Road unevenness characterization

Summary

Research is focused on vibration analysis in the road-vehicle-driver interaction system and analysis of real longitudinal road profiles as a source of vibration to improve characterization of longitudinal road profiles. Results are intended to be used in road management and road maintenance.

Objectives

The research activities are mainly devoted to:

• Improve the characterization of road unevenness that should be a function of induced vehicle vibrations;
• Propose the road unevenness classification that takes into account induced vibrations in a vehicle;
• Estimate the ability of various road unevenness indices to reflect ride comfort and ride safety;  
• Estimate the influence of road profile short-wavelength contents (i.e. road distresses) on road unevenness indices and vehicle vibration;
• Estimate the correlation between various road unevenness indices and induced vehicle vibrations;
• Estimate the influence of road profiles with different spectrum properties (amplitude and wavelength distribution) and different level of road distress presence on vehicle vibration.

Achievements

• New road unevenness classification based on induced vehicle model vibrations was proposed. Classification is a function of road elevation spectrum parameters (unevenness index and waviness), vibration response and vehicle velocity. Proposed classification modified older proposals using real profiles, vehicle velocity, tyre enveloping model, and planar model of vehicle. New classification indicates the inadequacy of ISO 8608: 1995 road classification, which uses a constant waviness and is not a function of velocity (Múčka JTestE, 2016; Kropáč and Múčka SaV, 2009);
• International Roughness Index (IRI) limit values were derived based on measured vehicle vibration response (Múčka JIS, 2016);
• The correlation between twenty-seven road unevenness indicators and vehicle vertical vibrations in terms of ride comfort and ride safety was assessed for different vehicle speeds (Múčka JTE, 2013);
• The sensitivity of the twenty-seven road unevenness indicators to the dimensions of various road distresses (height, length, number of distresses per km) was mutually compared for 3,000 real road profiles (Múčka IJPE, 2016a; Múčka RMPD, 2013; Kropáč and Múčka JTE, 2011);
• The influence of three tyre-road contact models on vehicle vibration response was estimated for 1,600 real road profiles to identify the limits of tyre-road point contact model (Múčka and Gagnon VSD, 2015);
• Fourteen innovative proposals of road unevenness indices and their correlation with induced vibration response in passenger car and truck models for real profiles were compared (Múčka IJPE, 2016b);
• The limits of the most widely used indicator of road unevenness, IRI, to reflect ride quality in terms of vehicle vibration-induced response were quantified (Múčka and Granlund JTE, 2012a, 2012b; Kropáč and Múčka JSV, 2005).

Sample of the same value of frequency-weighted acceleration on the driver’s seat (awds) for two road profiles with different spectrum properties

Additional reading

MÚČKA, Peter. Sensitivity of road unevenness indicators to short wavelength distresses in Portland cement concrete surfaces. In International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2016a (in press), doi: 10.1080/10298436.2016.1224409

MÚČKA, Peter. Road roughness limit values based on measured vehicle vibration, In Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 2016 (in press), doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000325

MÚČKA, Peter. Current approaches to quantify the longitudinal road roughness. In International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2016b, vol. 17, no. 8, p. 659-679. (0.877 - IF2015). ISSN 1029-8436.

MÚČKA, Peter. Proposal of road unevenness classification based on road elevation spectrum parameters. In Journal of Testing and Evaluation, 2016, vol. 44, no. 2, p. 930-944. ISSN 0090-3973.

MÚČKA, Peter - GAGNON, L. Influence of tyre-road contact model on vehicle vibration response. In Vehicle System Dynamics, 2015, vol. 53, iss. 9, p. 1227-1246. ISSN 0042-3114.

MÚČKA, Peter. Influence of road profile obstacles on road unevenness indicators. In Road Materials and Pavement Design, 2013, vol.14, no.3, pp.689-702. (0.642 - IF2012). (2013 - Current Contents, WOS, SCOPUS). ISSN 1468-0629.

MÚČKA, Peter. Correlation among Road Unevenness Indicators and Vehicle Vibration Response. In Journal of Transportation Engineering ASCE, 2013, vol.139, p.771-786. (0.863 - IF2012). (2013 - Current Contents, SCOPUS, WOS). ISSN 0733-947X.

MÚČKA, Peter - GRANLUND, J. Is the Road Quality Still Better? In Journal of Transportation Engineering, 2012a, vol.138, no.12, p.1520-1529. (0.620 - IF2011). (2012 - Current Contents, WOS). ISSN 0733-947X.

MÚČKA, Peter - GRANLUND, Johan. Comparison of longitudinal unevenness of old and repaired highway lanes. In Journal of Transportation Engineering ASCE, 2012b, vol.138, no.3, p.371-380. (0.620 - IF2011). (2012 - Current Contents, SCOPUS, WOS). ISSN 0733-947X.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Specification of Obstacles in the Longitudinal Road Profile by Median Filtering. In Journal of Transportation Engineering ASCE, 2011, vol.137, no. 3, p.214-226. (0.460 - IF2010). (2011 - Current Contents). ISSN 0733-947X.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Classification scheme for random longitudinal road unevenness considering road waviness and vehicle response. In Shock and Vibration, 2009, vol.16, p.273-289. (0.465 - IF2008). (2009 - Current Contents). ISSN 1070-9622.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Effects of longitudinal road waviness on vehicle vibration response. In Vehicle System Dynamics, 2009, vol. 47, no.2, p.135-153. (0.724 - IF2008). (2009 - Current Contents). ISSN 0042-3114.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Effect of obstacles in the road profile on the dynamic response of a vehicle. In Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part D : Journal of Automobile Engineering, 2008, vol. 222, p.353-370.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Indicators of longitudinal unevenness of roads in the USA. In International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2008, vol. 46, no.4, p.393-415. ISSN 0143-3369.

KROPÁČ, Oldřich - MÚČKA, Peter. Be careful when using the International Roughness Index as an indicator of road unevenness. In Journal of Sound and Vibration, 2005, vol. 287, p. 989-1003. ISSN 0022-460X.

Related projects

• Research on the relationship between longitudinal road unevenness and ride comfort in vehicle, 2016 - 2018
• Evaluation and attenuation of vibrations in the system road–vehicle–driver, 2013 - 2015