Blading Optimization

Abstract

The first attempt to develop and implement an optimization module to minimize agency costs and vehicle operating costs in the Western Cape, South Africa, was considered unsuccessful. Routines incorporated the current roughness of the road; deterioration as a result of traffic, climate, and materials; and improvement in roughness after the road was bladed and calculated the blading sequence of road sections in a road network. Lessons about both appropriate principles and practical issues learned in the development process highlighted that generalization of gravel road deterioration can lead to incorrect decisions. Although computerized routines are of value, the complexities and variability of maintenance requirements suggest that optimization of grader maintenance is a reiterative process into which local knowledge, all constraints and variables, as well as computer technology must be incorporated. This paper describes a revised practical approach and process for the development of a grader maintenance business plan. The process has been implemented with success by road authorities in southern Africa and will be published as a best practice in the TRH 20 national guideline document, Technical Recommendations for Highways: Structural Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Unsealed Roads.