Abstract

DREYER, C M W  and  STEYN, W J vd M. Evaluation of the effect of deteriorating riding quality on bus-pavement interaction. J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. [online]. 2015, vol.57, n.3, pp.2-8. ISSN 2309-8775.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-8775/2015/V57N3A1.

Deteriorating riding quality has a negative impact not only on infrastructure, but on the road user as well. Road users experience higher vehicle operating costs (VOCs), longer travel times, congestion and uncomfortable rides, to name a few. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the link between deteriorating riding quality and high vertical accelerations (a_wz) and VOCs for a bi-articulated bus on an identified bus route with different responsible road authorities in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. The link, as identified, indicated that the speed the bus travelled played a big role in the generation of a_wz. Recommendations for future research are also proposed.

Keywords : vertical accelerations; riding quality; bi-articulated bus; vehicle operating costs; road conditions; maintenance.

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