An estimation method for pavement weigh-in-motion system with preliminary experiment

Accurately and reliably measuring the gross weight and static load of the axles of moving vehicles, especially trucks, is important for preventing road damage and improving traffic safety and monitoring efficiency. This type of vehicle weight measurement is called “weigh-in-motion” (WIM). The conventional purpose of WIM is solely the estimation of the vehicle gross weight. However, WIM is also valuable for estimating the static axle load and the height of the vehicle’s center of gravity, and possibly additional measurements. In this study, a method based on the averaging principle is proposed for signal processing in WIM systems. A preliminary experimental investigation, which involved two types of motorbikes and a light truck as test vehicles, and miniature plate-type measurement devices built by the authors, is presented. The gross weight and the static load of each axle of the vehicles, which traveled at various speeds up to approximately 40 km/h, are estimated with high accuracy.