Measuring Road Quality Using Vibration Analysis

Overview

Objectives The objective of this project is to find the quality of a road by use of the process of vibration analysis. I believe that a frequency with a higher than average amplitude would indicate a poor road quality. Methods In my project, I used an accelerometer (x,y, z-axis) and a vibration analysis tool, as well as a car that would be used to travel on the roads I am testing. First, I collected accelerometer data for each individual road being tested. This data would be converted to its component frequencies through the use of the vibration analysis tool. The tool would categorize and calculate the road unevenness, in terms of bumps per distance, using these component frequencies. To separate component frequencies, I used a DFT algorithm implemented through a python program. Iterate this process a number of times to enable the production of more accurate results. Results I was able to come up with a scale based on the number of bumps/distance that could measure road quality that is termed Road Roughness Index (RRI). This Road Roughness Index took only values that were in the 75th percentile of the amplitude values. Relatively speaking, a higher road roughness index correlates to poorer road quality, while a lower road roughness index correlates higher road quality. Conclusions Through the process of vibration analysis, I was able to establish a reasonable measure of road quality in the form of the Road Roughness Index to quantify the quality of the road. Establishing this Road Roughness Index will help prioritize roads that are most desperately in need of repairs, could be useful as part of a navigation system.

Competition history

• CSEF 2019 Physics & Astronomy · Entry S1701

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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