Brake Drum Temperature Rise and Its Influence on Truck Driving Safety in Tunnel Groups Section

Abstract

High risk of braking easily causes more safety accidents. In this paper, the driving experiments on G350 Gengda-Yingxiu section containing continuous downhill tunnel group. Three-axle trucks under standard load and overload conditions were considered. The research proposes a method for ensuring safe truck driving on continuous downhill sections of mountain roads based on the rise in brake drum temperature. The study collects data on brake drum temperature and braking duration from an experimental vehicle under the coupling action of human-vehicle-road-environment. Through comparative analysis, theoretical derivation, and model construction, conclusions are drawn. The results indicate that the rise in brake drum temperature is influenced by the factors such as overload, alignment, road slope, and sections with bright and dark lines. The initial brake drum temperature, operating speed, and total vehicle mass are identified as the main controlling factors for the change in brake drum temperature. The study also demonstrates that water drenching can significantly reduce the rate of brake drum temperature rise, thereby ensuring driving safety. Furthermore, a model is constructed based on the relationship between brake drum temperature rise and various factors, which allows for the calculation of the corresponding safe slope length and average slope gradient. This model can be used for evaluating or designing overall load requirements. The research on brake drum temperature rise characteristics and braking behaviour under drenching conditions provides effective support for route design, traffic management, and the establishment of safety service facilities.