A study of road corrugations
Abstract
Corrugation problem is a worldwide phenomenon
encountered by the Engineers who deal with dynamical systems.
The problem has mainly been observed in rolling contact
surfaces of metals and in road surfaces. Some research work
has been carried out in both these fields but no convincing
hypothesis on the phenomena responsible fer corrugation
format ion has been developed. Road corrugation studies were
carried out in the study described in this thesis.
Road corrugations, which are associated with gravel/
earth roads, consist of a series of ridges perpendicular to
the centre Line of the road which In most cases extend across
the road. They cause considerable damage to vehicle
suspension systems. Their occurrence on roads, therefore,
raises the vehicles' operation costs and road maintenance costs
considerably. The mechanisms by which they form, however, are
not yet understood . Studies carried out in this research
involved the modelling of the problem by vehicle dynamics
theoretical analysis, determination of parameters used in
the model and in the design of a rig, problem simulation on
a rolling rig, full scale field studies and laboratory
studies.
Citation
PhDSponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi Department of Engineering