AN EXPERIMENTAL AND ANALYTICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF BUS-INDUCED AERODYNAMIC DISTURBANCES ON ADJACENT VEHICLE CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE

The report investigates the nature and magnitude of the effect of bus-induced aerodynamic disturbances on adjacent highway vehicles. The study comprised full scale experiments, wind tunnel tests and driver/vehicle/disturbance response and performance analyses. The results are expressed terms of overall driver/vehicle safety performance, with emphasis on steering control and side to side deviations of the disturbed vehicle's path along the roadway. The basic situations studied involve a station wagon and an intercity bus, a two lane road, overtaking and passing and vehicle-bus oncoming. Within this framework the following parameters were varied: bus width and shape, lateral separation and lane width, ambient wind magnitude and direction, vehicle-bus speeds, and driver skill and alertness. (Author Modified Abstract)

• Corporate Authors:

  Systems Technology, Incorporated

  13766 South Hawthorne Boulevard
  Hawthorne, CA  United States  90250
• Authors:
  • Weir, D H
  • HOH, R H
  • Heffley, R K
  • Teper, G L
• Publication Date: 1972-11

Media Info

• Pagination: 167 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aerodynamics; Automobiles; Buses; Deflection; Drivers; Field tests; Flow fields; Highway design; Highway traffic; Passing; Research; Roads; Shape; Spacing; Station wagons; Steering; Traffic safety; Velocity; Width; Wind tunnels
• Old TRIS Terms: Aerodynamic characteristics; Automobile bus oncoming; Overtaking and passing; Response; Vehicular traffic
• Subject Areas: Highways; Public Transportation; Research;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00046300
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: STI-TR-1016-1 Final Rpt
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-7570
• Files: NTIS
• Created Date: Jul 31 1973 12:00AM