• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2008

Achieving consistent geometric design is an important goal in highway design to ensure obtaining safe, economical and smooth traffic operation. Most evaluation of consistency is based on 'speed change' in speed profile. According to literature, the speed depends on geometric elements, speed on tangent section prior to a curve, and background around roads. Especially, the radius is the most main element mentioned in various literature. Therefore, this paper shows two ways of calculating horizontal radius on real road, that is, three-dimensional road. First of all, the radius of horizontal curve is calculated based on physical method. The calculated radius contains not only superelevation but also longitudinal grade while the current minimum radius is calculated by considering superelevation and side friction according to the point-mass equation. Secondly, the problem of composed curves with distorted appearance by overlaying sag or crest vertical alignment has been known. To quantify the extent of distortion effects, the method of calculation of real seen so called 'Perspective Radius' is developed. The paper presents the perspective radius and recommended perspective radius.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.187-197
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• 2008

While driving a highway, A driver gets lots of information through geometrical structure, traffic situation, signs on the road. He gets most of the information by visual sense. Acceleration or deceleration and driving direction depend on sight distance. Therefore, it's essential to secure a driver's sight distance for a safe drive. However, design guides of geometrical structure and sight distance suggest respective standards of horizontal and vertical alignment. They do not indicate quantitative standard of combined alignment. Currently, element separated on a two-dimensional projected plane are available, but they do not guarantee safe and pleasant design. I will use the existent model analysing three-dimensional sight distance through mathematical calculation and sort a variety of geometrical structure element and type. In these researches, we will look at how much three-dimensional sight distance is overestimated or underestimated compared to two-dimensional. I will develop a program which predicts traffic velocity on the curvature of two-lane provincial road. stopped sight distance and three-dimensional sight distance will be compared at a predicted drive velocity. I will suggest the way to evaluate road consistency.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.7 s.78
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• pp.25-32
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• 2004

It is implicated in the current road design manual that design speed is well representing the operating speed of drivers. On the contrary, the disparity between the design speed and operating speed means that current road design cannot guarantee the safety and comfort of driving. In this context, operating speed was observed at the two lane rural roadways to find out the relation of operating speed and design speed. In addition to this, the friction factor from supply and demand which was derived from the operating speed was compared in terms of the dynamics in driving safety factor. It was concluded that the actual speed was consistently exceeding the design speed at the horizontal curves having the radius less than or equal to 200 m. Similarly, the demanded side friction was also consistently exceeding the supplied side friction at the horizontal curves having the radius less than or equal to 200 m and the amount of difference was also inversely proportional to the radius of the horizontal curves.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.22 no.3 s.74
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• pp.109-125
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• 2004

In recent decades, microscopic simulation models have become powerful tools to analyze traffic flow on highways and to assist the investigation of level of service. The existing microscopic simulation models simulate an individual vehicle's speed based on a constant free-flow speed dominantly specified by users and driver's behavior models reflecting vehicle interactions, such as car following and lane changing. They set a single free-flow speed for a single vehicle on a given link and neglect to consider the effects of highway design elements to it in their internal simulation. Due to this, the existing models are limitted to provide with identical simulation results on both curved and tangent sections of highways. This paper presents a model developed to estimate the change of free-flow speeds based on highway design elements. Nine neural network models were trained based on the field data collected from seven different freeway curve sections and three different locations at each section to capture the percent changes of free-flow speeds: 100 m upstream of the point of curve (PC) and the middle of the curve. The model employing seven highway design elements as its input variables was selected as the best : radius of curve, length of curve, superelevation, the number of lanes, grade variations, and the approaching free-flow speed on 100 m upstream of PC. Tests showed that the free-flow speeds estimated by the proposed model were statistically identical to the ones from the field at 95% confidence level at each three different locations described above. The root mean square errors at the starting and the middle of curve section were 6.68 and 10.06, and the R-squares at these points were 0.77 and 0.65, respectively. It was concluded from the study that the proposed model would be one of the potential tools introducing the effects of highway design elements to free-flow speeds in simulation.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.5 no.4 s.18
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• pp.13-22
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• 2003

Several design methods from overseas are employed without considering different conditions such as material properties, climate, and traffic condition in this country. Therefore, there are limitations in application. Therefore, new pavement analysis system which is able to design a pavement efficiently and economically should be set up. In this study, 243 probable sections are classified depending on values of layer thickness and elastic modulus, and the effect of load types for the probable sections are analyzed. The section showing larger load distribution is chosen for analysis. As a result of sensitivity, a layer thickness has more influence on pavement than an elastic modulus does. The stress distribution of FWD test load is larger than that of circular load. This study compares outputs between nonlinear elastic model and linear elastic model. Based on the result, this study finds nonlinear elastic model considering stress condition in the ground is recommended for subbase.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.149-156
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• 2011

Considerable evaluation is needed to design a new longitudinal tunnel in advance because it damaged drivers' driving safety and heightened the possibility of traffic accidents with its physical characteristics. Specifically, considering traffic psychological and ergonomic factors was very important to prevent the difficulty of maintaining safe speed, the increase of the drowsy driving, the fatality of traffic accidents, and subjective feelings such as anxiety while driving a car through the tunnel, from design to construction. This study dealt with driving safety evaluation of an original road alignment design for the longitudinal tunnel (length: above 10km) with a driving simulator, and helped us to improve an original road alignment design and make an alternative road alignment design with presenting risky districts. The results of experiment showed that inflection points were revealed more risky districts, because they impaired driving safety and elevated driver workload while driving a car through around the inflection points of two-way route. Finally, the limitations and implications of this study were discussed.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.95-102
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• 2012

This study has been conducted to characterize the relations between the accident rate and the overlap section elements where the horizontal alignment and vertical alignment are overlapped. The researches were performed on Horizontal curve sections of 4-lane highways with 100km/h of design speed and speed limit. Korea Highway Corporation's Geographic Figurative Information System was adopted for geometric organization and Highway Traffic Accident Statistics was used. The results reveal that sections made of a single slope without vertical curve has greater accident rate than those with vertical curve, and that sections with 1 vertical curve are higher in the accident rate than those with over 2 vertical curve. For the sections with 1 vertical curve, SAG sections are higher than CREST sections and for the previous straight section of horizontal curve are higher than curved ones. In particular, when the road surface is wet, the accident rate is closely related with SAG vertical curves or leftward horizontal curved sections. This study will have meanings that it proposes the importance of design of road alignment by taking consideration of 3D synthetic alignment conditions for improvement of the road safety.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.8 no.3 s.29
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• pp.1-19
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• 2006

Researches on method for quantitative analysis applied with decision-making in consideration of variation in risk factors based on GIS(Geographic Information System) concluded as follows. Firstly, by way of decision-making in consideration of variation in risk factors, quantitative analysis performed for the existing route was applied to the new route, which would bring about reliable criteria in route planning and basic design stage. Secondly, horizontal and vertical alignment were easily available out of GIS for relatively speedy design and analysis with three dimensional alignment by decision-making in route planning. Thirdly, automation of route alignment is possible by utilizing quantitative evaluation system established in this research so that a risk analysis can be carried out in a relatively short time. Therefore it will eventually contribute to further development of road design technology.

• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
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• v.24 no.5 s.91
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• pp.109-121
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• 2006

The road should be designed in the consistent alignment which the driver can drive safely. Also, proper highway environments in order to maintain optimal operational speeds on highway sections should be provided In design stage, for highway environments, it is essential for an operational speed estimation model to different highway environments. If a method which could evaluate the status of the road safety is developed through this operational speed estimation model, it is possible to provide safe and more comfortable highways to road users. In the study factors to effect on operational speeds are classified into three groups horizontal & vertical alignments and traffic operation characteristic factors. Factors are chosen to effect on operational speeds by using collation analysis as classifications of tangent sections, horizontal curve sections and vertical curve sections. In order to develop operational speed estimation models in express highways, multi-regression analysis has been used in this study using the selected factors. This study has meaning that the developed estimation models for operational speeds and evaluation of degree of safety to horizontal and vortical alignments simultaneous. In order to represent whole area of the country with the developed models, the models should be re-analyzed with vast data related with road alignment factors in the near future.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.135-143
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• 2008

According to the present highway design criteria, there are minimum standards which re ade from special design speeds. If some highways are satisfied the standards, it regards he highway as safety. In reality, however, most drivers drive a car at different speed compared with design speed. It is very dangerous for drivers especially at transition sections between curve and horizontal curve sections. Hence, this study calculated the rate of changing and horizontal acceleration at each section. Moreover, this study evaluated thesafety of design at curve transition sections and then calculated lateral acceleration and curve radii. This study found the minimum standards which are using as basic safety standards are not appropriate for measuring driver's safety.