Technical information

actual roadway for the purpose of retrieving debris. The following plan of action was

devised.

Plan of Action

• Install and implement a new hydraulic and electronic control system that

exhibits reliable and controllable motion

• Make reasonable structural repairs to the azimuth joint and short arm sections

• Perform the repair with a goal of one year of usable service for the purpose

of evaluating the machine concept

Work on the rebuild of the DRV was conducted at the AHMCT Research Center and the

Caltrans Equipment Service Center. Upon completion of work on the DRV,

demonstrations were given at both the AHMCT Research Center and the Caltrans

Equipment Service Center to gain approval for release for field operational testing and

evaluation (Appendix A). Approval was obtained for release on July 31, 2000. In

addition, AHMCT prepared a complete DRV manual titled, “The Debris Removal

Vehicle Operator’s Manual and Technical Reference” (Appendix B).

The DRV underwent service for the first 1 and ½ months after being delivered to Caltrans

District 8 in San Bernardino. There were several problems with the truck equipment

including the engine brake, fuel sensor, side mirror, and hydraulic hoses. Once the

repairs were completed in mid-September, 2000, the DRV began the field operational

testing and evaluation phase.

Technical support has been provided throughout the DRV’s field testing in order to

successfully evaluate the machine in a real world environment. In addition, observation

of the machine in use has provided an insight into the interaction between the machine

and the roadway and the operator and machine. An evaluation report (Appendix A) was

generated for the DRV which discusses the aforementioned interactions in detail along

with observations about the debris removal process. Included in Appendix A is a

summary of the repairs conducted on the DRV.

2.4 Winter Maintenance Machines

The ASP and Roadview projects have snow plows being field tested in District 2

(Burney) and in District 3 (Kingvale). Support for the plows has been provided in the

field, at the AHMCT facility, and in Flagstaff Arizona. The projects have been

successful and there is significant interest in continuing the testing in these areas. The

operators are enthused with the Roadview interface and have been encouraged with the

improvements implemented over the last few years.

Testing of the snow plows in the three different regions has provided a valuable

diversification in environments to continue research. The Kingvale test section is a wide

section of freeway with several lanes of traffic traveling in the same direction. While

Burney is a two-lane bidirectional highway with closer roadside hazards such as trees.

The section in Burney and in Flagstaff has provided an ideal environment to further