Publication:
Highway Effects on Vehicle Performance
FHWA-RD-00-164
January 2001 - (PDF File)
The publication is divided into smaller files for easier downloading &
printing:
Cover - Chapter 2
(pages 1-6, PDF - 1,037 KB)
Chapter 3 - Appendix A
(pages 7-30, PDF - 2,973 KB)
Appendix B - References
(pages 31-71, PDF - 2,192 KB)
Abstract:
This report presents an overview of the efforts to develop a convenient
procedure to simulate operation of motor vehicles on highways of an arbitrary
configuration and to estimate fuel consumption and exhaust emissions resulting
from reasonable operations of those vehicles.
Highway pavements, grades, curves, and wind and traffic flow rates affect the
fuel consumption and air contaminant emission rates for a given section of
highway or a network of highways. A limited number, four vehicles, were tested
on a large-roll dynamometer and under various road and traffic flow conditions.
Evaluations of other analytical and experimental results were also made. Based
on experiments and evaluations, clear relationships were developed relating
specific loads and speeds to pollutant emissions and fuel consumption rates.
These data were used to develop a user-friendly personal computer program called
the Vehicle/ Highway Performance Predictor Algorithm. This model is intended to
receive any reasonable mix of data for a selection of various vehicles that may
approximate the traffic mix for given locations for past, current, and
reasonable future years. The procedure can be used by highway planners and
designers, environmental engineers, and traffic engineers, particularly those
involved in Intelligent Transportation Systems, to evaluate local microspace air
quality evaluations or larger area air pollution emission rates to determine
impacts and conformity to the State Implementation Plans for the areas. This
model is intended to use modal emissions and fuel usage rates that are based on
various speeds and loads of vehicles in operation.
This report reviews the principles involved in determining the external loads
on vehicles from longitudinal and lateral accelerations, aerodynamic drag,
rolling resistance, and various grades. Examples of loads measured in the field
and related dynamometer tests for selected vehicles for fuel consumption and air
contaminant emissions are provided.
Detailed data have not been archived. However, informal interim reports
containing added experimental information are available from the Federal Highway
Administration Offices of Natural Environment, Infrastructure Research and
Development, Traffic Operations Research and Development, and four Federal
Highway Administration Resource Centers.
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