Truck performance as related to highway gradient | |
| Author | Sujin Ruangphornvisut |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GT- 79-34 |
| Subject(s) | Motor-trucks--Performance Highway engineering |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The performance of heavy vehicles operating on the +2.215 percent, +3.847 percent and+5.933 percent grades of a two-lane rural highway in Northern Thailand was investigated by conducting field surveys. The selected study site was a 1.8-kilometer uphill segment of the Lampang Chiang Mai Highway which is situated through rugged mountainous terrain. The study was especially concerned with the speed characteristics of various types of vehicles as related to the gradient and distance travelled upgrade, which are the main factors affecting vehicular speed. Parameters studied were the approach speed, the rate of speed reduction, and the distribution of vehicles using the highway by time of day and direction. It was found that 40 percent of vehicles using the study highway were heavy vehicles, these tend to be operated at night-time. Results of the study are summarized in gradeability curves for five categories of vehicles, identified by their weight/power ratio, for each of the three gradients at the study site. Gradeability curves developed from the data showed that heavily loaded trucks entering the +5. 913 percent grade with an average speed of 27 km/h reached a sustained speed of 14 km/h after travelling 87 m. The rate of speed reduction was found to be 13 km/h per 100 m. |
| Year | 1980 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering (GT) |
| Chairperson(s) | Jones, John Hugh |
| Examination Committee(s) | Marler, N.W. ;Nagaraja, H.N. |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Royal Netherlands Government |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1980 |