Road Traffic Load Research Articles

Hot - Spot summertime levels and potential sources of volatile organic compounds (VOC) on roads around Çanakkale and Kilitbahir Harbors across Dardanelles Strait

Organic air pollutants have considerable influence particularly on atmospheric chemistry, compared to other air pollutants. Traffic is one of the major sources of air pollutants occurred in Çanakkale atmosphere by both remarkable road and marine traffic loads around the harbors. The aims of this study were finding the daily, week/weekend, and spatial variations of VOC at multiple sampling points of Çanakkale and Kilitbahir. In this study, active air samples were collected from the major roads of Kilitbahir and Çanakkale Harbors during rush hours and off-peak in 2018 summer. According to the measurement results, average levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were around 129 μg/m3 in Çanakkale and 93 μg/m3 in Kilitbahir. Toluene was the most abundant compound. Average B: T: E: X ratio was calculated as 2.4:7.0:1:5.5 in Çanakkale and 3.2:7.6:1:5.2 in Kilitbahir. According to the sampling points of both locations, levels of TVOC, benzene, toluene, and m,p-xylene in Çanakkale and toluene levels in Kilitbahir showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Also, benzene, which was already classified as a human carcinogen, varied diurnally in Kilitbahir (p < 0.05). Toluene levels varied between week and weekend days (p < 0.05). Moreover, measured VOC levels were compared with air quality monitoring station (AQMS) data and meteorological parameters. TVOC levels showed positive correlations with SO2 and PM10 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a multivariate factor analysis applied to data set including VOC measurements, AQMS data, and meteorological parameters implied that traffic is the predominant factor influencing the air quality around the study sites.

ANALISIS KINERJA INFRASTRUKTUR TRANSPORTASI KABUPATEN MUNA BARAT

The policy of providing road infrastructure that is right and effective, requires an instrument that can see the success rate of providing road infrastructure in balancing economic development, population and number of vehicles. The purpose of this study was to analyze the performance of transportation infrastructure in this case the condition of the West Muna Regency road network.This research was conducted in two ways, namely using the Road Infrastructure Index (IPJ) and Minimum Service Standards (SPM). The road infrastructure index uses four variables which are also indicators in the assessment of the availability of road infrastructure (Ktj), road network performance (KNJ), traffic load (BLN) and road infrastructure services (Pyp). While the Minimum ServiceStandards are viewed from the Accessibility Index and Mobility Index.The results of the study showed that the performance of transportation infrastructure based on the 2016 West Muna Regency Road Infrastructure Index (3.78) was said to be insufficient according to the national minimum value (6.00) and national average value (5.68). Based on the Minimum Service Standards of West Muna Regency, accessibility and mobility indices have met the existing requirements. Keywords: Transportation Infrastructure Performance, Road Network System, RoadInfrastructure Index (IPJ), Minimum Service Standards (SPM)

Modeling pavement damage and predicting fatigue cracking of flexible pavements based on a combination of deterministic method with stochastic approach using Miner’s hypothesis

Distress in flexible pavements has been a problem in many countries due to the increase in road traffic and vehicle loads. One of the most important distress modes in the design of pavements is fatigue cracking. Despite the fact that there have been considerable efforts in recent years in fatigue performance evaluation and the design process of flexible pavements, there is still a need for further studies to overcome the difficulty in predicting fatigue cracking in terms of damage distribution considering the uncertainty associated with the input parameters of pavement life and traffic repetitions. The purpose of this paper is to develop a methodology for modeling pavement damage and predicting fatigue cracking of flexible pavements based on a combination of deterministic method with stochastic approach using Palmgren–Miner’s hypothesis. Four predictive models are introduced and used in a comprehensive case study to estimate the fatigue life of the pavement surface layer. The solutions are obtained through numerical integration based on Gaussian quadrature method. The results reveal that pavement damage has a broad range of distribution in which the actual traffic load repetitions has a Poisson distribution, while the traffic repetitions to failure follows a lognormal distribution.

Gandhi as an Environmentalist.

Gandhi as an Environmentalist.

Numerical models for the elastic halfspace dynamic response due to road traffic load

Due to the information technology development the numerical modelling in the traffic structures engineering finding the application. Even in the traffic effect on the geological environment and soil. It this case two mechanical systems are interactive and acting to each other. This special type of interactive task is usually solves by using Finite Element Method (FEM). In both mechanical systems propagates the dynamic strength and strain effects. The Traffic Seismicity (TF) in the elastic half space is possible to solve in the time and the frequency domain. The paper contains theoretical approach of the two numerical simulations in the TS task. For this type of the FEM simulations the various numerical systems were used.

Carbon management of infrastructure performance: Integrated big data analytics and pavement-vehicle-interactions

As a crucial part of the transportation system, roadway network provides mobility to the society and is vital for the economy. At the same time it contributes significantly to the environmental footprint during its construction, operation and maintenance. Hence, the sustainable development of our Nation's roadway system requires quantitative means to link infrastructure performance to lifecycle energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Recent developments in mechanistic models of roughness- and deflection-induced pavement-vehicle interaction aim at providing such engineering estimates. Herein, it is demonstrated that these models when implemented at a network scale are a powerful basis for big data analytics of excess-energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by integrating spatially and temporally varying road conditions, pavement properties, traffic loads and climatic conditions. A novel ranking algorithm is proposed, that allows upscaling of the local carbon dioxide emissions due to pavement vehicle interaction to the size of state-wide or national sustainability goals. Implemented for 5157 lane-miles of the interstate highway system in the State of Virginia, sections contributing significantly to carbon dioxide emissions are identified. It is shown that the proposed ranking algorithm based on the inferred emission that exhibits a power-law distribution, provides the shortest path for greenhouse gas emissions savings per maintenance at network scale. That is, maintaining a few lane miles allows for a significant synergetic improvement of both infrastructure performance and environmental impact of the interstate network and helps transportation agencies in making economic and environmentally sustainable decisions.

Numerical study on reducing building vibrations by foundation improvement

Vibration disturbances in buildings may stem from ambient sources, such as motorway traffic, or from internal sources such as people walking inside the building. Vibrations can exceed requirements for sensitive equipment or cause annoyance to humans and therefore the vibrations may need to be reduced. Vibrations from both external and internal sources can be reduced by modifying the properties of concrete slabs and of the soil underneath. Soil can be improved by being mixed with a binder material in order to increase its stiffness. In this study, parametric finite element analyses were conducted on the achieved vibration reduction on a slab on soil from improving the properties of a concrete slab on soil or of the soil underneath. The size, elastic modulus, and depth of the stabilised soil were found to markedly affect the level of reduction obtained. The soil stabilisation at a vibration-sensitive facility was used as an example case, where the developed finite element model was calibrated to green-field measurements carried out on-site. Frequency spectra of both road traffic loads and internal pedestrian loads were considered in the model. The calibrated finite element model predicted reductions of almost 60% for the road traffic and 80% for the pedestrian load.

Construction Research with a New Research Method for Determining the Traffic Impact Scope

Traffic impact analysis is the analysis and evaluation of construction project's impact on the surrounding road network traffic load, researching on the internal relations of urban land usage and transportation, revealling the laws and exploring how to coordinate the relationship between them. It’s a effective means to solve the problem of urban traffic. It has been promoted in many cities in China, its important role also increasingly cause the competent attention of the department of city.

Effects of long-term exposure to air pollution on natural-cause mortality: an analysis of 22 European cohorts within the multicentre ESCAPE project

Few studies on long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality have been reported from Europe. Within the multicentre European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE), we aimed to investigate the association between natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to several air pollutants. We used data from 22 European cohort studies, which created a total study population of 367,251 participants. All cohorts were general population samples, although some were restricted to one sex only. With a strictly standardised protocol, we assessed residential exposure to air pollutants as annual average concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with diameters of less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), less than 10 μm (PM10), and between 10 μm and 2.5 μm (PMcoarse), PM2.5 absorbance, and annual average concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx), with land use regression models. We also investigated two traffic intensity variables-traffic intensity on the nearest road (vehicles per day) and total traffic load on all major roads within a 100 m buffer. We did cohort-specific statistical analyses using confounder models with increasing adjustment for confounder variables, and Cox proportional hazards models with a common protocol. We obtained pooled effect estimates through a random-effects meta-analysis. The total study population consisted of 367,251 participants who contributed 5,118,039 person-years at risk (average follow-up 13.9 years), of whom 29,076 died from a natural cause during follow-up. A significantly increased hazard ratio (HR) for PM2.5 of 1.07 (95% CI 1.02-1.13) per 5 μg/m(3) was recorded. No heterogeneity was noted between individual cohort effect estimates (I(2) p value=0.95). HRs for PM2.5 remained significantly raised even when we included only participants exposed to pollutant concentrations lower than the European annual mean limit value of 25 μg/m(3) (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.00-1.12) or below 20 μg/m(3) (1.07, 1.01-1.13). Long-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution was associated with natural-cause mortality, even within concentration ranges well below the present European annual mean limit value. European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2011).

Field Test and Analysis for Environmental Vibration Induced by Road Traffic Load

To study environmental vibration problems caused by urban traffic, field test of ground vibration induced by the traffic load were carried out on a city road and attenuation of the vibration was analyzed from the time domain. Used MATLAB software to curve fitting attenuation coefficient to calculate the variation of vibration with depth. The vibration with depth was analyzed through the attenuation coefficient. The results show that the environmental vibration caused by road traffic load was mainly in vertical direction. In addition, environmental vibration in the transverse and vertical directions were both gradually decreasing with the increase of the distance from vibration source. Vibration attenuation was rapidly reduced within 10m and there was almost no vibration in 57 m.

Ways to reduce road traffic load of city transport networks

At the present time, there is a problem of choosing the most effective, scientifically grounded directions of activity to reduce the road traffic load of city transport networks. The paper gives the analysis and the developed classification of modern ways on the reduction of the road traffic load of city transport networks. As a result, the measures most relevant for modern conditions − organization of park-and-ride facilities in the peripheral areas of cities and construction of parallel highways were chosen. The structural diagram of the developed method of studying the efficiency of selected measures to reduce the road traffic load of transport networks is given. The method is based on the modeling of traffic flows using a mathematical model of the transport network load. The use of the given method allows determining the parameters of dependency of the level of traffic load of the transport network on the characteristics of applied measures and, therefore, establishing the appropriateness of their use.

Ambient air pollution and low birthweight: a European cohort study (ESCAPE)

Ambient air pollution has been associated with restricted fetal growth, which is linked with adverse respiratory health in childhood. We assessed the effect of maternal exposure to low concentrations of ambient air pollution on birthweight. We pooled data from 14 population-based mother-child cohort studies in 12 European countries. Overall, the study population included 74 178 women who had singleton deliveries between Feb 11, 1994, and June 2, 2011, and for whom information about infant birthweight, gestational age, and sex was available. The primary outcome of interest was low birthweight at term (weight <2500 g at birth after 37 weeks of gestation). Mean concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2·5 μm (PM2·5), less than 10 μm (PM10), and between 2·5 μm and 10 μm during pregnancy were estimated at maternal home addresses with temporally adjusted land-use regression models, as was PM2·5 absorbance and concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrogen oxides. We also investigated traffic density on the nearest road and total traffic load. We calculated pooled effect estimates with random-effects models. A 5 μg/m(3) increase in concentration of PM2·5 during pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of low birthweight at term (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1·18, 95% CI 1·06-1·33). An increased risk was also recorded for pregnancy concentrations lower than the present European Union annual PM2·5 limit of 25 μg/m(3) (OR for 5 μg/m(3) increase in participants exposed to concentrations of less than 20 μg/m(3) 1·41, 95% CI 1·20-1·65). PM10 (OR for 10 μg/m(3) increase 1·16, 95% CI 1·00-1·35), NO2 (OR for 10 μg/m(3) increase 1·09, 1·00-1·19), and traffic density on nearest street (OR for increase of 5000 vehicles per day 1·06, 1·01-1·11) were also associated with increased risk of low birthweight at term. The population attributable risk estimated for a reduction in PM2·5 concentration to 10 μg/m(3) during pregnancy corresponded to a decrease of 22% (95% CI 8-33%) in cases of low birthweight at term. Exposure to ambient air pollutants and traffic during pregnancy is associated with restricted fetal growth. A substantial proportion of cases of low birthweight at term could be prevented in Europe if urban air pollution was reduced. The European Union.

Vibration Attenuation Characters in Deep Holes under Road Traffic Load

Through the field vibration measurement of 50m and 80m deep holes under road traffic load, the attenuation law of displacement in holes with depth under traffic and traffic-free conditions was discussed in the time and frequency domains. Some conclusions were drawn as follows: RMS attenuation factor was close to 0.2 and the displacement is obviously reduced at a depth of about 40m; the peak frequency decreased as the depth gradually increased. Compared with the attenuation law in elastic half-space Rayleigh wave, it was found that the horizontal displacement reduced more slowly than the elastic half-space Rayleigh wave and the attenuation factor was gradually close to the attenuation curve of the elastic half-space Rayleigh wave with the increase of the depth; the attenuation factor of the vertical displacement gradually reduced as the depth increased and reduced much faster than elastic half-space Rayleigh wave.

Traffic forecasting on national roads

The purpose of this paper is the analysis of traffic load on road pavement and it forecasting, in aspect of designing the reconstruction of roads and pavement strengthening. At present modeling method is a method that offers highest level of traffic load forecasting. Preparation of the digital model of road network and traffic load, which take place on it, allows to eliminate many drawbacks of existing methods of forecasting. For accurate predictions of heavy vehicles by model it is necessary to build the best possible knowledge base of traffic load which is present on the existing road network in particularly based on the largest number of measure spots to both classification and pre-selection of weight classes such as WIM-P.

Long-term condition assessment of suspenders under traffic loads based on structural monitoring system: Application to the Tsing Ma Bridge

SUMMARY Structural health monitoring (SHM) system provides an efficient way to the diagnosis and prognosis of critical and large-scale civil infrastructures like long-span bridges. This paper presents a long-term condition assessment approach of suspenders in a cable-suspension bridge under in-service traffic loads based on structural monitoring technique. The traffic loads identified from a monitoring system, including both highway and railway traffic loads, and the finite element model of the bridge are employed to determine the axial force response of the suspender. The stochastic axial force response in the suspender is described by a filtered Poisson process, through which the maximum value distribution of axial forces in its design reference period can be derived using the Poisson Process theory. In this paper, the long-term deterioration process of steel wires in the suspender considers simultaneously the uniform and pitting corrosion and the corrosion fatigue induced by both cyclic loading and environmental attack. Such a stochastic and coupled corrosion fatigue process of steel wires is simulated using the Monte Carlo method, and the time-variant conditions of the suspender are subsequently assessed in a probabilistic way, such as crack depth, number of broken wires, ultimate strength, etc. In particular, two load conditions—the train loads alone and the combination of train load and road traffic load—are examined within this procedure in order to investigate their respective effects on the deterioration. By employing first-order reliability method, the reliability indexes of the suspender under the traffic loads are further estimated in terms of the safety under the extreme traffic load distribution in the design reference period and the serviceability specified in the design specification. The discussions of the life-cycle reliability indexes of the suspender provide guidance to the future decision making related to maintenance and replacement of suspenders, and it may also shed light on the long-term condition assessment of other structural members. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

On the Investigations of Resilient Modulus of Residual Tropical Gravel Lateritic Soils from Senegal (West Africa)

Investigations on the mechanical behav- ior of compacted gravel lateritic soils have been the subject of several studies. Used as road materials, soils tests were mainly performed using standard tests. Static loads as unconfined compression test (UCT) remain the only engineering approach used. Alternative testing techniques can be chosen as supplementary tests for characterizing pavement materials. These researches were conducted so as to determine the response of these particular and problematic soils in its compacted form with road traffic loads. This paper presents the results of research conducted to investigate the effect of the soil compacity on the resilient modulus of lateritic soils. The influence of the percentage of cement added so as to stabilize each sample at the optimum modified proctor (OPM) State was also determined. Soil big specimens of around 180 mm diameter (with length to diameter aspect ratio of 2:1) were prepared according to the standard procedure described by AASHTO T 307 and then were subjected to repeated load triaxial tests. The models used, analyzed and developed in this paper are mainly the Andrei and the Uzan-Witczak universal model. Test results showed that the specimen compacity has no significant influence on the resilient modulus of the investigated gravel lateritic soils. Soil specimens with variation of the percentage of cement added exhibited the highest resilient modulus values while the specimens with variation of the compacity exhibited the lowest values. The resilient modulus variation seems to be independent of the level of stress.

Report of Current Studies Performed on Normal Load Model of EC1

ABSTRACT This report gives results of some new studies performed to validate the european road traffic load model proposed by the Eurocode EC1. Weight in motion has developed greatly in the last ten years and confidence in the accuracy of recorded data has increased significantly. Traffic data recently obtained from a number of representative European sites are used to re-calibrate the codified main load model of the European bridge loading code, Eurocode 1 Part 3. A wide range of real and virtual bridge forms were chosen for the study. Simulations were performed using free-flowing and jammed traffic. Load effects generated were determined and statistical extrapolations were performed, where appropriate, to determine characteristic values for the load effects. Some of the assumptions used in the derivation of the original loading model were re-assessed.

Effects of roads on badger Meles meles populations in south-west England

Roads have two major impacts on the landscape with respect to badger populations: (1) the imposition of barriers that reduce or prevent dispersal, and (2) the increased mortality caused by road traffic. Road traffic is the largest single cause of recorded death for badgers Meles meles in Britain. We used data collected by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food during the mid-1980s to quantify the effects of roads on badger populations in south-west England. The probability of badger fatalities per km were expressed as ratios of the number of road deaths per unit length of road for different classes of roads. The relationship between badger road deaths and traffic load appeared to be asymptotic. Despite large differences in traffic load and traffic flow on motorways, dual carriageways, class A and class B roads, they all had similar rates of badger fatalities per unit length of road, which were approximately six times greater than that for class C roads. These results suggest that high traffic loads may discourage badgers from attempting to cross major roads, and that these may therefore reduce movements between adjacent groups. Traffic levels on Britain's roads have already increased by 26% since these data were collected. As traffic loads increase further in the next century, the mortality and fragmentation effects of roads on badger populations locally are likely to become increasingly significant.

Loads on bridges

AbstractPart 3 of Eurocode 1, published by the Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN) in 1995 as ENV 1991‐3, defines traffic load models to be used for the design of road bridges, footbridges and railway bridges. These models have been selected and calibrated to cover the most common traffic effects with an appropriate margin of reliability. Scientific studies have been performed, based on real traffic data as far as such data were available and on various theoretical developments. ENV 1991‐3 is probably the most refined code in existence compared with similar national standards. Its content is systematically described in this review and some aspects of the background studies on road traffic loads are outlined.