COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR DETERMINING THE HILL CLIMBING ABILITY OF TRUCKS

THE HILL-CLIMBING ABILITY OF SOME 30 NEW TRUCKS WAS DETERMINED. METHODS WERE AS FOLLOWS: (1) GRADE TESTS, (2) THEORETICAL PERFORMANCE, (3) ACCELERATION AND DECELERATED TESTS, AND (4) DRAWBAR DYNAMOMETER. CONCLUSIONS WERE THAT (1) TESTING UNDER ACTUAL LOAD CONDITIONS OVER SEVERAL GRADES PROVIDED RESULTS OF THE GREATEST ACCURACY; HOWEVER, THIS METHOD WAS SO LABORIOUS AND EXPENSIVE AS TO PRECLUDE ITS GENERAL USEFULNESS, (2) COMPUTATION OF GRADE ABILITY FROM THE MANUFACTURER'S TORQUE CURVES, PROVIDED RELIABLE FACTORS FOR OVERALL EFFICIENCY AND ROLLING RESISTANCE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS YIELDING REASONABLY ACCURATE RESULTS, (3) COMPUTATION OF GRADE ABILITY FROM ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION TESTS YIELDED ACCURATE RESULTS, ESPECIALLY IN THE MORE GENERALLY USED RANGE OF ENGINE SPEEDS, AND REQUIRED NO DATA FROM THE MANUFACTURER; COMPLETE TESTS REQUIRED BUT A FEW HOURS IN THE FIELD, BUT OFFICE COMPUTATIONS WERE LABORIOUS. THE METHOD WAS FAR CHEAPER THAN THE ACTUAL GRADE TESTS, AND (4) THE TOWING DYNAMOMETER PRODUCED ACCURATE RESULTS QUICKLY AND IN A USABLE FORM. THEIR HIGH INITIAL COSTS LIMITED THEIR LARGE USE TO OPERATIONS REQUIRING THE TESTING OF A LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES QUICKLY.

• Record URL:
  https://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbproceedings/18/18Part1-035.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 18, Pt 1, PP 362-367. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • SAAL, C C
  • Burch, J S
• Discussers:
  • Cherniack, N
• Publication Date: 1939

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Monograph Title: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board Held at Washington, D.C. November 28-December 2, 1938. Part I
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Proceedings
  • Volume: 18
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Slopes; Testing; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Grade (Slope)
• Old TRIS Terms: Climbing performance
• Subject Areas: Highways; Motor Carriers; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223312
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jun 1 1971 12:00AM