Longitudinal profile optimization for roads within an eco-design framework.

Graphical abstract Highlights • A methodology to assess road construction sensitive to road slope for energyor GWP. • A methodology to assess road operations sensitive to road slope for energy and GWP. • An optimization of road construction and operation with respect to the road slope. • An application on a real case which proves the relevance of the methodology. Abstract This paper proposes a methodology to optimize the longitudinal profile of roads according to either an energy consumption or Global Warming Potential (GWP) criterion calculated for both construction and operation phases. For the construction phase assessment, this methodology is based on a earthworks model that computes the geometric differences between the natural terrain and the longitudinal road profile and moreover uses environmental data validated with real experiments. The operation phase is assessed by simulating traffic over a ten-years period. Traffic simulations are based on vehicle dynamic models, also validated with real experiments. The optimization problem is set up in a finite dimensional optimization. A case study illustrates this methodology. By taking into account actual traffic measurements, the optimized profile decreases by 6% the total primary energy consumption and by 8% the GWP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]