Reliability Design for Longitudinal Slope Length of Expressway

The significance and the strategies of applying the reliability design method of longitudinal slope length in expressway engineering were explored in this study.The objective is to offer insights that can be beneficial for designing longitudinal slope lengths in contemporary expressway projects,with a focus on enhancing their reliability and safety.

Influence of longitudinal slope on the mechanical response of steel deck pavement

In order to study the influence of longitudinal slope on the mechanical response of steel deck pavement,a method of slope-modulus transformation was proposed for the mechanical analysis of the steel deck pavement based on the time-temperature equivalence principle.Considering the mechanical action on a slope,a finite element model of the deck pavement was established to determine the critical load position of tensileand shear stress of the steel deck pavement.Additionally,the influence of longitudinal slope on the mechanical response of the deck pavement under the conditions of uniform speed and emergency braking was analyzed.The results indicate that the maximum transverse tensile stress at the pavement surface and the maximum transverse shear stress at the pavement bottom are always greater than their longitudinal counterparts under uniform speed.Under emergency braking,however,the critical slope gradient of t e maximum transverse and longitudinal tensile stress at t e pavement surface is 6%.The maximum longitudinal shear stess at t e pavement bottom is always greater ta n t e maximum tansverse shear stess.This stidy is helpful in t e strctural design of large longitudinal slope steel deck pavements.

Influence of rainfall on skid resistance performance and driving safety conditions of asphalt pavements

To study the influence of rainfall on pavement skid-resistance performance and driving safety,the water film thickness(WFT)concept considering the longitudinal and transverse slopes of the pavement was utilized based on the total discharge formulation and turbulence theory of slope flow.Using experimental data measured using the British pendulum test under varying WFT levels,a model for calculating the skid resistance,namely the British pendulum number(BPN),was formulated and used to quantitatively evaluate the effects of rainfall intensity,transverse,and longitudinal slopes on the computed BPN.The study results reveal that skid resistance is linearly proportional to the pavement transverse slope and inversely proportional to the rainfall intensity and the pavement longitudinal slope.In particular,rainfall intensity,along with pavement texture depth,exhibited a significant impact on the tire-pavement friction and skid-resistance performance.The results further indicate that driving safety under wet weather is predominantly governed by skid resistance and visibility.The BPN and sideway force coefficient(SFC60)values for new asphalt pavements under different rainfall intensities are provided along with some modification to the stopping sight distance(SSD)criteria.Safe driving speed limits are also determined using a safe-driving model to develop the appropriate speed limit strategies.The overall study results provide some insights,methodology approach,and reference data for the evaluation of pavement skid-resistance performance and driving safety conditions under different pavement slopes and rainfall intensities.

Field investigation on effects of railway track geometric parameters on rail wear

Rail wear has dramatic impact on track performance, ride quality and maintenance costs. The amount of rail wear is influenced by various elements among which geometric parameters play an important role. The amount of wear in Iran’s railway lines and its imposed maintenance costs oblige us to make modifications on the various geometrical parameters. In order to ensure the effectiveness of these changes, it is necessary to investigate these parameters and their effects on the wear. This research is aimed at studying the effects of different track geometrical parameters on the vertical and lateral wear by conducting a three phase field investigation. The first phase was carried out at the switches of a station, the second phase at a straight line, and the third at a curved line out of the station. The results obtained are analyzed and the role of each track geometrical parameter in the rail wear is discussed. Recommendations for prevention or reduction of rail wear are presented.

Correlation between carbon emissions,fuel consumption of vehicles and speed limit on expressway

This paper aimed to investigate the correlation between carbon emissions,fuel consumption,and speed limit.A theoretical model was derived based on the energy conservation law,which expresses the relationship between vehicle's fuel consumption and speed.Subsequently,a total of 40 sets of fuel consumption data were collected through field tests to verify the accuracy of the theoretical model at different speeds and different road longitudinal slope combinations.The fuel consumption was then converted to carbon emissions according to the carbon emission factors specified by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC).In the field experiment,two types of cars and trucks,which are most common on the expressways in China,were selected.Finally,the travel speed under different posted speed limits was obtained through the previously established model,and the carbon emission changes of different vehicle types at different limited speeds are calculated.The results show that the speed limit has a significant impact on fuel consumption and carbon emissions.When the speed limit increased from 80 to 120 km/h,average vehicle speeds increased about 21%-27%,and fuel consumption and carbon emissions increased from approximately 33%-38%.Another interesting result was that the vehicle's fuel consumption and carbon emissions are only affected by speed.The results of the study explore the effect of speed limits on carbon emissions and provide evidence for road managers to set reasonable speed limits.

Analysis of Driving Psychological Load in V-Shaped Subsea Tunnels Considering Driver Skin Electrical Signals

To examine the variation law of the driving psychological load in subsea tunnels under different illumination and longitudinal slope conditions,22 drivers were recruited to participate in a real vehicle test in off peak hours under similar traffic conditions,and the skin electric signals of the drivers in the free flow state were collected.Considering the skin conductance level(SCL)as the load characteristic index,the influence of the different illuminance and slope conditions on the drivers’skin electrical signals was analyzed,and a measurement model of the relationship between the uphill and downhill slopes,illuminance and driver’s SCL value was constructed.The results indicate that the illuminance change rate and driver’s SCL are positively correlated.A larger illuminance change rate leads to an increase in the SCL and psychological workload of the driver.The influence of the uphill and downhill slopes on the driver’s SCL value in different areas of the subsea tunnel is considerably different.With the increase in the degree of the uphill and downhill slopes,the driver’s SCL value increases,and the maximum SCL appears in a slope range of 3.5%–4%.Moreover,the SCL of the drivers in the downhill section is higher than that in the uphill section,corresponding to a larger driving psychological load.