The Gdansk University of Technology has acquired a research vehicle equipped with a laser system enabling advanced measurements of the wear and tear of road, motorway and airport surfaces. This equipment is unique at Polish universities. The new research tool is intended to help develop guidelines for road managers to reduce repairs and related traffic obstructions.
The vehicle is equipped with a system for measuring the functional properties of pavements, which are altered as a result of heavy truck traffic and environmental factors. These include various types of cracks, ruts, patches and defects, but also the depth of texture and the degree of evenness of the pavement.
Equipped with, among other things, an extensive GPS system that unambiguously locates damage, the vehicle can travel at the same speed as other vehicles in traffic, e.g. 100 km/h, so that the measurements do not cause any disruption to traffic.
