CHAPTER 3: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DRIVER, THE PEDESTRIAN,

THE VEHICLE, AND THE ROAD.

3.1 VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS:

 Criteria for the geometric design of highways are partly based on the following:

3.1.1 Static,
3.1.2 Kinematic and
3.1.3 Dynamic characteristics of vehicles.

3.1.1 Static characteristics include:

1. The weight and

3.1.2 Kinematic characteristics involve:

1. the motion of the vehicle without considering the forces that cause the motion.

3.1.3 Dynamic characteristics involve:

1. The forces that cause the motion of the vehicle.

 Since nearly all highways carry both passenger-automobile and truck traffic, it is essential
that design criteria take into account the characteristics of different types of vehicles.

 A thorough knowledge of these characteristics will aid the highway and/or traffic engineer in
designing highways and traffic-control systems that allow the safe and smooth operation of a
moving vehicle, particularly during the basic maneuvers of passing, stopping, and turning.

 Therefore, designing a highway involves the selection of a design vehicle, whose

 The characteristics of the design vehicle are then used to determine criteria for geometric
design, intersection design, and sight-distance requirements.

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 The size of the design vehicle for a highway is an important factor in the determination of
design standards for several physical components of the highway.

 These include lane width, shoulder width, length and width of parking, and lengths of
vertical curves.
 The axle weights of the vehicles expected on the highway are important when pavement
depths and maximum grades are being determined.

 Table 3.1 shows some features of static characteristics for which limits were prescribed. A
range of maximum allowable values is given for each feature.

3.1.1 STATIC CHARACTERISTICS

Tandem-axle

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 Since the passage of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, the maximum
allowable truck sizes and weights on Interstate and other qualifying federal aided highways
are at most:

 80,000 lb gross weight, with axle loads of up to 20,000 lb for single axles and
 34,000 lb for tandem (double) axles
 102 in. width for all trucks
 48 ft length for semitrailers and trailers
 28 ft length for each twin trailer

 The federal regulations also stipulate that the overall maximum gross weight for a group of
two or more consecutive axles should be determined from Eq. 3.1:

 The regulations also stipulate that a gross load of 34,000 lb may be carried by two
consecutive sets of tandem axles if the overall distance between the first and last axles of the
consecutive sets is 36 ft or more.

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 AASHTO has selected four general classes of vehicles: passenger cars, buses, trucks, and
recreational vehicles.

 Passenger-car class are sport/utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, vans and minivans.

 Bus class are intercity motor coaches and city transit, school, and articulated buses.

the Bus class (intercity motor coaches)

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Articulated buses:

 Within the class of trucks are single-unit trucks, truck tractor-semitrailer combinations, and
trucks or truck tractors with semitrailers in combination with full trailers.

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 Within the class of recreational vehicles are motor homes, cars with camper trailers, cars with
boat trailers, and motor homes pulling cars.

Recreational vehicle or RV is, in North America, the usual term for a Motor vehicle or trailer
equipped with living space and amenities found in a home

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 Minimum turning radii
AASHTO also has suggested the following guidelines for selecting a design vehicle:

 For a parking lot or series of parking lots, a passenger car may be used
 For intersections on residential streets and park roads, a single-unit truck could be considered
 For the design of intersections of state highways and city streets that serve bus traffic but
with relatively few Large trucks, a city transit bus may be used.
 In carrying out the design of any of the intersections referred to above, the minimum turning
radius for the selected design vehicle traveling at a speed of 16 km/h should be provided.
 Minimum turning radii at low speeds (16 km /h or less) are dependent mainly on the size of
the vehicle.
 The turning-radii requirements for single-unit (SU) truck and the WB-20 (WB-65 and WB-
67) design vehicles are given in Figures 3.2 and 3.3 respectively.

 The turning-radii requirements for other vehicles can be found in AASHTO's Policy on
Geometric Design of Highways and Streets.

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3.1.2 KINEMATIC CHARACTERISTICS:

1. The motion of the vehicle without considering the forces that cause the motion.

 The primary element among kinematic characteristics is the acceleration capability of the
vehicle
 Acceleration capability is important in several traffic operations, such as passing maneuvers
and gap acceptance.
 Also, the dimensioning of highway features such as freeway ramps and passing lanes is often
governed by acceleration rates.

 Acceleration is also important in determining the forces that cause motion.

 Therefore , a study of the kinematic characteristics of the vehicle primarily involves a study
of how acceleration rates influence the elements of motion, such as velocity and distance.

Mathematical relationships
Acceleration Assumed Constant
When the acceleration of the vehicle is assumed to be constant, we can use the following
equations:

C1 and C2 are constants

Acceleration as a Function of Velocity

The assumption of constant acceleration has some limitations, because the accelerating
capability of a vehicle at any time t is related to the speed of the vehicle at that time (u t). The
lower the speed, the higher the acceleration rate that can be obtained. Figures 3.4a and 3.4b show
maximum acceleration rates for passenger cars and tractor-semitrailers at different speeds on
level roads.

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Figure 3.4 Acceleration Capabilities of Passenger Cars and Tractor-Semitrailers on Level Roads,

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 One model that is used commonly in this case is:

where a and b are constants.

(ut): speed of the vehicle at any time t

x(t) : distance traveled at any time t

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3.1.3 DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS:

Several forces act on a vehicle while it is in motion:

1) Air resistance,

2) Grade resistance,

3) Rolling resistance,

4) Curve resistance

Air Resistance
• A vehicle in motion has to overcome the resistance of the air in front of it as well as the
force due to the frictional action of the air around it.

• The force required to overcome these is known as the air resistance and is related to the
cross-sectional area of the vehicle in a direction perpendicular to the direction of motion
and to the square of the speed of the vehicle.

• Claffey has shown that this force can be estimated from the formula

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Grade Resistance

• When a vehicle moves up a grade, a component of the weight of the vehicle acts
downward, along the plane of the highway.

• This creates a force acting in a direction opposite that of the motion. This force is the
grade resistance.

• A vehicle traveling up a grade will therefore tend to lose speed unless an accelerating
force is applied.
• Note:

grade resistance = weight X grade, in decimal.

Rolling Resistance

• There are forces within the vehicle itself that offer resistance to motion.

• These forces are due mainly to frictional effect on moving parts of the vehicle, but they
also include the frictional slip between the pavement surface and the tires.

• The sum effect of these forces on motion is known as rolling resistance.

• The rolling resistance depends on the speed of the vehicle and the type of pavement.
• Rolling forces are relatively lower on smooth pavements than on rough pavements.

• The rolling resistance force for passenger cars on a smooth pavement can be determined
from the relation

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 Curve Resistance

• When a passenger car is maneuvered to take a curve, external forces act on the front
wheels of the vehicle.

• These forces have components that have a retarding effect on the forward motion of the
vehicle.

• The sum effect of these components constitutes the curve resistance.

• This resistance depends on the radius of the curve, the gross weight of the vehicle, and
the velocity at which the vehicle is moving.

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 Power requirements

• Power is the rate at which work is done. It is usually expressed in horsepower (a U.S. unit
of measure), where 1 horsepower is 746 W.
•
The performance capability of a vehicle is measured in terms of the horsepower the
engine can produce to overcome air, grade, curve, and friction resistance forces and put
the vehicle in motion.

Figure 3.6 Forces Acting on a Moving Vehicle

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