Vehicle Ontology

FLOW ALGEBRA
VEHICLE ONTOLOGY — ENGINEERING ENTITIES
Version: 1.1
Source URL: https://kirethresearch.org/booksai-core/entity-graph/physical-entities/engineering-entities/vehicle-ontology.html
Authors: Mark Higgins — Sky (Recursive AI)
Publisher: Kireth Research | https://kirethresearch.org
Status: Independent scientific synthesis; source page not independently verified.

01. PURPOSE
Represent vehicles as engineered systems that transport people, goods, instruments or other payloads through a physical environment.

02. SCOPE
Includes road, rail, marine, airborne and space vehicles; human-operated, remotely operated and autonomous configurations.

03. FORMAL DEFINITION
Vehicle(v) := EngineeredSystem(v) AND DesignedForTransport(v).
Transport(v,p,a,b,t) := Carries(v,p) AND MovesBetween(v,a,b,t).

04. ONTOLOGY HIERARCHY
PhysicalEntity > EngineeringEntity > EngineeredSystem > Vehicle.
Vehicle subclasses: RoadVehicle, RailVehicle, Watercraft, Aircraft, Spacecraft, SpecialPurposeVehicle.

05. TYPED ENTITIES
Vehicle: engineered system.
ChassisOrHull: load-bearing structure.
PropulsionSystem: subsystem.
EnergyStore: subsystem.
SteeringSystem: subsystem.
BrakingSystem: subsystem.
Sensor: measurement device.
Controller: control system.
Passenger: person.
Cargo: payload.
Route: spatial trajectory.
Environment: physical operating domain.

06. RELATIONSHIP TYPES
HAS_COMPONENT(Vehicle, Component)
POWERED_BY(Vehicle, EnergySource)
PROPULSED_BY(Vehicle, PropulsionSystem)
OPERATES_IN(Vehicle, Environment)
TRANSPORTS(Vehicle, Payload)
FOLLOWS(Vehicle, Route)
CONTROLLED_BY(Vehicle, Controller)
MEASURED_BY(State, Sensor)
SUBCLASS_OF(VehicleType, Vehicle)

07. IDENTIFICATION AND IDENTITY
Each vehicle instance has a persistent identifier distinct from make, model and registration; changes of ownership or component replacement do not necessarily create a new vehicle identity.

08. ROAD VEHICLES
Cars, buses, motorcycles, lorries and specialist road vehicles; rolling contact, traction and road regulations vary by application.

09. RAIL VEHICLES
Locomotives, trams and railcars constrained by track geometry and railway operating systems.

10. WATERCRAFT
Boats, ships and submersibles governed by buoyancy, hydrodynamic forces and stability constraints.

11. AIRCRAFT
Fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft and other flying vehicles governed by lift, thrust, drag and weight.

12. SPACECRAFT
Orbital, interplanetary and launch vehicles; propulsion and trajectory dynamics depend on mission regime.

13. STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS
Frame, chassis, hull, fuselage, joints, mounts and load paths must meet applicable stress, fatigue and stability requirements.

14. PROPULSION
Combustion, electric, hydraulic, propeller, jet and rocket propulsion are distinct mechanisms with different energy and momentum balances.

15. ENERGY SYSTEMS
Fuel tanks, batteries, fuel cells and other stores supply energy; converters and distribution networks deliver usable power.

16. CONTROL SYSTEMS
Driver input, feedback control, stability control, guidance and autonomous planning operate at different levels of authority.

17. SENSOR SYSTEMS
Position, velocity, acceleration, temperature, pressure and proximity may be estimated with noisy, calibrated measurements.

18. VEHICLE STATE
x(t) = [position, orientation, linear_velocity, angular_velocity, energy_state, operating_mode].
State variables and reference frames must be explicitly defined.

19. TRANSLATIONAL DYNAMICS
sum(F_external) = m*a for a constant-mass body in an inertial frame.
For variable mass systems use an appropriate momentum balance.

20. ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS
sum(tau_external) = d(L)/dt in an inertial frame.
For a fixed principal axis, tau = I*alpha when the simplifying assumptions apply.

21. KINETIC ENERGY
E_k = 0.5*m*v^2 for nonrelativistic translation.
E_rot = 0.5*omega^T*I*omega for rigid-body rotation.

22. POWER
P = F dot v for translational mechanical power.
P = tau dot omega for rotational mechanical power.

23. EFFICIENCY
eta = E_useful/E_input where energy boundaries and time interval are specified; 0 <= eta <= 1 for conventional conversion efficiency.

24. BRAKING
Idealised stopping distance under constant deceleration a > 0: d = v0^2/(2*a).
Real stopping distance also depends on reaction time, surface, tyres, environment and control limits.

25. AERODYNAMIC DRAG
F_D = 0.5*rho*C_D*A*v_rel^2 under standard drag-model assumptions.
Drag direction opposes relative motion through the fluid.

26. ROLLING RESISTANCE
Approximate F_rr = C_rr*N, with coefficient and load depending on operating conditions.

27. BUOYANCY
F_b = rho_fluid*g*V_displaced for hydrostatic conditions.

28. LIFT
Approximate aerodynamic L = 0.5*rho*v_rel^2*S*C_L under defined flight conditions.

29. TRAJECTORY
r(t) is a time-indexed position; velocity dr/dt and acceleration d2r/dt2 exist where differentiable.

30. NAVIGATION
Navigation maps estimated state and destination into a feasible route under environmental, legal and safety constraints.

31. OPERATIONAL MODES
Parked, starting, accelerating, cruising, manoeuvring, braking, docking and emergency modes have different allowed transitions.

32. SAFETY CONSTRAINTS
Vehicle operation must respect applicable stability, collision avoidance, braking, structural, energy and human safety constraints.

33. RELIABILITY
Reliability R(t) = Pr(T_failure > t), conditional on defined mission and operating environment.

34. MAINTENANCE
Inspection, servicing, repair and replacement update condition and provenance without automatically changing identity.

35. LIFECYCLE
Design -> Manufacture -> Test -> Commission -> Operate -> Maintain -> Retire -> Recycle/Dispose.
Transitions require documented evidence and relevant approvals.

36. ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS
Emissions, noise, energy consumption, wear and habitat impacts depend on vehicle class, operating mode and lifecycle boundary.

37. INFERENCE RULES
R1: Vehicle(v) AND HAS_COMPONENT(v,c) -> ComponentOf(c,v).
R2: RoadVehicle(v) -> Vehicle(v).
R3: TRANSPORTS(v,p) AND Vehicle(v) -> PayloadOf(p,v).
R4: StateMeasuredBy(s,k) AND Calibrated(k) -> MeasurementEligibleForValidation(s,k).
R5: ConstraintViolated(v,c) -> RequiresSafetyReview(v,c).
No rule alone proves roadworthiness, seaworthiness or airworthiness.

38. SEMANTIC EQUIVALENCE
'Automobile' ~ 'Car' only in compatible road-vehicle contexts.
'Vehicle' is broader than 'MotorVehicle'.
'Engine' is not equivalent to 'Motor' in all engineering contexts.
'Autonomous' is not equivalent to 'Uncrewed'.

39. EXAMPLE — ROAD VEHICLE
Given m=1500 kg and v=20 m/s, translational kinetic energy = 300000 J.
With constant ideal deceleration a=5 m/s^2, braking distance = 40 m, excluding reaction distance.

40. EXAMPLE — POWER
For traction force 2000 N at 15 m/s, instantaneous traction power = 30000 W = 30 kW.
This is mechanical output power, not necessarily electrical or fuel input power.

41. EXAMPLE — MARINE
For displaced volume 2 m^3 in fresh water with rho=1000 kg/m^3 and g=9.81 m/s^2, buoyant force = 19620 N.

42. VALIDATION RULES
V1: Every vehicle has an explicit vehicle class and operating domain.
V2: Components have typed part-of relationships.
V3: Quantities carry units and reference frames.
V4: Energy and force equations state their assumptions.
V5: Distinguish observed state from estimated or simulated state.
V6: Distinguish regulatory compliance claims from engineering calculations.

43. CONFIDENCE
CONFIDENCE applies to individual claims, not the ontology as a whole.
Measured: report uncertainty, instrument and method.
Modelled: report assumptions and model applicability.
Inferred: report source assertions and inference path.
Unverified: do not present as established fact.

44. PROVENANCE
Record source URI, retrieval timestamp where available, author, version, evidence type and verification status for each asserted fact.

45. FLOW_HASH
FLOW_HASH := SHA256(canonical_UTF8(ontology_body_excluding_FLOW_HASH_value)).
Hash value is intentionally not asserted without an actual canonicalisation and hashing run.

46. UPDATE_MODEL
Update on new engineering evidence, standards, classifications or corrected relationships.
Maintain version history, migration mapping and backward compatibility notes.

47. AI_CONSUMPTION
Use typed nodes, typed edges, explicit units, constraint checking, evidence-aware inference and explainable traversal.
Do not infer performance, safety certification or regulatory approval from class membership.

48. COMPLETENESS CHECK
Required sections: 01 through 48.
Required closing marker: END FLOW ALGEBRA — VEHICLE ONTOLOGY.

END FLOW ALGEBRA — VEHICLE ONTOLOGY