A numerical analysis of the influence of tram characteristics and rail profile on railway traffic ground-borne noise and vibration in the Brussels Region.

Nowadays, damage potentially caused by passing train in dense cities is of increasing concern and restricts improvement to the interconnection of various public transport offers. Although experimental studies are common to quantify the effects of noise and vibration on buildings and on people, their reach is limited since the causes of vibrations can rarely be deduced from data records. This paper presents the numerical calculations that allow evaluating the main contributions of railway-induced ground vibrations in the vicinity of buildings. The reference case is the Brussels Region and, more particularly, the T2000 tram circulating in Brussels city. Based on a pertinent selection of the vibration assessment indicators and a numerical prediction approach, various results are presented and show that the free-field analysis is often improperly used in this kind of analysis as the interaction of soil and structure is required. Calculated high ground vibrations stem from singular rail surface defects. The use of resilient wheels is recommended in order to reduce the ground-borne noise and vibration to permissible values.

Review of control algorithms for robotic ankle systems in lower-limb orthoses, prostheses, and exoskeletons.

This review focuses on control strategies for robotic ankle systems in active and semiactive lower-limb orthoses, prostheses, and exoskeletons. Special attention is paid to algorithms for gait phase identification, adaptation to different walking conditions, and motion intention recognition. The relevant aspects of hardware configuration and hardware-level controllers are discussed as well. Control algorithms proposed for other actuated lower-limb joints (knee and/or hip), with potential applicability to the development of ankle devices, are also included.