CVE 363

Highway Design
Spring 2024

Rectilinear and Curvilinear motions

Reading: Text Book: Chp3

Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles

Variable Definitions
 Position of vehicle relative to a reference (x)
x

 Speed / velocity of vehicle (v)

dx
v
dt

 Acceleration of vehicle (a if acceleration, d if

deceleration)
dv
a
dt
dv dx
 
dx dt
dv
 v v dv  a dx
dx
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Constant Acceleration Model

 The simplest case of rectilinear

motion is the case of constant

Acceleration
acceleration
dv
a  constant `

dt

 Speed of vehicle over time

Time
dv  a dt
v t

 dv   a dt
vo o

Speed
v t
v v0
 at 0
`

v  v 0  a t  0 
v  v 0  at
Time
v  v 0  at
Remember that a is constant acceleration
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Constant Acceleration Model

 Position of vehicle over time

vdv  adx
v x

 v dv   a dx
vo xo

Position
v
v2 x
 ax x0
`

2 v0

v 2  v0
2
 a  x  x0  Time
2
v 2  v0
2
x  x0 
2a
v 2  v0
2
x  x0 
2a
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Variable Acceleration Model

 Typical variable acceleration model used in transportation

 Linear relationship between acceleration and speed
 Acceleration is maximum at zero speed
 Acceleration vanishes at high speed


Acceleration

dv t
    vt
 dt

Speed vt
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Variable Acceleration Model

 Speed of vehicle over time

 dt      v t 
dv t

1
 ln   v t   t  C

Velocity is vo at t=0
1  1 
 ln   v t   t    ln   v o  1
     ln   v o   C

ln
   v t    t
   v o 
   v t      v o  e  t
vt 


 
1  e  t  v o e  t

 Position of vehicle over time

  
  
   
t t
v
x   v t dt    1  e  t  v o e  t dt  x    t  2 1  e  t  o 1  e  t
0 0
    
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Variable Acceleration Model

 Example 10.0

Acceleration (ft/s2)
8.0

dv t 6.0
    vt 4.0
dt
2.0
dv t
 9.84  0.113 v t 0.0
dt 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (s)

10 100
Acceleration (ft/s2)

8 80

Speed (mi/h)
6 60

4 40

20
2
0
0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
0 20 40 60 80 100
Time (s)
Speed (mi/h)
3.0
2.5
Position (mi)

2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Time (s)
Rectilinear Motion of Vehicles
Real-World Acceleration Behavior

 Typical observed maximum acceleration of vehicles are function of the

speed of the vehicle
Limitation due to
10
engine power 1995 Acura Integra SE
9
Observed maximum
8 acceleration

7 Predicted maximum
Acceleration (ft/s2)

acceleration
6

5
Limitation due to
4
road and air friction
3
Limitation due to
2 transmission
1 slippage
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Vehicle Speed (mph)
Breaking Distance

 Horizontal distance needed to come to a

complete stop after breaking starts
 Why care about breaking distance?
 Used to determine
 Length of deceleration lane on freeways
 Distance from intersections / curves / obstacles where breaking
should start
Breaking Distance
Definition

 Breaking distance (Db): horizontal distance required for a

vehicle to stop
 Why horizontal? Linked to use of maps in the process of highway
design (maps only show horizontal distances)
x

Db  x  cos 
Horizontal breaking distance
Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 Breaking distance based on rectilinear movement’s equation of

position of vehicle over time
2
v 2  v0
x  x0 
2a
2
v 2  v0
x Assuming that initial position x0 is 0
2a
2
Db v 2  v0 Db  x cos 

cos  2a Db
x
cos 

Db 
2a

cos  2
v  v0
2

Equation calculating deceleration distance only as a
function of grade, initial speed and applied
acceleration

Does not take into consideration friction between tires

and pavement!
Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 Forces acting on a climbing moving vehicle

Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 Free body diagram of a climbing vehicle when ignoring air and rolling
resistance, but not friction and grade resistance

Friction
Resistance

Weight

Normal Force
Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 Condition for equilibrium along grade  Vehicle remaining in position

along the grade
 Forces along grade  0
Friction  Weight along grade  Motion Force  0

W
f  W cos   W sin    a  0
 g 
Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 Determination of braking distance based on conditions for equilibrium

W 
f  W cos   Wsin     a  0
 g
Db 
2a

cos  2
v  v0
2

f  W cos   Ws in     
 W  cos  2

v  v0  0
2
a
2Db

cos  2
v  v0
2

 g  2 Db

  

f  W cos  Ws in  W  cos  v 2  v0
2
0
 Dividing by Wcos
W cos  W cos   g  2 Db W cos 
( v 2  v0 )
2
f  tan   0
2 gDb
( v 2  v0 )
2
f  tan   
2 gDb
( v0  v 2 )
2
f  tan  
2 gDb
( v0  v 2 )
2
For small values of  (values
Db 
2 g ( f  tan  ) Defining : G  tan  typicaly used in road design) :
( v0  v )
2 2 % Grade
Db  G  tan  
2g ( f  G) 100
Breaking Distance
Breaking Distance Formulas

 General transportation engineering formula for breaking distance

2
(v 0  v 2 ) When moving uphill
Db 
2g ( f  G ) 2
(v 0  v 2 )
Db 
2g ( f  G )

When moving downhill

2
(v 0  v 2 )
Db 
2g ( f  G )
Breaking Distance
Example

 Determine the distance at which a vehicle started to break on a 5% downslope when it is

known that it was initially traveled at 80 km/h and stopped 30 m from a obstacle (assume a
coefficient of friction f of 0.30)

v o  80 km/h  22.2 m/s

v  0 km/h  0 m/s
g  9.8 m/s 2
f  0.30
5%
G  0.05
100 5%

tan   0.05    2.86 o Db 30 cos 

Breaking Distance
Example

 Stopping distance when ignoring the Stopping distance when considering the
effect of the slope effect of the slope
2 2
(v 0  v 2 ) (v 0  v 2 )
Db  x  30  Db  ( x  30 ) cos  
2g ( f  G ) 2g ( f  G )
2
2
(v 0  v 2 ) (v 0  v 2 )
x  30  ( x  30 ) cos  
2g ( f  G ) 2g ( f  G )
( 22 .2)2  (0 )2 ( 22 .2)2  (0 )2
x  30  ( x  30 ) cos  
2  9.8  (0.3  0.05 ) 2  9.8  (0.3  0.05 )
x  30  100 .6 ( x  30 ) cos   100 .6
x  100.6  30 100.6
x - 30 
x  130.6 m cos 
100.6
x - 30 
cos 2.86 o
x - 30  100.7
x  130.7 m
Breaking Distance
Special Cases

 Grade parameter
 On level terrain  G = 0

 Vehicle speed
 At stop  v = 0

 Coefficient of friction
 On wet pavement  f = 0.30
 On dry pavement  f = 0.60
 Coefficient of friction lower at higher speeds

Engineering design based on wet pavement

conditions
Curvilinear Motion
Force Components in a Curve

 The acceleration and forces acting on a vehicle in a curve can be

resolved into two components
Tangential dv
acceleration at 
dt

v2 Normal
an 
 acceleration

 = Radius of curve

Tangential  dv 
Ft  ma  m  
force  dt 

v 2 Wv 2 Normal force
Fn  ma  m 
 g
Curve Superelevation

 Lateral forces on a level curved road

Only force to resist tendency to slide

is the force due to the side friction
between the vehicle’s tire and the
pavement

SOLUTION: Superelevation of
curve
Banking of road cross-section to
reduce the tendency to slide
(allows to use the vehicle’s weight
component along the pavement to
resist sliding
Curve Superelevation

 Formula for determining required superelevation

At the verge of sliding, the sum of forces along the
pavement surface equal zero

Centripeta l force x  Friction  Weight x

Fcx  f s N  W x
Fcx  f s ( Fcy  W y )  Wx
Fc cos   f s ( Fc sin   W cos  )  W sin 
W v2  W v2 
 cos   f s   sin   W cos    W sin  Divide by W cos 
g R  g R 
v2  v2 
 f s  tan   1  tan 
gR  gR 
v2
fs  tan   1  f s tan   f tan   close to zero at typical
gR highway conditions
v2
fs  tan  
gR
v2
fs  e  Define: tan  = e
gR
Curve Superelevaltion
Typical Values

 Maximum rates of superelevation e

 Highways in rural areas with no snow or ice  0.10
 Highways in areas with snow or ice  0.08 to 0.10
 Expressways in urban areas  0.08
 Local urban roads  No superelevation due to low speeds

 AASHTO recommended design side friction fs

 30mph (48kph) = 0.20
 40mph (64kph) = 0.16
 50mph (80kph) = 0.14
 60mph (96kph) = 0.12
 70mph (112kph)= 0.10
Curve Superelevation
Example

 What should be the minimum radius of a curve with 8% superelevation for a

vehicle traveling at 120 km/h to avoid sliding with a coefficient of friction of 0.09
with the pavement
v  120 km/h  33.33 m/s v2
ef 
e  0.08 gR
f  0.09 v2
R
g e  f 
33 .33 2
R
9.80.08  0.09 
R  666 .9 m