Rutherford & Co. Integrating People, Process & Technology

The Pavement Test Track at Auburn University is a 1.7-mile controlled access facility on which a fleet of 5 heavy triple trucks each run over 3,000 miles a week in order to damage experimental pavements.
 
Interest in the Track is not limited to pavements, and the operation of the heavy truck fleet on the closed loop oval provides an excellent opportunity to conduct highly controlled vehicle research.
 
The Track fleet consists of sequential serial number 2004 Freightliner Columbia series Model C120 day cabs with no aerodynamic modifications. All 5 tractors are equipped with Detroit Diesel 60 Series DDEC-IV (EGR) engines rated at 435 hp at 2,100 rpm, with odometer readings (in mid-2007) of over 400k miles. They are equipped with Eaton Fuller 9 speed manual transmissions and cruise control, which produce approximately 1500 rpm at Track cruise speeds in 8th gear.
 
Each tractor pulls triple trailer trains with every axle loaded up to the legal limit. This produces identical gross vehicle weights of approximately 155k pounds. The due east-west straight sections on the Auburn track are precisely 2600 feet long, connected with spiral-curve-spiral sections approximately 1900 feet in length. The east curve profile travels down a –0.5 percent grade, while the west curve profile travels up a +0.5 percent grade. The maximum super-elevation of both curves is 15 percent, which supports a design speed of approximately 46½ mph. The profiles of both the north and south straight sections are level with 2 percent normal cross-slopes (the typical interstate standard). Consequently, the duty cycle consists of approximately 60 percent on level pavement (with 2 percent normal cross-slope), 15 percent up grade and 15 percent down grade (both with 15 percent super-elevation).

The pavement type changes every 200 feet such that the surface of the track represents a microcosm of the national interstate highway system, with materials hauled in from all over the country to maximize the quality of the simulation.

For more information please visit:

http://www.pavetrack.com/