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ROAD USER AND THE VEHICLE

10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 10.8 10.9 10.10 Introduction
Objecttves

Human Factors Governing Road Use Behaviour Power Performance of Vehicles Other Vehiclei Characteristics Deceleration of Vehicles during Coasting Characteristics of Slow Moving Vehicles Illustrative Problems Summary Key Words Answers to SAQs

14.1

INTRODUCTION

traffic involves a close intersection among vehicles, the road user and the road. e railway transport, there is no fixed or guided path for the vehicles, which can at any desired speed and occupy any position on the pavement. A full standing of the characteristics of the vehicles that move on roads is a basic ement before measures to deal with traffic can be thought o f . The road user is entity whose behaviour influences significantly the traffic manoeuvres and traffic Road users can be pedestrians, drivers or cyclists. In this unit, you will learn the istics of vehicles and the road users.

afBa studying this unit, you should be able to

understand the human factors which govern the behaviour of road Grcrs, know how the power developed by the engine of a road vehicle is utilised in overcoming various types of resistance, know how a vehicle decelerates when allowed to coast in neutral gear, and understand the characteristics of slow moving vehicles, which are also present in considerable number on Indian roads.

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1 10jk .

HUMAN FACTORS GOVERNING ROAD USE BEHAVIOUR

As ou know, vehicles are driven by human beings. Cycles, cycle rickshaws, handcarts and nilnal drawn vehicles also involve human behavioui. Pedestrians are another group of r ad users whose behaviour also influences the road traffic.
llowing human traits are important to you as a traffic engineer: Vision Hearing ) Psych.ologica1 characteristics in perceiving, analysing and reacting to road traffic situations ) Speedofwalking

Traffic Engineering

Drivers and pedestrians must be able to see clearly the road and traffic cond~tions to enable them to react to the situation. Vision is thus a very impc>rtrtanrtrait of the road user having a bearing on traffic safety. The zone of clear vision is li~llitcd.The zone of clear vision is known as the zone of acute vision or visual acuity. This zone is formed by a cone whose angle is around 3" about the centre of the retina (Figure 10.1). However, vision is still satisfactc>ryfor angles up to 10" or 12".

Visual Acuity 10-12" atisfactory Vision)

(Very Clear Vision)

Figure 10.1: Visual Acuity and Peripheral V i s i n ~ ~

Peripheral vision is the visual field within which the two eyes together can see an objecl, but without clear details and colour. The angle of peripheral vision is about 160" in the horizontal direction and 115' in the vertical direction under static conditions. The angle drops down as the speed of the driver increases. Hearing is an extremely important aid to a road user. He can avert accidents when he hears the sound of other vehicles or horn of vehicles. When a road user perceives a danger on the road he immediately reacts to it. The speed with which he reacts depends on his psychological makeup. The reaction involves the following four processes: Perception Intellection Emotion Volitioll Process of perceiving the sensation received through the eyes, ears, nervous system and brain. Process of identifying the stimuli crireria by perception and ideas. The personal trait of the individual governing his decision making process. The will to react to a situation

The above four are commonly known as PIEV. The PIEV time is around 2.5 sec. This implics that in a normal person, a time of 2.5 sec elapses before he perceives a danger and reacts to it.
The speed at which a person walks is an important input in designing pedestrian facilities. The speed varies from 0.75 to 1.8 m per sec. For design of pedestrian signals, a speed of 1.2 m per sec is norlnally considered.

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10,311

POWER PERFORMANCE OF VEHICLES


developed by the engine of 1ndc)r vehicle is used for overcoming various

Koad U ~ e and the Vehicle r

P/Rolling resistance l ~ iresistance r


brade resistance resistance is the frictional force that develops between the rolling tyres and the It depends upon the smoothness of the surface and the speed of motion.
'

The rclling resistance (Figure 10.2) is given by:

Pf= mgf
here,

Pf= Rolling resistance, N


rn = mass of vehicle, kg = acceleration due to gravity, m/sec2 ,f = coefficient of rolling resistance fficient of rolling resistance varies from 0.01 for a smooth asphaltic surface to a rough earthen road.

Figure 10.2: Forces Acting on a Vehicle

is the resistance to motion offered by the air. The frontal area.& the the motion. The resistance increases with the square of the speed of the formula holds good: whe e, Pa = A = v = C ,=

Grade r ista~lce the force spent in overcoming the force of gravity. It is given by the is express' n:

where,

Air resistance, N frontal area, m2 speed, d s e c . coefficient of air resistance, kg/m3

P = rngi i

Grade resistance, N = mass, kg = acceleration due to gravity, ndsec2. = grade angle, expressed as a fraction

Traffic Ellgineering

The engine has to spend additional energy whenever it accelerates or decelerates. If the vehicle has to start from a stopped condition and if it attains the desired speed after accelerating, the force required to overcome the inertia is given by:
P, = mass x accelcration, N = ma

where,
m = mass,kg a = acceleration, m/sec2.

If the vehicle decelerates, the above force will be negative.


The force developed by the engine has to be ultimately transferred to the driving wheels. Considerable loss may take place in this process. The loss riiay be lo lhe extent of 15 to 25 per cent. The driving axle torque is given by the expression:

where,
T, = K = Gt = G, =

driving axle torque efficiency of transmission, which can be in the range of 0.75 to 0.85. transmission gear ratio. rear axle gear ratio

The tractive force Pi,, imparted by the deriving axle torque at the interface between the tyre and the road is given by:

PP=

driving axle torque radius of the rolling drive

The radius of the rolling drive is slightly smaller than the radius of the tyre because of the flattening of the tyre. The radius of the rolling drive, r, can be in the range of 0.93 to 0.95 of the radius of the tyre, r, (Figure 10.3). When the vehicle moves at a speed, the power output corresponding to the driven speed is given by: Power Output = Ppv where,
Pp = v =

tractive force, N speed, mlsec

Figure 10.3: Tyre-Road Surface Interaction

Rt);tc! I ; E ~aud the Vellirl~, I-

where,

Y
:..POW

V = speed in krdh

r output of engine = Pp .v

Pp.0.377.rw.n

G, .G,z .K
Engin horsepower (metric) =

, in watts

Pp, the tractive force

Engine power in watts

735

= Rolling resistance + Air resistance + Grade Resistance

+ inertia forces due to acceleration and deceleration.

10.4

OTHER VEHICLES' CHARACTERISTICS


engineer has to have knowledge of some other characteristics of vehicles. Table gives the dimensions of typical Indian vehicles.

I,
Vehicle '?ype

Table 10.1: Dimensions of Indian Vehicles


Breadth Length Height
Mass

Fronhl Area

(m)

(m)

(m)

(kg)

(m2)

Ambassador Car

1.68 1.40 2.5 2.5

4.3 1 3.60 7.OO 9.00

1.60
1.SO

1365 880 6120 (Empty) 7500 (Empty)

2.15 1.54 5.37 5.37

Maruti Car Truck Bus

3.10 3.20

The ac eleration of typical vehicles is:

C r : 3 m/sec2. a
Truck: 0.5 m /sec2. deceleration rate for cars is 1.5-2.0 m/sec2. are applied to vehicles, friction is developed between the tyre and the roa:.

Traffic Engineering

where,
v . :speed, mlsec a = deceleration, mn/sec2 d = distance travelled, m

The coefficient of friction mobilised is given by:

where, a = deceleration, m/sec2 g = deceleration due to gravity, m/sec2

The coefficient of friction varies from 0.3 for wet smooth surfaces to 1.0 for dry rough surfaces.

10.5

DECELERATION OF VEHICLES DURING COASTING

When a vehicle is travelling at a speed of v m/sec, if its engine is suddenly put off, the vehicle coasts to a stop. The forces that cause it to come to a stop are the rolling frictional resistance, air resistance and grade resistance. The plus sign for Pi comes into effect while negotiating upward grades and minus sign co'mes into effect while negotiating negative grades. Since the vehicle decelerates when the engine is shut off,
Pp = 0 P, = Negative in value

..

ma = m.g.f

+ Ca.A.v 2 f mgi

10.6

CHARACTERISTICS OF SLOW MOVING VEHICLES

Slow moving vehicles include cycles, cycle rickshaws, bullock carts and horse drawn vehicles. Some of the characteristics of these vehicles are given in Table 10.2.
Table 10.2: Characteristics of Slow-Moving Vehicle
Vehicle Type
Breadth Length Mean Speed

(m)

(4
1.90 2.60 5.90 4.10

(kmlh)
15 8 4 12

Cycle Cycle Rickshaw Bullock Cart Horse Cart

0.60 1.10 1.SO 1.40

Road User and the Vehicle

a) b) c) d) e) g) h) i)
j) k)

1)
m) n) o) p)
q)

r)
s)

What is visual acuity'? What is the angle of most clear vision'? What is the angle of satisfactory vision'? What is the angle of peripheral vision in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction'? What PIEV? What is the value of PIEV time'? What is the speed of wdk of a person'? What are the forces a vehicle has to overcome while in motion'? How is rolling resistance calculated? What is the value of coefficient of rolling friction'? How is air resistance calculated'? How is grade resistance calculated? How are the inertia forces due to acceleration and the deceleration calculated? How much is the usual loss in transmission in the vehicle? What is the width of a bus and a truck? What is the height of a truck? When brakes are applied to a vehicle what is the coefficient of friction developed? When a vehicle is in motion, and its engine is suddenly shut off, give the force equation. What is the average speed of a cycle'? What is the average speed of a bullock cart?

10.7 1

ILLUSTRATIVE PROBLEMS
is required to accelerate at a rate of 2 m,sec2from a speed of adient is 4 per cent, upward. The coefficient of rolling is 0.02. The frontal area is 5.30 sq. m. The truck tyre has a radius of 0.5 m. condition, the tyre radius can be taken to be 0.95 of its true radius. The air resistance is 0.48 kg/m3. The transmission efficiency is 0.90. Calculate and the engine RPM. The rear axle ratio is 4.18:1 and the

raffic Engineering

Average speed =

10 20.
r,

= 15 k d h

15 Power Output = P v = 38873.2 x , 3.6

Engine horse - power needed =

220.4 Transmissi on Efficiency

: n= .

lOx2.81x4.18 for speed of 10 km/h 0.377 x 0.475

= 656 RPM

For a speed of 20 kmih

Problem 2

A vehicle travelling at 80 km per hour is brought to a halt by braking. What is the braking distance, if the coeftkient of friction that develops between the tyres and the road surface is 0.40?
Solution

Roird Ijser and t l ~ e Vel~iclr.

Problem 3
A car travelling at 100 krn per hour is brought to a halt by switching off' the enginc, no brakes being applied. The coefficient of rolling resistance is 0.02, the coefficient of air resistance is 0.40 kglm" the frontal area of the car is 2.1 m2and the road has a downward n gradent of 1 per cent. The mass of the car is 1365 kg. Calculate the distance travelled by the car.

( Solution
In this case P, = 0, P = -11100 and P; is negative. i P,= PI+ P a + Pi

Distance travelled = -

v2 2.d

0.8

SUMMARY

Unit, you have been introduced to the human factors that govern road user our. These human traits are vision, hearing, psychological characteristics and king speed. Typical dimensions of vehicles have been presented. These govern the ce occupied by a vehicle and its efficient movement. You have also been introduced various types of resistance that are to be overcome by the vehicle. These forces are ction, air resistance, grade resistance and inertia forces to he overcome during cceleration and deceleration. Some losses also take place in transnlission. You have en made familiar with the equations relating to these. The use of these equations i n termining the distance travelled by a vehlcle with its engine shut off has also been is unit has made you understand the characteristics of the road user and the vehicle.

lp.9

KEY WORDS
The zone of clear vision while on the road. This zone is formed by a cone whose angle is around 3 degrees above the centre of the retina. The visual field within which the two eyes together can see an object, but without clear details and colour. The angle of peripheral vision is about 160 degrees in the horizcmtal direction and 115 degrees in the vertical

Y)

sual Acuity

Vision

Trafic Engineeri~tg

. direction.

Perception Intellection Emotion Volition

The process of perceiving the sensation received through the eyes, ears, nervous system and brain. The proxess of identifying the stimuli criteria by perception and ideas. The personal trait of the individual governing his decision making process. The will to react to a situation. Total time taken for perception, intellection, elllotion and volition. The frictional resistance between the rolling tyres of the vehiclc and the road surface. The resistance to motion offered by the air. The force spent by the vehicle to overconle the force of gravity. Rate o f change of increase of speed. Rate ol' change of decrease of speed.

PIEV time
Rolling resistance

Air resistance
Grade resistance Acceleration Deceleration

10.10 ANSWERS TO SAQs


a) Refer section 10.2
b) 3" c) 10-12" d) Horizonla1 direction: 160" e) Vertical direction: 1 15"
f)

Refer section 10.2

g) PIEV time = 2.5 sec h) 0.75-1.8 n~per sec.


i)

Refer section 10.3

.i> = n v , f Pf
k) F = 0.01 to 0.06
1)
I )

Po = C, A v2

PI= n2.g.i
15 to 25 per cent

n) Pi= nl c7
(1)

p) width = 2.5 nl q) Height of truck = 3.10 m r) F = 0 . 3 t o 1.0


S)

Pp=0=Y+P,+P,-Pj 15 km/h

t)

u) 4 hn/h

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