Measuring and Assessing Long-Duration Impacts for Truck and Trailer

Abstract

A vehicle's long-duration impacts events are experienced during turning, braking, and accelerating and decelerating. These long-duration events are mixed with random impacts and shocks from various patterns and magnitudes. This study reports a comprehensive measurement and assessment of horizontal long-duration impact dynamics for less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation. The collected horizontal impacts were synchronized with GPS data, allowing for the geographical location and identification of the event's signatures. All critical horizontal long-duration impacts were detected by a MATLAB-based algorithm and clustered into designated groups. A maximum collected environment and statistical analysis were assessed for the collected data, including the range, mean and cumulative probabilities. The study revealed that horizontal impacts caused by left-turning and longitudinal braking are likely the most critical horizontal impacts. Additionally, lateral and longitudinal linear jerks were obtained for comparison with the EUMOS standard.