Increasing pavement damage caused by the increasing number of heavy trucks on today's highways has promoted concern about the dynamic pavement loads and the ride quality of trucks. So far, these concerns have been analyzed using only experimental studies and complex computer programs. This paper presents three possible simple truck models--a quarter-truck, a half-single-unit truck, and a half-tractor semitrailer--that can be used on personal computers to predict ride quality and pavement loading. Numerical values for the model parameters are suggested for possible standardization. Sample results are presented in the form of vertical acceleration frequency responses and root mean square vertical acceleration for ride quality and tire force frequency responses and dynamic impact factors for pavement loading. The quarter-truck model overestimated both ride quality and pavement loading when compared to the half-single-unit truck model. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1215, Pavement management and rehabilitation.
Abstract