Impact of combined alignments and adverse weather conditions on vehicle skidding

Roadways in Wyoming are characterized by challenging horizontal profiles,vertical profiles,a combination of the two and adverse weather conditions,all of which affect vehicle stability.In this study,we investigated the impact of different operating speeds when negotiating combined horizontal and vertical curves under unfavorable environmental conditions on Wyoming’s interstates via vehicle dynamics simulation software.The simulation tools provided the acting forces on each tire of the vehicle and the side friction(skidding)margins.This allowed for examining the interaction between vehicle dynamics and road geometry in such alignments.Also,linear regression analysis was implemented to investigate the skidding margins based on the simulation results to demonstrate when a vehicle is more likely to deviate from its desired trajectory.Specifically,this examines the contributing factors that significantly influence the skidding margins.The results indicated that:1)the skidding margins are dramatically decreased by adverse weather conditions even with lower degree of curvature and gradient values of combined curves and more particularly at higher operating speeds conditions.Increasing the vehicle speed on the curve by 10%,the skidding margin dropped by 15%.2)Compared to heavy trucks and sports utility vehicles(SUVs),passenger cars require the highest side friction demand.3)The effect of applying brakes on vehicle stability depends on the road surface condition;applying the brakes on snowy road surfaces increases the potential of vehicle skidding especially for heavy trucks.This study assessed the curve speed limits and showed how important to assign safe and appropriate limits speed since the skidding likelihood is significantly sensitive to the vehicle speeds.This study is beneficial to Wyoming’s roadway agencies since hazardous sections having combined horizontal and vertical curves are identified.Also,critical situations that require additional attention from law enforcement agencies are pinpointed.Finally,recommendations that are valuable to roadway agencies are made based on this study’s findings.

A macroscopic traffic model based on weather conditions

A traffic model based on the road surface conditions during adverse weather is presented. The surface of a road is affected by snow, compacted snow, and ice, which affects the traffic behavior. In this paper, a new macroscopic traffic flow model based on the transition velocity distribution is proposed which characterizes traffic alignment under adverse weather conditions. Two examples are considered to illustrate the effect of the transition velocity behavior on traffic velocity and density. Simulation results are presented which show that this model provides a more accurate characterization of traffic flow behavior than the well known Payne-Whitham model. The proposed model can be used to reduce accidents and improve road safety during adverse weather conditions.

Concept Study of a Self-localization System for Snow-covered Roads Using a Four-layer Laser Scanner

Many advanced driver assistance systems have entered the market,and automated driving technologies have been developed.Many of them may not work in adverse weather conditions.A forward-looking camera,for example,is the most popular system used for lane detection but does not work for a snow-covered road.The present paper proposes a self-localization system for snowy roads when the roadsides are covered with snow.The system employs a four-layer laser scanner and onboard sensors and uses only pre-existing roadside snow poles provided for drivers in a snowy region without any other road infrastructure.Because the landscape greatly changes in a short time during a snowstorm and snow removal works,it is necessary to restrict the landmarks used for self-localization to tall objects,like snow poles.A system incorporating this technology will support a driver’s efforts to keep to a lane even in a heavy snowstorm.

Performance evaluation framework of Wyoming connected vehicle pilot deployment program: summary of Phase 2 pre-deployment efforts and lessons learned

Purpose–This paper aims to present a summary of the performance measurement and evaluation plan of the Wyoming connected vehicle(CV)Pilot Deployment Program(WYDOT Pilot).Design/methodology/approach–This paper identified 21 specific performance measures as well as approaches to measure the benefits of the WYDOT Pilot.An overview of the expected challenges that might introduce confounding factors to the evaluation effort was outlined in the performance management plan to guide the collection of system performance data.Findings–This paper presented the data collection approaches and analytical methods that have been established for the real-life deployment of the WYDOT CV applications.Five methodologies for assessing 21 specific performance measures contained within eight performance categories for the operational and safety-related aspects.Analyses were conducted on data collected during the baseline period,and pre-deployment conditions were established for 1 performance measures.Additionally,microsimulation modeling was recommended to aid in evaluating the mobility and safety benefits of the WYDOT CV system,particularly when evaluating system performance under various CV penetration rates and/or CV strategies.Practical implications–The proposed performance evaluation framework can guide other researchers and practitioners identifying the best performance measures and evaluation methodologies when conducting similar research activities.Originality/value–To the best of the authors’knowledge,this is thefirst research that develops performance measures and evaluation plan for low-volume rural freeway CV system under adverse weather conditions.This paper raised some early insights into how CV technology might achieve the goal of improving safety and mobility and has the potential to guide similar research activities conducted by other agencies.