Abstract:
Many of the analytical techniques that are currently available are not capable of
analyzing the offtracking of truck and trailer combinations or the path of load overhangs
through a set of curves that are commonly found on forest roads. Advances in the
processing speed of microcomputers have made it possible to simulate how a truck and
trailer combination negotiate a road. A microcomputer program, OFETRACK, was
developed to simulate the offiracking of six different vehicle configurations. The
program will enable road designers to predict offtracking through a complex set of road
geometrics, including compound and reverse curves. The program will also analyze the
path of load overhangs on a vehicle such as a yarder tower on a lowboy or rubber tired
undercarriage, Test results of the program compare favorably with several field studies
and a scale model simulator. Outputs of the computer simulation are in the form of road
widths required left and right of centerline, total width, and curve widening, A plot of the
paths of the wheels and load overhang can be viewed on the screen or sent to a drum
plotter
