RT3050 used for road condition assessment
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The RT3050 was recently used by state owned Vectura Consulting AB in a project to assess the condition of Sweden's public roads. The aim of the EU Roadex III project was to identify health issues arising from poorly maintained road networks and suggesting methods to prevent or reduce such risks in the future.
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 Truck on uneven road |
The project was carried out on a 140km route from the Swedish forests to the coast. Ten roundtrips on Swedish State Road 331 were driven with a 60 ton GVW truck and trailer combination to record the ride vibrations.
The RT3050, an inertial and GPS navigation system, was mounted in the cabin of the truck to record the data. The RT3050 can be mounted into any vehicle with an adjustable RT-Strut mounting pole. This high-precision measurement system output position, motion and orientation parameters of the truck. The RT3050 system is capable of measuring a vehicle's position accurate to 0.5m and the roll and pitch angles with a 0.04 degree accuracy.
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The RT3050 measured a very high variance of truck roll angle due to deformed road pavement edges. The measured data showed that the roll angle of the driver cabin changed with up to 5 deg/s. This is not only uncomfortable for the driver, but can also lead to long-term health risks. The roll rotational vibration also brings lateral translation forces that may cause high vehicles to skid on icy roads or tip over. The lateral forces may also induce the driver to make improper maneuvres, further increasing the risk of serious traffic accidents. Unsurprisingly, the project identified that there is a high number of accidents where the road surface condition is poorly maintained. After sufficient data was collected with the RT3050 system in the truck, Vectura Consulting AB analysed the measured parameters. The data unveiled that there are serious health and safety risks for the drivers on these type of roads, of which there are thousands of km in Sweden. Intensive bumps may cause high compression stress in the drivers spine, leading to an increased risk of back pain and spinal injury. Ride vibration at certain frequencies can also lead to resonance in the drivers eyeballs, stomach and other organs, thereby interfering with comfort, safety and health. |
 RT3050 mounted in truck cabin |
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The EU Roadex III project was nominated to the final round and received a special mention in the Regio Stars 2009 award competition for Europe's most innovative research project. To download the full Roadex research report, click here...
The Swedish Road Administration and Vectura Consulting AB were very satisfied with the RT3050 inertial and GPS navigation system. It reliably recorded relevant truck parameters with high accuracy. With its 6-axis inertial measurement unit, the RT3050 was able to output data even during temporary loss of GPS signal in the Swedish forest areas.
Vectura Consulting AB has now purchased an Inertial+ system for further projects. |
