is applied to the analysis of two marine engineering structure cases of ship cargo hold structure and frame ring of underwater skirt pile gripper. The effectiveness of the method is proved by comparing the original design and the optimized results.

In this paper, the proposed new RBDO strategy is used to optimize the design of the ship cargo hold structure and the frame ring of the underwater skirt pile gripper. According to the results obtained, compared with the original design, the structure of optimization design has better reliability and stability, and reduces the risk of failure. This optimization can also better balance the relationship between performance and cost. Therefore, it is recommended for related RBDO problems in the field of marine engineering.

In view of the limitations of FORM and FOSA that may produce multiple MPPs for a single performance function, the new RBDO strategy proposed in this study provides valuable insights and robust methods for the optimization design of offshore engineering structures. It emphasizes the importance of combining advanced MPP search technology and integrating SORA and surrogate models to achieve more economical and reliable design.

Freeway work zones have been traffic bottlenecks that lead to a series of problems, including long travel time, high-speed variation, driver’s dissatisfaction and traffic congestion. This research aims to develop a collaborative component of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) to alleviate negative effects caused by work zones.

The proposed cooperative component is incorporated in a cellular automata model to examine how and to what scale CAVs can help in improving traffic operations.

Simulation results show that, with the proposed component and penetration of CAVs, the average performances (travel time, safety and emission) can all be improved and the stochasticity of performances will be minimized too.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first research that develops a cooperative mechanism of CAVs to improve work zone performance.

The marine environment presents a great challenge to the anticorrosion properties of organic coatings applied on equipment. Since the compactness of coatings is critical in marine environments, a novel nepheline-epoxy resin (N-EP) composite was introduced into organic coatings to improve the interfacial compatibility between the pigments and the binder. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the N-EP composite in enhancing the corrosion resistance of the coatings in marine conditions.

These composite particles were prepared via the mechanical ball milling method at thermofield-assisted, leading to chemical bonding between inorganic nepheline and epoxy resin, the agglomeration of particles was avoided by this method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope, particle size distribution, sedimentation and thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis were used to verify the feasibility of thermal field-assisted mechanochemistry for achieving a direct reaction between epoxy resin and nepheline powder, as well as to determine the optimal reaction conditions. Additionally, water absorption tests, Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope were conducted to assess the anticorrosive properties of the modified nepheline coatings.

The results further indicated that N-EP improved the barrier performance and mechanical properties of the coating. For example, after modified, the tensile strength of coating had increased from 41.96 ± 0.05–63.14 ± 0.05 MPa. This can be attributed to the less defective N-EP/binder interface and the uniform dispersion of N-EP in the coating. The optimal preparation conditions (500 r/min of ball grinding speed and 6 h of ball grinding time) for the composites were also studied for a superior corrosion resistance of the coating.

Thermofield-assisted mechanochemistry enables direct reactions between epoxy resin and nepheline powder, enhancing the dispersion stability and interfacial compatibility of N-EP. This modification improves coating compactness, reduces porosity and enhances corrosion resistance by strengthening the labyrinth effect on water diffusion.

As a short take-off and landing aircraft, FanWing has the capability of being driven under power a short distance from a parking space to the take-off area. The purpose of this paper is to design the take-off control system of FanWing and study the factors that influence the short take-off performance under control.

The force analysis of FanWing is studied in the take-off phase. Two take-off control methods are researched, and several factors that influence the short take-off performance are studied under control.

The elevator and fan wing control systems are designed. Although the vehicle load increases under the fan wing control, the fan wing control is not a recommended practice in the take-off phase for its sensitivity to the pitch angle command. The additional pitch-down moment has a significant influence on the control system and the short take-off performance that the barycenter variation of FanWing should be considered carefully.

The presented efforts provide a reference for the location of the center of gravity in designing FanWing. The traditional elevator control is more recommended than the fan wing control in the take-off phase.

This paper offers a valuable reference on the control system design of FanWing. It also proves that there is an additional pith-down moment that needs to be paid close attention to. Four factors that influence the short take-off performance are compared under control.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel methodology based on budget constrained Min-Cut theorem to solve constrained topology optimization (TO).

This paper establishes a weighted network with budget, which is derived from the sensitivity with respect to the constraint function. The total budget carried by the topology evaluates the extent to which the constraint is satisfied. By finding the Min-Cut under budget constraint in each step, the proposed method is able to solve constrained TO problem.

The results obtained from a magnetic actuator including a yoke, a coil and an armature have demonstrated that the proposed method is effective to solve constrained TO problem.

A novel methodology based on budget constrained Min-Cut is proposed to solve constrained TO problem.