PDEng position in Software Development to estimate the PVI effects on vehicle fuel consumption

Fuel consumption of vehicles depends on several factors, including rolling resistance (RR). RR is defined as the energy lost when the vehicle tyre rolls over a pavement surface, and to a great extent is determined by three pavement-vehicle interaction (PVI) mechanisms: pavement roughness, texture and deflection.

Although most of the strategies adopted by the highway agencies to reduce the environmental footprint of their pavement construction and maintenance practices consists of using waste and recycled materials, low temperature asphalt mixtures, and in-place recycling techniques, a more meaningful reduction can be achieved by lowering the environmental impacts arising from the movement of vehicles due to the pavement condition and characteristics.

To help highway agencies to achieve their long-term sustainability goals, a software is needed that enable them to quickly quantify the impacts of pavement condition and characteristics on RR and consequent effects on additional vehicle fuel consumption.