Measurement and analysis of truck transport environment in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Increasing trade in today's global economy requires packaging to be designed to contain, protect and deliver products without damage during transportation and handling. Vibration forces that occur during transportation are one of the most significant causes of damage during shipping. The objective of this study was to quantify and analyse the vibration that occurs during truck transport in Brazil. The study was done using two types of trucks: small local trucks for local metropolitan distribution areas and larger tractor‐trailers for cross‐country transportation. Ten metropolitan areas in different regions of Brazil were selected for 1‐day trips representing normal delivery. These trips encountered varying road surfaces (asphalt, concrete, stone and dirt). The long distance trips were done on highways that were more than 1200 km long. The vertical vibration levels were higher than the lateral and longitudinal levels as expected. A composite power density spectrum of all trips is provided in this paper to simulate truck transport in Brazil using random vibration test methods. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.