Maintenance Standard for Manholes and Surrounding Pavement Based on Driving Comfort Evaluation

PurposeThe vibration of a truck passing over a manhole and the PAM is transient vibration. Therefore, the study of driving comfort and the determination of a maintenance standard for manholes and PAM are significantly different from those of normal pavement. In order to determine maintenance schedules for manholes and surrounding pavement.MethodsFirstly, the pavement roughness within 1.2 m around the manhole center was surveyed, and take this as the roughness of pavement around manholes (PAM). Secondly a roughness model of PAM was built based on the harmonic superposition method, and a coupled vibration model of human-half truck-manhole cover was established. Finally, the index of Maximum Transient Vibration Value (MTVV) was used to evaluate the driving comfort of the truck when passing over the manhole and the surrounding pavement. Combining the verification of acceleration field test, a method for determining a maintenance standard suitable for manholes and surrounding pavement was proposed.ResultsThe results showed that the roughness parameters of the PAM -& sigma;, IRI, RQI and grade of roughness-are 6.2 mm, 10.2 m/km, 4.5 and B respectively, indicating that the roughness of PAM is far higher than that of normal pavement; when the driving speed is 36 km/h, the manhole settlement is 1 cm, the pavement damage is 1 cm and the change rate of pavement slope is 4%, the driver's acceleration reaches the maximum (4.72 m/s(2)), and MTVV is 1.281 m/s(2), which makes driving "very uncomfortable"; the pavement slope change rate, the pavement damage and the manhole settlement have a negative influence on the driving comfort. Comparing the theoretical calculation results of MTVV with the field test results, the errors are within a reasonable range, and the theoretical analysis results are reliable. Based on the evaluation of driving comfort, a method for determining a maintenance standard for manholes and surrounding pavement is proposed.ConclusionIt can be seen that it is feasible to determine maintenance schedules for manholes and surrounding pavement based on the maintenance standard derived by driving comfort evaluation.