Optimization of Platoons’ Lateral Position Based on Damage Estimation

Truck platooning is one of the upcoming paradigm shifts in roadway-traffic patterns. It is defined as a convoy of trucks moving with short distances between them; truck platoons will change the performance of pavements. This change could practically be realized with the emergence of connected and autonomous trucks, which can control their lateral position. In this study, optimal lateral position of truck platoons is defined. Using an efficient algorithm, pavement damage was estimated assuming a probabilistic position of trucks. Four typical pavement cross-sections were used to apply the algorithm-based optimization developed. The pavement sections varied in thickness and stiffness from thick and strong section to thin and weak. The optimization results showed that different schemes can be optimal for the same cross-section. However, most of these optimal schemes disperse the traffic throughout the lane. Compared with normally distributed truck traffic, up to 18% and 50% reduction in rutting and fatigue cracking, respectively, could be achieved when applying an optimized traffic pattern. When compared with a channelized-platoon traffic pattern, the optimized truck traffic shows prospects of reducing rutting and cracking up to 29% and 70%, respectively. Optimal traffic patterns were used to develop simple platoon factors that could be applied to the Illinois Mechanistic Design Method to incorporate truck platooning.