MFV

Multi Functional Vehicle

The Multi Functional Vehicle (MFV) consists of several subsystems that are added on top of a basic system. The MFV measures the IRI/RN, longitudinal and transverse profile, macrotexture, raveling and geometrics (crossfall, gradient, and radius of curvature).

Multi Functional Vehicle (MFV)

The Dynatest Multi Functional Vehicle (MFV) is a van or pickup truck specially designed with different equipment and technologies to carry out pavement surveys on roads and airports. Essentially, the Dynatest MFV consists of several subsystems that are added on top of a basic system.

The MFV combines the features of the Road Surface Profiler and the Laser Crack Measurement System (LCMS) from Pavemetrics.

The MFV can measure the International Roughness Index (IRI/RN), Ride Number (RN), longitudinal and transverse profile, macrotexture, traveling, and geometrics such as crossfall, gradient, and radius of curvature.

The LCMS provides 3D or 2D pavement imagery across a 4m width, allowing for rapid and accurate crack detection and classification. Additionally, the MFV is equipped with up to 8 Right Of Way cameras (ROW), providing a complete view of the road.

MFV brochure  MFV brochure (US version)

The MFV also offers safety by enabling surveys of roads and airports to be carried out from a vehicle at normal traffic speeds, day or night, without the need for traffic management.

The MFV is designed to carry out different types of pavement test’s at the same time.

The choice of van or truck is almost free within the specifications and is at the user’s own expense.

The modules of the MFV consist of:

Road Surface Profiler (Dynatest RSP)
– Laser Crack Measuring System (LCMS)
– Right Of Way cameras or omnidirectional cameras
– Distance Measuring Instrument (DMI)
– GPS (geo-referenced)

Each Dynatest MFV is customizable with the appropriate combination of technologies based on the end-users pavement data collection goals, needs and objectives.

 

Key benefits of the MFV

  • Operating at traffic speed no need for traffic management
  • Data can be collected 24/7 at speeds up to 62 mph (100 km/h)
  • Rapid evaluation and screening of all sections of the network
  • The crack detection and classification allow rapid and accurate identification of cracks
  • The 3D capability of the LCMS allows for the rating of raveling
  • Surveys in 4m width, producing a continuous image of the pavement surface in a single run
  • Detects cracks as narrow as 1mm
  • Dynatest Rating Module (DRM) allows for manual distress analysis of the pavement surface to be performed quickly
  • Safer measurement procedure for both the operator and the public
  • Collecting IRI, RN, longitudinal and transverse profile, crossfall, gradient, radius of curvature, automated crack data, macro texture etc.

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Get a closer look at the Dynatest MFV

You will be surprised by the high performance

The special Stop & Go function

Dynatest Road Surface Profilers have a feature called “Stop & Go” allows measurements of IRI and RN at all traffic speeds, even at junctions, traffic lights, roundabouts, and short sections. Testing can be carried out under normal circumstances, saving time and money.

Without this, it’s impossible to test pavements less than 150 meters long or areas where speed is reduced. This saves time & money and ensures correct datasets. No need for rubber “banding” and no need for calculating averages.

Read the MFV brochure

See the Multi Functional Vehicle in action - click on the picture!

For many years a manual survey of roadways have been performed, where the long stretches of pavement have been evaluated by eye and often on foot. This method presents safety risks for the person in charge of the evaluation, subjectivity of the evaluated data, and a labor intensive and highly disruptive method.

The Dynatest Multi Functional Vehicle offers an automated road survey method.

The benefits of an automated road functional and condition survey represent a very fact-based and objective method with low safety risk for the person in charge of the evaluation, very little disruption (if any) and with the ability to record much more data than the eye captures.

The automated survey additionally ensures more people have direct access to the data. Furthermore, the data collection software, Dynatest Data Collection,  together with the post data analysis software, Dynatest Explorer, ensure easy access to values such as IRI, RN, and PCI.

The Measurement Parameters using MFV with a Road Surface Profiler

Longitudinal Profile, IRI and Ride Number
The Longitudinal Profile elevation measurements are obtained by using an accelerometer to monitor vertical vehicle body movement, and a laser sensor for measuring the displacement between the vehicle body and the pavement.
Road profile elevation measurements are obtained by summing the vehicle body movement with the appropriate body-road displacement.
Profile measurements in one or both wheel paths are possible.
For the Mark III, if profile elevations are measured in both wheel paths simultaneously, it is also possible to measure profile elevations in the center of the lane, even if only a laser sensor is installed in that position.

Rutting (Mark III only)
With a minimum of five laser sensors, a very simple lane “cross profile” and a simple, separate rut value for each wheel path can be calculated. By adding another two, four, six or more lasers (up to a total of 21), the transverse profile can be defined in greater detail, hence the rutting can be determined more accurately.

Texture
Any or both wheel path laser sensors can be of a texture-capable type employing smaller spot size and higher sampling frequency.

For the Mark III the centerline laser sensor can also be texture-capable. The macrotexture statistics reported are in accordance with the established standard ‘Mean Profile Depth’ (MPD) and Root Mean Square (RMS).

Both statistics are computed continuously and can be reported as close as every 100 mm (4 inches).

Mean Profile Depth is measured according to ASTM E1845-01 “Standard Practice for Calculating Pavement Macrotexture Mean Profile Depth” and ISO/CD 13473-1 “Characterization of Pavement Texture Utilizing Surface Profiles”.

The profiler can also calculate the RMS (Root Mean Square) of the profile trace, which provides additional useful information regarding pavement texture.

Crossfall, Grade, and Radius of Curvature (Mark III only)
By adding an Inertial Motion Sensor (IMS), collection of crossfall, grade, and highway curvature information is possible. The IMS is a microprocessor controlled, self-compensating, three-axis solid-state gyro unit. Crossfall is computed as the slope of a linear regression line through the laser elevation measurements, adjusted for roll information obtained by the gyro. Crossfall is displayed and stored in degrees.

Grade is the longitudinal slope of the lane under test. It is displayed and stored in degrees.
Radius of Curve (km or mile) and Curvature (deg/km or deg/mile) of the lane is determined in the horizontal plane. Turn rate (degrees per second) and the vehicle velocity are the basis for these computations.

Laser Elevations and Accelerations
Raw laser elevation data (height of each laser above the pavement surface) and raw vertical acceleration can be stored at user-specified intervals. Elevations determine the Cross-Profile and are useful for verifying rut measurements or providing data from which to calculate rut depths using alternative procedures.

Faulting
Faulting on jointed concrete pavements can be detected according to “Standard Practice for Estimating Faulting of Concrete Pavements AASHTO Designation: PP39-99”. The RSP field program provides ample flexibility for the user to specify and/or modify the definition of a fault.

 

MFV dirving in a city and measuring

See the Laser Crack Measurement System in action

Longitudinal Profiling and IRI Option
This option enables the capture of longitudinal profile and reporting of IRI, PPF and ERD data using the LCMS-2’s built-in high-precision Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). With this the feature the LCMS-2 is able to capture and report profile and IRI at the precision and bias of an ASTM E950 Class 1 profiler across the entire 4m lane width.

Curvature, Grade and Crossfall Option
This option enables the reporting of longitudinal grade, horizontal crossfall (cross slope), curve super elevation and water entrapment using the LCMS-2’s built-in high-precision Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). Crossfall and water entrapment is calculated and reported according to AASHTO PP 69 (Determining Pavement Deformation Parameters and Cross Slope from Collected Transverse Profiles).

The Multi Functional Vehicle (MFV) using the Dynatest Explorer (DE) software

Dynatest Explorer (DE) is a comprehensive pavement analysis program that can provide the user with a complete overview of the pavement condition.

Dynatest Explorer is primarily used to evaluate the functional pavement condition with data from Dynatest Road Surface Profilers (RSP) or LCMS®.

DE gives you access to all the data, images and distresses acquired during the survey, allowing for visualization, verification, reviewing and reporting of results. Dynatest Explorer provides a long range of export options, including export of distresses to Microsoft Excel and Google Earth. Dynatest Explorer is a Desktop Application, that runs on Microsoft Windows 7,10 and 11 (64-bit).

Distress Rating Module (DRM)
For equipment with a Pavemetrics® Laser Crack Measurement System (LCMS®), the Distress Rating Module (DRM) in Dynatest Explorer can be used for both the automated and manual analysis of 3D and 2D pavement images, while simultaneously being able to see Right of Way (ROW) images and map location.

The Distress Rating Module uses the images from the LCMS® sensors and the distresses identified in the LCMS® data processing will automatically be added to the distress table. Using the tools provided in the Distress Rating Module it is possible to manually identify and classify distresses that may not have been detected in the automatic processing, while also being able to measure and edit the detected distresses.

 

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