The development of a heavy vehicle roughness band index (HVRBI)

This paper describes the preliminary development of a Heavy Vehicle Roughness Band Index (HVRBI) derived from the road profile considering the following factors influencing ride quality: heavy vehicle speed, wheel base length, amplitudes of the road profile undulations and lateral vibrations due to wheel path profile differences. These factors were combined to produce a modified variance as an indicator of ride quality. The scale of the HVRBI (0 – 10) was determined by categorizing the modified variance into percentages falling into varying comfort bands along each 100 metre length of road. The comfort bands were developed from the actual measured acceleration of the vibrations, both in amplitude and frequency, at the driver’s seat on a range of heavy vehicles (rigid and articulated, loaded and unloaded and with different suspension systems) over a range of road samples with varying longitudinal profiles. In a similar manner to the International Roughness Index (IRI) for cars, the HVRBI is a ride quality index for heavy vehicles based on predicting the ride quality experienced by the drivers of heavy vehicles from the road profile. The HVRBI can be used by road asset managers as a trigger to initiate pavement intervention works targeted at maintaining ride quality, freight productivity, safety and driver comfort specifically for heavy vehicles.

• Record URL:
  http://arrbknowledge.com
• Authors:
  • Ai, U
  • Martin, T
• Conference:
  • ARRB Conference, 25th, 2012, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
• Publication Date: 2012-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 15p
• Monograph Title: The Australian Low Carbon Transport Forum: identifying the greenhouse gas abatement potential of the Australian transport sector

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comfort; Heavy vehicles; Highway design; Pavements; Ride quality; Roughness; Texture; Vibration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Road design and asset management
• ATRI Terms: Heavy vehicle; Riding quality; Road profile; Roughness; Vibration
• ITRD Terms: 1236: Lorry
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01454727
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 27 2012 3:52PM