Experience Gained Investigating, Acquiring and Operating the First Traffic Speed Deflectometer in Australia

AbstractTo manage a pavement one must know something about its condition. The more you know, the better informed your decisions are. In Australia, road agencies have been utilising automated data collection systems to assess the functional condition of their pavements for the best part of the last two decades. However, during this time, the assessment of structural condition has been limited to manual, slow moving or point-based testing. This has made collection of this data across entire networks unrealistic, even though this information is desirable. Therefore, it is no surprise that Australian road agencies have shown significant interest in the Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD), a device they hope can provide the network-level structural information they desire.This paper provides the background leading to the initial Australian TSD trials and how ARRB Group was able to procure a TSD for Australia and New Zealand. It also details the integration of additional data collection modules and how they allow the functional and structural condition of the pavement to be measured at the same time. Finally, the paper documents some of the lessons learnt throughout the TSD's acceptance testing and first 18 months of use on the Australian and New Zealand road networks. During this time, over 60,000 km were surveyed with the TSD

Assessment of pavement deflection under vehicle loads using a 3D-DIC system in the field

This study aims to introduce the use of 3D-digital image correlation (DIC) to the in situ testing of pavements and to support the development of techniques for a rapid evaluation of the conservation status of existing roads. Little research was found on this topic. The passage of a car wheel on an asphalt pavement was adopted as a case study. The DIC measurements were compared to those gathered by contact sensors. From a qualitative point of view, the DIC measurements captured the realistic shape of a deflection basin. From a quantitative point of view, the deflection values provided by the DIC system had a mean error of 0.015 mm and a standard deviation of 0.011 mm. At the moment of highest load, these errors had a mean value and standard deviation of − 0.016 mm and 0.021 mm, respectively. Thus, to improve the accuracy of the system, we propose modifying the camera support, speckle pattern, and control of natural lightWe thank Extraco S.A. for allowing us to perform the test on their company facilities. This work was supported by the Strategic Researcher Cluster BioReDes funded by the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government of Galicia) under project ref. ED431E 2018/09 and by the Xunta de Galicia under the grant “Financial aid for the consolidation and structure of competitive units of investigation in the universities of the University Galician System (2020-22)” under project ref. ED341B 2016/30. This work was also made possible due to the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI), since Dr. Bastos was contracted in the frame of the postdoctoral grant Juan de la Cierva – Formación (FJC2019-039743-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033)S

SMARTI - Sustainable Multi-functional Automated Resilient Transport Infrastructure

The world’s transport network has developed over thousands of years; emerging from the need of allowing more comfortable trips to roman soldiers to the modern smooth roads enabling modern vehicles to travel at high speed and to allow heavy airplanes to take off and land safely. However, in the last two decades the world is changing very fast in terms of population growth, mobility and business trades creating greater traffic volumes and demand for minimal disruption to users, but also challenges, such as climate change and more extreme weather events. At the same time, technology development to allow a more sustainable transport sector continue apace. It is within this environment and in close consultation with key stakeholders, that this consortium developed the vision to achieve the paradigm shift to Sustainable Multifunctional Automated and Resilient Transport Infrastructures. SMARTI ETN is a training-through-research programme that empowered Europe by forming a new generation of multi-disciplinary professionals able to conceive the future of transport infrastructures and this Special Issue is a collection of some of the scientific work carried out within this context. Enjoy the read

Eleventh International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields

Innovations in Road, Railway and Airfield Bearing Capacity – Volume 1 comprises the first part of contributions to the 11th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (2022). In anticipation of the event, it unveils state-of-the-art information and research on the latest policies, traffic loading measurements, in-situ measurements and condition surveys, functional testing, deflection measurement evaluation, structural performance prediction for pavements and tracks, new construction and rehabilitation design systems, frost affected areas, drainage and environmental effects, reinforcement, traditional and recycled materials, full scale testing and on case histories of road, railways and airfields. This edited work is intended for a global audience of road, railway and airfield engineers, researchers and consultants, as well as building and maintenance companies looking to further upgrade their practices in the field

Three-Dimensional Shape Measurements of Specular Objects Using Phase-Measuring Deflectometry

The fast development in the fields of integrated circuits, photovoltaics, the automobile industry, advanced manufacturing, and astronomy have led to the importance and necessity of quickly and accurately obtaining three-dimensional (3D) shape data of specular surfaces for quality control and function evaluation. Owing to the advantages of a large dynamic range, non-contact operation, full-field and fast acquisition, high accuracy, and automatic data processing, phase-measuring deflectometry (PMD, also called fringe reflection profilometry) has been widely studied and applied in many fields. Phase information coded in the reflected fringe patterns relates to the local slope and height of the measured specular objects. The 3D shape is obtained by integrating the local gradient data or directly calculating the depth data from the phase information. We present a review of the relevant techniques regarding classical PMD. The improved PMD technique is then used to measure specular objects having discontinuous and/or isolated surfaces. Some influential factors on the measured results are presented. The challenges and future research directions are discussed to further advance PMD techniques. Finally, the application fields of PMD are briefly introduce

Eleventh International Conference on the Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields

Innovations in Road, Railway and Airfield Bearing Capacity – Volume 2 comprises the second part of contributions to the 11th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways and Airfields (2022). In anticipation of the event, it unveils state-of-the-art information and research on the latest policies, traffic loading measurements, in-situ measurements and condition surveys, functional testing, deflection measurement evaluation, structural performance prediction for pavements and tracks, new construction and rehabilitation design systems, frost affected areas, drainage and environmental effects, reinforcement, traditional and recycled materials, full scale testing and on case histories of road, railways and airfields. This edited work is intended for a global audience of road, railway and airfield engineers, researchers and consultants, as well as building and maintenance companies looking to further upgrade their practices in the field

The assessment of track deflection and rail joint performance

Track stiffness is the one of the most critical parameters of the track structure. Its evaluation is important to assess track quality, component performance, localised faults and optimise maintenance periods and activities. Keeping the track stiffness within acceptable range of values is connected with keeping the railway network in a satisfactorily performing condition, allowing thereby upgrade of its capacity (speed, load, intensity). Current railway standards are changing to define loading and stiffness requirements for improved ballasted and ballastless performance under high speed train traffic. In recent years various techniques have been used to measure track deflection which have been also used to validate numerical models to assess various problems within the railway network. Based on recent introduction of the Video Gauge for its application in the civil engineering industry this project provides the proof of effective applicability of this DIC (Digital image correlation) tool for the accurate assessment of track deflection and the calculation of track stiffness through its effective applicability in various track conditions for assessing the stiffness of various track forms including track irregularities where abrupt change in track stiffness occur such as transition zones and rail joints. Attention is given in validation of numerical modelling of the response of insulated rail joints under the passage of wheel load within the goal to improve track performance adjacent to rail joints and contribute to the sponsoring company s product offering. This project shows a means of improving the rail joint behaviour by using external structural reinforcement, and this is presented through numerical modelling validated by laboratory and field measurements. The structural response of insulated rail joints (IRJs) under the wheel vertical load passage is presented to enhance industry understanding of the effect of critical factors of IRJ response for various IRJ types that was served as a parametric FE model template for commercial studies for product optimisation