Abstract
Research is leading to development of an on-board, intelligent air brake warning device (IBWD) for commercial vehicles equipped with such brakes. Recent statistics show that a disturbing proportion of commercial vehicles are operating with brakes that are out of adjustment or otherwise improperly maintained. Air brake systems on multiaxle vehicles are particularly sensitive to brake adjustment and provide poor feedback of deteriorating performance to drivers. Currently, the only active warning is for low air pressure; drivers receive no information about the effectiveness of the total system. Recent improvements, including automatic slack adjusters and antilock brake systems, are not sufficient to ensure adequacy of brakes. IBWD performs an on-board, real-time assessment of vehicle brake performance through measurement of a relatively small number of parameters. It gives drivers adequate time for corrective action and provides maintenance personnel and authorities with valuable information for improved servicing and inspection activities. In addition to the safety benefits, IBWD will enhance commercial vehicle productivity by reducing unnecessary delays at inspection points and by boosting overall acceptance of other intelligent transportation system technologies. A discussion of IBWD design philosophy and methodology is presented. The measurable parameters of interest are discussed, along with how they will be monitored. Analysis and modeling of empirical data collected from an extensive full-scale vehicle test program are presented, along with techniques for deriving a brake assessment algorithm.
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