Friction measurement on roads and airport runways has along tradition at the Swedish Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI). For routine measurements fixed slip friction testers with energy feedback from the test wheel to other wheels on the test vehicle wheels, the skiddometer principle has been used in Sweden and world-wide. For more than 20 years a light friction test trailer Skiddometer BV11 designed by VTI and the Saab Friction Tester based on the BV11 but with the test wheel integrated in the front wheel driven SAAB passenger car have been approved by the Swedish Road Administration and Swedish Airport Authorities. In 1994 VTI offered the Swedish Road Administration a new lightweight twin track skiddometer concept acting as a second liftable rear axle on a front wheel driven passenger car or van. The idea was accepted and the device was developed as part of a larger winter road maintenance monitoring project. At the 1995 TRB conference the first prototype was ready for a first presentation. During 1995 two more devices were built and extensive field testing took place. In the winter 1996 a large validation test was carried out with the three BV14 devices and a BV11 as reference vehicle. The test showed a high one to one correlation between the devices and the experience so far is promising also in terms of reliability and handy operation. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD No E202707.
Abstract