Measuring and testing – Vibration – By mechanical waves
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-20
2003-02-04
Williams, Hezron (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Vibration
By mechanical waves
C073S146000, C073S636000, C073S639000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06513384
ABSTRACT:
RELATED APPLICATIONS
Foreign priority benefits are claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) or 35 U.S.C. §365(b) from French Application Number 98/13922, filed Nov. 5, 1998, and under 35 U.S.C. 365(a) from PCT International application PCT/FR99/02709, filed Nov. 5, 1999, which designated at least one country other than the United States. PCT application PCT/FR99/02709, of which this application is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. §371, was published under PCT Article 21(2) in French.
The present invention relates to a method for continuously measuring the stiffness or the elastic modulus of a transport infrastructure road level and industrial floors during works or in service, and to an apparatus for carrying out the method.
The method is applied to subgrades, levelling stones, or any other road level of which the desired modulus is included between 30 MPa and 300 MPa and which presents a satisfactory geometry for the circulation of the apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At the present time, the lift of the levelling stones and subgrades is controlled by one of the following apparatus:
plate bearing test truck
dynaplate
deflectograph.
The first two apparatus make a punctual measurement. In order to have an overall view of the homogeneity of the lift and the respect of the requirements, the controls should be carried out in accordance with a pre-established meshwork. The static plate bearing test is suitable for moduli of up to 200 MPa, but is relatively long.
The dynaplate is a shock apparatus in which the deformability of the subgrade sounded is assessed by the coefficient of restitution which represents the ratio between the heights of drop and rebound of a mass dropping on a series of springs arranged on a plate, having a diameter of 600 mm, placed on the ground. The dynaplate test is quicker than the static plate bearing test. Its sensitivity is maximum around 50 MPa, but becomes poor beyond 100 MPa due to the shape of the calibration curve between the elastic modulus and the coefficient of restitution, taking into account the choice of the characteristics of the apparatus.
The deflectograph delivers information on the deflection, generated by a rolling load, and which can be represented virtually continuously in longitudinal profile. By its design, it intervenes only on sites which are of easy access and where the flat and the deflection normally have favourable characteristics, such as on treated soils of small granulometry.
An improved version of dynaplate also exists, of which the dimensional characteristics are unchanged, but whose principle of measurement is different. In this improved version, the load plate comprises a load cell allowing access to the acquisition of the force F transmitted to the ground as a function of time upon impact, as well as a sensor of vertical displacement during the shock. The combination of these two data gives the effort/deformation curve and allows access to the value of the modulus. This method exploits the ascending branch of the force/deflection curve obtained during a cycle of impact, and it furnishes a more substantial measurement than that obtained by the traditional dynaplate, up to a level of modulus of the order of 200 MPa. However, the measurement remains punctual.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Starting from this state of the art, the invention has for its object to propose a method for continuously measuring the stiffness or elastic modulus of the road level.
The present invention attains its object in that the proposed method comprises the following steps of:
rolling on the road level a wheel of mass Mr suspended beneath a chassis of mass Mc,
subjecting the wheel to vertical vibrations by means of an unbalanced member rotating about the axis of the wheel and subjected to a centrifugal force Fc,
measuring as a function of time the vertical acceleration Gr of the wheel and the vertical acceleration Gc of the chassis by means of acceleration sensors mounted on the wheel and on the chassis,
measuring as a function of time the angular phase &phgr;between the direction of the centrifugal force Fc of the unbalanced member and the vertical by means of a sensor,
calculating as a function of time the vertical component FTA of the force applied by the wheel on the road level,
calculating as a function of time the vertical deformation d undergone by the road level from the measurement of the vertical acceleration Gr of the wheel,
establishing for each cycle of vibration the loop of the vertical component FTA with respect to the deformation d,
calculating at each cycle of vibration the gradient of the loop in the branch of the ascending vertical components in order to obtain the stiffness of the road level.
The following arrangements are also advantageously adopted:
the gradient of the curve is calculated in the range of ascending vertical components included between 30% and 90% of the maximum vertical component;
the elastic modulus is calculated by multiplying the value of the stiffness by a coefficient of calibration C determined by prior experimentation;
the frequency of the vibrations of the wheel is included between 20 and 50 HZ;
the wheel is advanced at a speed close to 1 m/sec.;
the speed of displacement of the wheel is continuously measured;
the average stiffness of the road level per unit of distance covered is calculated by calculating the average of the stiffnesses calculated during the cycles of vibrations corresponding to this unit of distance covered;
the average stiffnesses calculated as a function of the distance are continuously displayed on a display screen.
The invention also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method according to the invention.
This apparatus is characterized in that it comprises:
a towable trailer resting on wheels for rolling over the ground,
a chassis of mass Mc mounted on the trailer so as to be able to pivot about a transverse axle,
a wheel of mass Mr equipped with an unbalanced member and suspended beneath the chassis,
means for rotating the unbalanced member,
a first acceleration sensor mounted on the chassis,
a second acceleration sensor mounted on the wheel,
a sensor detecting the angle of the unbalanced member,
means for calculating, as a function of time, the component of the force applied by the wheel on the road level,
means for calculating, as a function of time, the vertical deformation undergone by the road level,
means for establishing, upon each cycle of vibration, the vertical component with respect to the deformation, and means for calculating the stiffness of the road level upon each cycle of vibration.
The invention will be more readily understood on reading the following description given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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Froumentin Michel
Leroy Maurice
Marignier Jacques
Morel Guy
Quibel Alain
Laboratoire Central des Ponts e Chaussees
Saint-Surin Jacques
Williams Hezron
Wolf Greenfield & Sacks P.C.
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