Transit bus durability track assessment and validation

The Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (PTI) durability track must handle a variety of vehicles in terms of mass, wheelbase, track width, and designed durability. The track is used to evaluate the service life of transit buses, and it therefore evaluates the entire vehicle. The purpose of the durability testing at PTI is to assess an entire vehicle, including structural integrity. In a constant effort to assess the quality of its programmes, PTI conducted a series of investigations to determine the validity of its track for the intended purpose. The investigations include: (1) a qualitative comparison of the track with other methods and other tracks, (2) a comparison between in-service failures and failures during testing, (3) a comparison of acceleration levels between the actual service environments and the track. Based on these investigations, the authors conclude that the track makes a reasonable approximation of the actual service environment.