Round Robin test at duraBASt test track in Cologne, Germany in connection with ERPUG 2024
Round Robin Test
14-15 October 2024
Background
In the evaluation of the conference in Edinburgh, Scotland 2022, we asked if there was an interest in participating in a Round Robin test in connection with a future conference. We asked the question with two options, participate without cost contribution and participate with cost contribution. Almost 40 responded that one was interested in such an arrangement. The majority replied that it was possible to participate without compensation.
Our plan was already from the start to use the test site duraBASt outside Cologne, a test facility that has different test sections, on intercepted ground (canceled area without public traffic), for this purpose. DuraBASt is a full-scale test arena for infrastructure solutions that also has road sections suitable for testing profilometers. BASt (Research institute in the department of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Germany) operates the facility.

From plan to reality
The test will be a combined activity with ERPUG 2024 where an evaluation of measurement systems will take place at DuraBASt from
14-15 of October, with a reserved possibility to extend the test one or two days depending on the number of measurement systems that participate.

We continue the planning to carry out this test, but we need to secure the financiers to make it possible.
"It would be very valuable to us (directly and indirectly) to get results from such a test." We hope that more administrations will follow.
We will also charge a fee of €1000 for each participating system.

By the 15 of May will make the final decision to go through with the test. At that time we need at least 15 different participants and we have secured the economy for the test. The last day for registration is 31 May 2024. Do not forget to register your interest in participating to Thomas.lundberg@vti.se as soon as possible.

The Test
Target groups?
Traditional measurement vehicles, lidar-based measurement techniques, connected vehicles, and smartphone techniques.
Execution
  • The supplier will do 10 runs on each section.
  • 5 at low speed and 5 at higher speed.
  • We will give the participating operators instructions on how to position the vehicle laterally.
  • The start of the measurement should be automized, for example by photocell and reflector. Optional a coordinate could be used.
Reference Methods
  1. Dedicated reference measurements
  2. Average of the data from the tested types of equipment (outliers will be excluded, use only the 50 % closest to the median.)
VTI will do reference measurements and calculate the tested variables according to current standards.

Output from the study
- During ERPUG 2024 being able to present a preliminary result for some of the variables.
- A public report describing the test and the results
- We will divide the participating systems into the following groups,
1. Ordinary measurement vehicles, point laser
2. Ordinary measurement vehicles, line laser
3. Lidar-based (only) measurement systems
4. Connected vehicles and smartphone systems
The suppliers will be coded when the results are presented. Each supplier will have a key to their system(s).








Test limits
This test will not approve or disqualify any measurement systems. Since the test is open to new systems, normally not tested the same way as the traditional road surface monitoring equipment's, two threshold values will be specified for each variable, the Swedish standard threshold value, if available, and additional threshold values that will, in most cases, be easier to pass. The standard threshold values indicate what is used in Sweden, at the qualification of road surface monitoring equipment's for doing measurements at network level for the National Road Administration. The second value is experimental. Every participating system will be tested against both threshold levels. Since there is a lack of experience from how to set the experimental threshold values, the level can be adjusted during the analysis if the result gives no extra information from using the standard Swedish threshold values.
The participating companies could sign up for one or more variables. This should be described when signing up for the test.

Data delivery
The data should be delivered in a text file separated with a TAB-sign. One new line for each 20 m section. The first line should hold the heading information with the described order. The second line should be section information and variable data. All repetitions should be delivered in one file. The naming of the file should indicate who is delivering data according to the given participant code.
There will be an option to deliver data in an early stage before finalizing the complete data processing. The purpose of having an early data delivery is to do a brief presentation of a selection of variables, as a preliminary result, at the ERPUG conference. The early delivered variables will be, IRI, Rut depth and MPD.
To enable to control the frequency content of the longitudinal profile and the texture profile, those could also be delivered. The longitudinal profile should be described by one value every 0,1 m and the texture profile with one value at least every 1 mm.

Variables
The following variables will be possible to deliver and to get tested.
IRI right wheel track
Longitudinal profile right wheel track
Rut depth (3.2 m)
Sliding wire rut depth (2 m)
MPD right wheel track
Megatexture RMS right
Texture profile right
Transverse profile
Crossfall
Hilliness Code
WGS84 latitude
WGS84 longitude
HAMSL
Lane width
Object position WGS84 lat (format could be changed to a local projection)
Object position WGS84 long (format could be changed to a local projection)
Object position HAMSL (format could be changed to a local projection)
Wide transverse profile
Cracks
WLP low σ_WLP
WLP low ∆_WLP
WLP medium σ_WLP
WLP medium ∆_WLP
WLP high σ_WLP
WLP high ∆_WLP
Texture profile (raw data) in right wheel track


Test Methods

Validity, the difference between the tested
vehicle and the reference is tested with a
predefined interval. Percent of the difference
within the interval is presented as a measure
of validity.









Repeatability, 10 repetitions will be done.
The standard deviation on 20 m level will be
used as a measure of the repeatability









Speed dependency, the speed dependency of the variables will be investigated in the test.







The reference for transverse profiles will be measured by VTI XPS (Cross Profile Scanner).

Reference, transverse profile and crossfall
The reference for transverse profiles will be measured by VTI XPS (Cross Profile Scanner).
A device using seven Gocator line lasers to characterize the transverse profile and slope.
The device is also equipped with an OXTS Survey+ unit from which the slope of the transverse profile is determined. Data is used to calculate the indices for transverse evenness.


Reference for transverse evenness

The reference is adapted to the tested equipment
This means the measurement supplier will describe the setup of the vehicle before the test. The reference will use the same setup as the tested vehicle to enable an adequate comparison

Transverse indices
The following indices can be calculated from the reference
- Water depth, measurement width 3.2 m Water area, measurement width 3.2 m
- Rut width, left and right Distance between rut bottoms
- Rut area, measurement width 3.2 m
- Rut depth total (surface wire method), measurement width 3.2 m
- Sliding wire rut depth, wire width 2 m, measurement width 3.2 m
- Rut depth, left and right, measurement width 1.92 m (within 3.2 m)
- Water depth, measurement width 3.2 m
- Water area, measurement width 3.2 m
- Rut width, left and right
- Distance between rut bottoms
- Rut area, measurement width 3.2 m

VTI Primal
Reference, longitudinal profile
The reference for longitudinal profiles
will be measured by VTI Primal + Total
Station.
VTI Primal – A laser-guided device
will measure 10 m segments of the
longitudinal profile. Dx=4 mm.

Total Station – A Total Station will
measure the 10 m start/stop points
used by the Primal to create a "true"
longitudinal profile.

Total Station
Total Station – A Total Station will
measure the 10 m start/stop points
used by the Primal to create a "true"
longitudinal profile.

Longitudinal indices
The following indices can be calculated from the reference
- Longitudinal profile accuracy (wl 0.5 m to 100 m)
- IRI, International Roughness Index
- RMS, wavelength bands
- WLP, Weighted Longitudinal Profil

Portable texture tester
Reference, texture
The reference for the texture profile will be measured by VTI PTT (Portable Texture Tester).

PTT – A trolley equipped with a pulse transducer and a point laser.
Collecting a texture profile with selectable dx. Dx = 0.5 mm will be used in the test.

Texture indices
The following indices can be calculated from the reference
- MPD, Mean Profile Depth
- Megatexture, RMS
- Optional, texture spectra
Stationary GPS
Position/Coordinates
The position will be measured with a stationary GPS receiver corrected by a local base station.
The accuracy will be better than 1 cm.


The following cases can be tested
- Absolute height of the longitudinal profile on the road (dx 10 m)
- Wide transverse profile accuracy, Profile width ± 3 m (6 m), suggested dx 0.1 m
- Positioning of objects, position and height (coordinate system will be decided later
Crack map
Reference, cracks
The reference for cracks will be a subjective mapping of cracks.
Reference could be the percentage of the area with cracks.
The surface is divided into squares 0.1×0.1 m. If a square has a crack, it contributes to the percent cracked area

Roundabout? No, Round Robin!
Featured vendors
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a sponsor.
Gold Sponsors 2024
ARRB Systems, LEHMANN + PARTNER GmbH,
Pathway Services Inc.
Silver Sponsors 2024
Automation Technology, Dynatest, Greenwood Engineering,
International Cybernetics Company, Kontur, Leica Geosystems, NIRA Dynamics, Pavemetrics, Ramboll, RIEGL, VTI
Bronze Sponsors 2024
Danish Road Directorate, FUGRO, Trimble
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