China News Service, Xi'an, November 11 (Reporter: Dang Tianye and Zhang Yichen) The terrain of mountainous roads is complex, with sharp bends, long downhill slopes, and dense bridges and tunnels. There are many safety risk points for vehicle traffic and difficult management and control. Chang'an University's "Anxing Intelligent Construction" team developed a localized highway safety simulation platform, relying on digital simulation technology to identify road hazards in advance and provide technical support for mountainous highway safety improvement. Recently, reporters went into the laboratory to visit this scientific research team.
The picture shows Zhang Chizheng, head of the "Anxing Intelligence" team at Chang'an University, and his staff analyzing road risk data. Photo by Dang Tianye
In the studio, team leader Zhang Chi is sorting and analyzing road risk data with the staff. Zhang Chi said that it is difficult to implement on-site driving tests on mountainous roads and has high safety risks. After obtaining the basic road data provided by the engineering party, scientific researchers can build a virtual road condition environment and conduct simulation research and judgment under various driving conditions.
"With the help of this technology, we can visually present dangerous road sections such as routes, bridges, and tunnels during the design phase. The first-generation product has been developed. By importing road design data, simulation scenarios can be generated, and experienced drivers can conduct simulated driving to identify road section defects." Zhang Chi said that moving risk assessment forward to the design process can avoid safety risks caused by field testing.
It is understood that the simulated cockpit is the core equipment of the experiment, which can restore the real driving experience of vehicle bumps, replicate mountainous road driving scenes, and simultaneously collect various driving data.
The picture shows the staff using the simulated cockpit. Photo courtesy of Chang'an University
"It is difficult for ordinary driving simulators to restore the vibration feedback of the hydraulic rod when passing through the speed bump. Our equipment can restore the true bumpy state of the truck and collect truck operating data simultaneously during the simulation process." Xu Xuelia, a student at the College of Highways of Chang'an University, said that close-to-real somatosensory feedback and dynamic data collection capabilities are the core differences between scientific research simulators and entertainment simulators.
After collecting complete driving data, the staff immediately carried out risk analysis and judgment. If traditional rectification plans are adopted for mountainous roads that have been opened to traffic, they often need to be closed for construction, which directly affects the travel of people along the route. With the help of the simulation system, staff can accurately locate braking risk points without large-scale excavation and reconstruction, and make up for safety shortcomings through lightweight measures such as optimizing sign markings, separating passenger and cargo lanes, and graded speed limits.
"There is a 51-kilometer continuous downhill section of the Yaxi Expressway. Heavy-duty truck accidents have been frequent in the past. We have implemented targeted rectifications in the special traffic management area, rationally arranged parking areas, cooling pools, and optimized the location of emergency escape lanes. This section has now achieved zero casualties per year." Wei Dibin, a doctoral student at the School of Highways of Chang'an University, said that this practical case has tested the practical value of simulation technology in the management of hidden dangers on mountainous highways.
According to reports, the development of a highway safety simulation platform requires knowledge from multiple directions such as vehicles, road surfaces, and information visualization to support each other. It is difficult to complete the iteration of the entire system in a single field.
"Simulation research is not just about reproducing vehicle driving scenes, but also clarifying the underlying mechanisms of vehicle operation, tire and road interaction, and relying on information technology to complete scene visualization output so that it can adapt to more complex highway and traffic scenarios." Zhang Chi said that with the continuous integration of multiple disciplines, this technology will continue to be improved and continue to explore new paths for mountainous highway safety management. (over)
