United States Department of Transportation
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A Simplified Procedure for Computing Vehicle Offtracking on Curves
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1973-12-01
[PDF-852.55 KB]
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TRIS Online Accession Number:00057025
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:This report presents a simplified procedure for computing vehicle offtracking on curves. It was developed during a research effort to determine what the offtracking requirements were if the width of buses for operation on the Interstate Highway System was increased from 96 to 102 inches. The procedure was developed by modifying the existing procedures to identify critical bus offtracking. Modification consisted of the use of an additional geometric relationship required to calculate ""swept width,"" a parameter considered to be more significant than ""offtracking,"" per se. Swept width is the apparent width of a vehicle as it executes a turning maneuver. The basic data for 15 buses and three tractor-semitrailer combinations, with widths of 96 and 102 inches, and full-sized station wagon were analyzed. Results of this analysis revealed that critical swept width does not occur until width is not a problem for buses using the through traffic lanes on the Interstate Highway System, because curves as sharp as 27 degrees occur only on ramps designed for low speed and one-lane operation. The procedure developed can be used by highway design personnel to select a maximum degree of curvature which would permit a vehicle to stay within the selected lane width and by regulatory agencies when permits are requested for movement of vehicles that exceed the legal maximum width, length or both.
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Content Notes:Final Rpt., 31J3-012
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