CEE 3604: Introduction to Transportation Engineering Fall 2009

Assignment 8: Geometric Design and Turning Maneuvers

Date Due: November 3, 2009 Instructor: Trani

Problem 1

a) Calculate the minimum radius of a highway horizontal curve designed for 75 mph in Florida. The maximum
superelevation rate is 0.08.
b) The curve designed in part (a) requires a 100 meter transition length to achieve the full superelevation of 0.08 (see
Figure 1). A suggested superelevation schedule is shown in Figure 1. Note that we start with the standard road with a
crown and two 1.5% transverse slopes at station 0+0.00. The left offset point (green point) transitions to a flat surface at
station 0+15.80. Finally, at station 0+100.00 the full superelevation is reached. Plot the elevation of the left offset, the
crown centerline and right offset elevations every 10 meters. In your plot the x-axis is the station number and the y-axis
the elevation.

Figure 1. Suggested Geometry of Horizontal Curve.

c) Do a sensitivity study of the radius of the curve designed in part (a) if the superelevation rate is varied from 0.00 to 0.08
at steps 0.01. Plot the results of turn radius vs. superelevation rate.
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Problem 2
A useful unit to specify a horizontal curve employed by the railway industry is the degree of the curvature (d). The definition of
degree of curvature is the number of degrees traversed by the curve per 100 feet (or 30 meters).
a) If the TGV high-speed train in France has a typical design radius of 4,000 meters, calculate the degree of the curvature for the
TGV track (in degrees per 100 feet of curve).
Read Chapter 6 entitled Railway Track Design up to page 224 of the AREMA practical design guideline (
http://www.arema.org/eseries/scriptcontent/custom/e_arema/Practical_Guide/PGChapter6.pdf). Pay special attention to Figure
6-7 in this document.

CEE 3604 A8 Trani Page 1 of 2

b) Find the maximum design speed (in mph) of the TGV railway track using the equation presented in Figure 6-7 in the AREMA
document using the degree of curvature found in part (a). In France (as in most Europe) the maximum elevation of the outside
rail is never to exceed 7.1 inches (180 mm).
c) Explain in simple terms and also using a free body diagram, the idea behind underbalance design in railway track design.

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Problem 3
An airport engineer is helping with the design an approach procedure to a regional airport with a single runway as shown in
Figure 2. The procedure tries to avoid the community to the South of the airport and calls for a constant radius of turn as the
approaching aircraft fly over at 2,500 feet and 200 mph. The turn is expected to limit the bank angle to 20 degrees to avoid
excessive loads on the vehicle and passengers.
a) Find the distance d if the parameters of the turn are followed as stated in Figure 2. The neighbors in the Green
community want to be at least 1100 meters from the flight path.
b) Find the turning rate for the turning maneuver.
c) What is the apparent weight (or load factor) induced on passengers as the aircraft turns to the final approach leg?
d) What would be the bank angle required to follow the flight path calculated in part (a) if a turboprop aircraft flies the turn at
150 mph instead? Comment on the difference between (a) and (d).

Figure 2. Regional Airport Approach Procedure to Runway 27.

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