FAI «ROSDORNII» experts conducted comparative tests of road inspection equipment in the city of Maykop of Adygea, and in the city of Novoshakhtinsk in Rostov Oblast from April 24th to 27th. The event was organized by the Federal State Budgetary Institution «Rosdorotehnologiya», and representatives from LLC VPO «REGION», Moscow Automobile and Road Construction State Technical University (MADI), LLC «Specdortekhnika», Saratov Research and Production Center OJSC «ROSDORTEH», NPO «Region», LLC «Avtodor-Inzhiniring», LLC "RASTOM", and LLC «MosInzhProekt» also participated.
Tests were conducted on sections of public federal highways R-217 «Kavkaz» and A-270 (M-4 «Don» – Novoshakhtinsk). The work was performed to compare the measurement results of different equipment. The testers measured longitudinal and transverse evenness, adhesion properties of the road surface, and road strength.
Assessing longitudinal evenness, ROSDORNII experts used their own developments – automated road inspection units ADK-M and ADK-M-NT. They were created on the basis of domestic and import cars. Currently, the Institute's fleet has about 20 units. ADK is included in the register of measuring instruments and is used to verify the condition of federal, regional, and municipal road networks in Russia.
Automated road inspection units are designed for measuring geometric and operation features of roads. This includes measurements of longitudinal and transverse slopes of a carriageway, evenness, rutting, thickness, and coefficient of adhesion of the road surface. Using ADK while driving a vehicle allows for registration of key elements of road condition, curve radii in plan and longitudinal profile. The units’ measurements also capture the strength properties of pavement, the structure and condition of the pavement. The units are also used for video recording of motor roads, with images correlated to the distance travelled. The acquired information is then processed by ADK's software.
In addition, ROSDORNII experts used a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) in the comparative tests to measure the strength index of road structures according to GOST R 59918-2021. The tests are conducted using non-destructive dynamic loading. The main advantage of FWDs is their ability to register deflection bowls on the surface of road structures at a distance from the impact application point. The tests can determine the actual elastic moduli of the structural layers of pavement and the structure overall. Currently, the Institute is working on developing an effective methodology for managing the condition of non-rigid road coverings, including using FWD.
Based on the test results, an analytical report and recommendations on the use of equipment in field conditions are envisaged.
Background information
FAI ROSDORNII employees regularly conduct tests of special equipment designed to verify the condition of roads and bridges. They perform inspection using modernly equipped mobile road laboratories. Based on the inspection results, a road passport projects and a road traffic management projects are developed.
The Institute has three mobile road laboratories for laser scanning work, 41 movable road laboratory units, and four mobile autonomous units designed for road inspections.