ProVAL. User s Guide Version 2.73

Transcription

1 ProVAL User s Guide Version 2.73

2 ProVAL User s Guide Version 2.73 Manual Revision: 1.30 (2.73) Written by Dr. George K. Chang, P.E.; Mr. Jason C. Dick; and Dr. Robert Otto Rasmussen, P.E. Copyright The Transtec Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The Transtec Group, Inc Balcones Dr., Austin, TX Voice: , FAX: info@roadprofile.com Web: FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page i

3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...2 PROVAL INSTALLATION...2 System Requirements...2 Operating Systems...2 Minimum Hardware...2 Recommended Hardware...3 Runtimes Requirements...3 Microsoft Windows Installer...3 Microsoft.NET Framework Issue with Microsoft Business Contact Manager...3 Installation...3 GENERAL OPERATION...4 Recognized File Types...4 Opening Projects and Profile Files...5 Opening or Creating a Project...5 Importing a Profile...7 Saving a Project...8 Application Options...9 Default Data File Path...9 Excel Path...9 Recent Files...9 Default Analysis...10 Select Analysis to be Enabled...10 Exit ProVAL...11 PROFILE DISPLAY...12 Displaying a Profile...12 Event Markers...14 Point Reset...17 File Properties...17 Profile Properties...18 PROFILE DATA EDITING...18 Profile Data...19 Filters...22 Properties...34 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page ii

4 PROFILE ANALYSIS...37 User-defined Setups...38 Using Point Reset...45 Using Pre-Process Filter and Other Filter Options...46 Export Facilities...47 Export Tabular Results (Grid Data)...47 Export Chart Data...49 Cross-Correlation...52 What is the Cross-Correlation Analysis?...52 How to Set Up the Analysis?...53 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...55 Localized Roughness (TxDOT Method)...58 What is the Localized Roughness (TxDOT Method)?...58 How to Set Up the Analysis?...59 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...59 Power Spectral Density...60 What is Power Spectral Density Analysis?...60 How to Set Up the Analysis?...60 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...61 Precision and Bias (ASTM E 950)...68 What is the ASTM E 950?...68 How to Set Up the Analysis?...69 Profiler Certification...70 What is the Profiler Certification?...70 How to Set Up the Analysis?...70 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...73 Ride Statistics...74 What is the Ride Statistics Analysis?...74 How to Set Up the Analysis?...75 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...75 Ride Statistics at Intervals...76 Ride Statistics Continuous...77 Profilograph Simulation...78 What is Profilograph Simulation?...78 How to Set Up the Analysis?...78 How to Interpret the Analysis Results?...83 Rolling Straightedge Simulation...87 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page iii

5 What is the Rolling Straightedge Simulation?...87 How to Set Up the Analysis?...88 Smoothness Assurance Module...89 What is the Smoothness Assurance Module (SAM)?...89 How to Set Up the Analysis...89 REPORTING Create a Report Export a Report Save a Report Page Setup for a Report Print Preview a Report Print a Report OTHER INFORMATION List of Figures Figure 1: Shows the initial screen after creating a new project...5 Figure 2: New Project...6 Figure 3: Select File to Open...7 Figure 4: Imported File in the Viewer Window...8 Figure 5: Application Options Screen...9 Figure 6: Select the Default Analysis...10 Figure 7: Select the Analyses to be Enabled...11 Figure 8: Selections of Enabled Analysis...11 Figure 9: Main Screen with Left and Right Elevations Selected...12 Figure 10: Zoomed Profile Plot...13 Figure 11: Popup Distance and Elevation at a Specific Point...14 Figure 12: Edit Profile Data Screen...15 Figure 13: Edit Profile Data Screen...16 Figure 14: Event Markers...17 Figure 15: Features in the Profile Data Editing Screen...18 Figure 16: Profile Editor Window - Inputs...19 Figure 17: Profile Editor Window Before Reversal...20 Figure 18: Profile Editor Window After Reversal...21 Figure 19: Profile Editor Window Point Information...21 Figure 20: Profile Editor Window Point Information and Event Marker...22 Figure 21: Profile Filter Window...23 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page iv

6 Figure 22: Profile Filter Window View Option and Save Feature...23 Figure 23: Profile Filter Window Save As...24 Figure 24: Profile Filter Window Filter Selection...25 Figure 25: Butterworth Filter Low-pass example (zoomed)...26 Figure 26: Butterworth Filter Before High-pass Filtering...27 Figure 27: Butterworth Filter After High-pass at 300 Feet...27 Figure 28: Moving-Average Filter Low-pass Example (zoomed)...28 Figure 29: Moving-Average Filter High-pass with 3 ft...29 Figure 30: Moving-Average Filter Band-pass between 3 and 20 Feet...29 Figure 31: Moving-Average Filter Band-pass between 20 and 100 Feet...29 Figure 32: IRI Filter Example...30 Figure 33: PTRN Filter Example...31 Figure 34: PTRN Filter Example Export Chart to File...31 Figure 35: Profile Filter Window Cropping Plot...32 Figure 36: Profile Filter Window Butterworth Bandpass...33 Figure 37: Profile Filtering and Cropping Before...33 Figure 38: Profile Filtering and Cropping After...34 Figure 39: Profile Properties Window...35 Figure 40: Profile Properties meta-data...35 Figure 41: Profile Properties History...36 Figure 42: Input Sets - Menu...39 Figure 43: Input Sets Original Set...40 Figure 44: Input Sets Add a New Input Set...40 Figure 45: Input Sets After Adding a New Input Set and Comments...41 Figure 46: Input Sets Export an Input Set...41 Figure 47: Input Sets Import an Input Set...42 Figure 48: Input Sets After Importing...42 Figure 49: Input Sets Before Setting a New Default...43 Figure 50: Input Sets After Setting a New Default...44 Figure 51: Input Sets the Mouse Right-Click Menu...44 Figure 52: Selections to Export Grid Data...47 Figure 53: Export Grid Data to File Then Paste it to Excel...48 Figure 54: A Dialogue to Export Grid Data to a Text File...48 Figure 55: Export Grid Data to a Text File...49 Figure 56: Export Chart Data to File Selection...50 Figure 57: Export Chart Data to File Dialogue...51 Figure 58: Open Exported CSV File in a Text Editor...51 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page v

7 Figure 59: Open Exported CSV File in Excel...52 Figure 60: Two Measured Profiles Prior to Cross-Correlation Analysis...53 Figure 61: Inputs for the Cross-Correlation Analysis...54 Figure 63: Filtering Settings Selection of Filter Type...54 Figure 64: Filtering Settings Butterworth Band-pass Filter...55 Figure 65: Plot of Two Shifted Profiles based on the Optimum Offset...56 Figure 66: Plot of Two Shifted, Filtered Profiles based on the Optimum Offset...57 Figure 67: Plot of Correlation Coefficient for Two Profiles...58 Figure 68: Location Roughness (Tex-1001-S) Results with a Moving Average Plot...59 Figure 69: Location Roughness (Tex-1001-S) Results with a Deviation Plot...60 Figure 70: Inputs for PSD Analysis...61 Figure 71: Two Measured Profiles prior to PSD Analysis...62 Figure 72: PSD Analysis Results Slope Calculation Option...63 Figure 73: PSD Analysis Results Elevation Calculation Option...64 Figure 74: Slope PSD Analysis Results with Constant Frequency Interval...65 Figure 75: Elevation PSD Analysis Results with Constant Frequency Interval...66 Figure 76: Slope PSD Analysis Results without Frequency Averaging (non-logarithmic scale for Y-axis)67 Figure 77: Slope PSD Analysis Results Octave Band Averaging with IRI filter...68 Figure 78: 10 Profiles in a Profiler Viewer Screen...69 Figure 79: Precision and Bias Analysis Results...70 Figure 80: Inputs for the Profiler Certification...71 Figure 81: Profiler Selector with a Two-channel Reference Profile...71 Figure 82: Profiler Selector with Two One-channel Reference Profiles...71 Figure 83: Profiler Select Warning Duplicate Channels...72 Figure 84: Profiler Select Warning More than Two Reference Files...72 Figure 85: Tooltip to Display Filter Settings...72 Figure 86: Filtering Inputs for the Profiler Certification...73 Figure 87: Repeatability Test Results for Ten Comparison Profiles...74 Figure 88: Accuracy Test Results for Ten Comparison Profiles (both channels)...74 Figure 89: Statistics of Results for the Profiler Certification...74 Figure 90: Analysis Set Up for Ride Statistics...75 Figure 91: Ride Statistics Analysis Results...76 Figure 92: Ride Statistics at Intervals Index Selection...76 Figure 93: Ride Statistics at Intervals Analysis Results Dual Indices...77 Figure 94: Ride Statistics Continuous Results...78 Figure 95: Profilograph Analysis Screen...79 Figure 96: Profilograph Input Screen...80 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page vi

8 Figure 97: Wheel Offsets for Profilograph Simulation...80 Figure 98: A 2-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph...80 Figure 99: A 6-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph...81 Figure 100: A 12-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph...81 Figure 101: Profilograph Input Segment Definition Utility...82 Figure 102: Profilograph Input Add a Constant Segment...82 Figure 103: Profilograph Input Add a Single Segment...82 Figure 104: Profilograph Input Segment Table and Plot...83 Figure 105: Profilograph Output Simulation and Profilograph Indexes...84 Figure 106: Profilograph Output Scallops...85 Figure 107: Profilograph Output Zoomed Scallops Plot (1 of 2)...86 Figure 108: Profilograph Output Zoomed Scallops Plot (2 of 2)...87 Figure 109: Rolling Straightedge Analysis Results...88 Figure 110: Zoomed Rolling Straightedge Analysis Results...89 Figure 111: SAM - Input Window...90 Figure 112: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Continuous Short Interval plus Fixed Interval)...92 Figure 113: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Dual Continuous) Short Interval Plot...93 Figure 114: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Dual Continuous) Long Interval Plot...94 Figure 115: SAM - Ride Quality Spec Results (two plots)...95 Figure 116: Zooming and Scrolling for Plot Comparison...96 Figure 117: SAM Grinding Inputs...97 Figure 118: Grinder Setup...98 Figure 119: SAM Grinding Locations...99 Figure 120: SAM Grinding Strategies Manager Figure 121: SAM Selected Grinding Location Figure 122: SAM Grinding Results (one plot) Figure 123: SAM Grinding Results (one plot) Dual Continuous reports Figure 124: SAM Grinding Results (two plots) Figure 125: Grinding Result - Zooming and Scrolling in Comparison Plots Figure 126: SAM Warnings Figure 127: Report Screen Speed Buttons Figure 128: Report Screen Menu Functions Figure 129: Report Screen part Figure 130: Report Screen part Figure 131: Exported Report in an Excel Worksheet Figure 132: Save a Report to an HTML File Figure 133: Page Setup for Printing FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page vii

9 Figure 134: Preview for Printing Figure 135: Report - Print Screen List of Tables Table 1: Uses of Linear Distance Adjustment and Point Reset...45 Table 2: Uses of Filters FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page viii

10 INTRODUCTION ProVAL is an engineering software application that allows users to view and analyze longitudinal pavement profiles in many different ways. Users can import profiles from various other formats, view them in the Viewer window and save them in the Pavement Profile standard file type (.ppf file extension). If needed, users can edit profile information and manipulate the profiles using the Profile Editor. Entire analysis projects can be saved (.pv2 file extension), which preserves user information and analysis inputs. After analyses have been performed, the user can print a report of the original profile(s) and the results of any analyses desired. The analyses performed by the software include: 4Cross-Correlation, Localized Roughness (TxDOT Method), Power Spectral Density, Precision and Bias (ASTM E 950), Profiler Certification, Ride Statistics at Intervals, Ride Statistics Continuous, Profilograph Simulation, Rolling Straightedge Simulation, Smoothness Assurance Module. PROVAL INSTALLATION System Requirements ProVAL has been developed for computer systems that meet the requirements listed below. Operating Systems ProVAL 2.72 and later - Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2. ProVAL 2.71 and earlier - Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or Windows XP Professional. Minimum Hardware 500 MHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, 30 MB free hard drive space, 17 inch monitor (1024x768 resolution). In addition to the system requirements, you must have sufficient privileges to install applications on your computer. This typically means you must be a member of the administrator's group. If you're not sure, try to install it. If you receive an error message, ask your administrator to install the software for you. If your administrator is also unable to install the software, then please contact us. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 2

11 Recommended Hardware 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 50 MB free hard drive space, 19" monitor (1280x1024 resolution). Runtimes Requirements Microsoft Windows Installer As with many applications, Windows Installer is required to install ProVAL. More than likely you already have it installed, although not necessarily the required version. The recommended method of obtaining Windows Installer is through Windows Update. ProVAL Windows Installer 3.1 ProVAL Windows Installer 2.0 for Windows NT 4 SP 6a and 2000 Microsoft.NET Framework 2.0 ProVAL 2.72 and later will require.net 2.0. The recommended method of obtaining the Framework is through Windows Update. It can also be downloaded directly from Microsoft. Issue with Microsoft Business Contact Manager The Framework is known to cause issues with the Business Contact Manager that is sometimes installed with MS Outlook As far as we know, the fix is to install the Business Contact Manager Update for Outlook This also requires you to install Office 2003 Service Pack 1. This will also install the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine. Installation The following steps outline the installation procedure for ProVAL. Close all running applications, since the installation may need to reboot the computer. Uninstall previous ProVAL versions of the same 'family'. For example, if you are installing 2.72, uninstall 2.70; however, you don't have to uninstall 2.6. Unzip your downloaded ProVAL installation kit to a local folder (e.g., C:\Temp). Execute the installation by double-clicking the installation file. Follow the instructions in the installation application. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 3

12 By default, the ProVAL software will be installed into the: "C:\Program Files\FHWA\ProVAL X.X" (without the quote...where X.X stands for the version of ProVAL you're installing) directory. You may be required to reboot your computer during the installation. If at any time you choose to reboot and the computer does not reboot automatically, please reboot the computer manually. GENERAL OPERATION You can start ProVAL by selecting ProVAL 2.7 from the Programs\FHWA menu with the Windows Start button. Only one copy of the application can be open at a time. The following sections will serve as a guide to using the software. Recognized File Types ProVAL 2.7 recognizes the following file types. The file extension is listed in parentheses after the description: ProVAL 2 Project (pv2) Pavement Profile File (ppf). This is based on the native file specification of ProVAL. It is a very efficient and secure format. The latest ppf specifications can be downloaded from the ProVAL website. ERD (erd) : ProVAL recognizes both text formats, and the two 4-byte floating-point binary formats. Information about the ERD files can be found on the UMTRI website ( ). The profile data and most of the header information are also imported. KJLaw Text files (a*): These files usually end with file extensions such as "a01", "a02", etc. The profile data and most of the header information are also imported. KJLaw Binary files (p*):these files usually end with file extensions such as "p01", "p02", etc. The profile data and most of the header information are also imported. Dynatest RSP File (rsp): These files are generated by the field program of Dynatest Mark II or III (version or above). The rsp event markers can be also imported. RSP with decreasing Stationing can not be imported yet. TxDOT (dat, txt, pro): There are two TxDOT formats. The first uses the extensions, "dat" and "txt". The newer format uses the "pro" extension. The pro event markers can also be imported. Ames File (ldf, adf): These are file formats (adf is newer than ldf) generated by the Ames profiler field programs. The ldf/adf event markers can also be imported. Additional event markers for the lead-in and lead-out locations may be added. It is possible that other file types could be added to the application s importing capability in the future, as manufacturers and software developers make their file specifications available to the FHWA and the ProVAL development team. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 4

13 Opening Projects and Profile Files Projects and files can be opened by various methods. The application will only open one project file at a time, which can be done by selecting the project file in Windows Explorer and either double-clicking the file, or by pressing the Enter key. ERD and PPF files can also be opened in this manner. Any profile recognized by the ProVAL application can be opened or imported into a current project in ProVAL by using the Drag & Drop method, or by right-clicking the file in Windows Explorer and selecting ProVAL 2.7 in the Send To submenu of the pop-up menu. Using any of these methods described in the section will allow multiple files to be opened at once. However, if one or more project files are in the list of files to open, only the first project will be opened. Opening or Creating a Project Select New from the File menu or the toolbar icon to begin a new project. Figure 1: Shows the initial screen after creating a new project FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 5

14 Figure 2: New Project To open a saved project, select Open from the File menu or the toolbar icon. The following screen will appear, shown in Figure 3. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 6

15 Figure 3: Select File to Open Importing a Profile To import a file, the process is similar to opening a project. Any imported file will be inserted into the current project. If there is no current project, a new project will be created. After selecting the file to open, control returns to the main screen, where the newly opened or imported file and its profiles are shown. Figure 4 shows the main screen with an imported file. Select the profiles to view using the checkbox by each profile. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 7

16 Figure 4: Imported File in the Viewer Window Many files and manufacturers make a notation in the file extension regarding the run number of a particular profile in the case of multiple runs of the same section. Although the PPF format does not support this information, the user can easily track run numbers by editing the section name or filename in the file properties area (see the File Properties section below). The number of data points that can be imported into ProVAL will depend on the version of the Windows operating system and the hardware components of the particular computer system. ProVAL has been tested successfully with as many as 1,000,000 data points in a single profile. Saving a Project To save the current project, select Save As or Save from the File menu. Save As is used to give the project a new name, and Save is used to save the project under the current name. It is important to note that the project file does not include all the profiles that were displayed and analyzed by the application. It simply stores the project settings, including the names and locations of any profiles that were displayed or analyzed. In order to send a ProVAL project and profiles to another user, the project file (PV2) and the profile files (PPF) must be provided. When saving imported files, ProVAL automatically converts the information and elevation data to the standard PPF format, and saves the new data in a file with the same name as the original, but with the file extension, "PPF". FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 8

17 Application Options Application options can be defined by selecting Options from the File menu. The options screen will appear, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5: Application Options Screen Default Data File Path This setting allows the default data storage location and search path to be set. By providing a default data storage location (click the button with the folder and magnifier icon to browse the folders), the application will look there first when opening a file. Excel Path This setting allows the default MS Excel location to be set. At start up, the application will look for the location of the Excel executable, then automatically update this settings if found. If not, users can use this tool to set it manually by simply navigating the file browser to the exact location of MS Excel. Otherwise, the speed button and menu selection for Export-to-Excel in the application will be greyed out or disabled. Recent Files This setting sets how many, if at all, recent files are displayed in the File menu of the software. This allows a recently viewed project to be opened quickly, without searching to find the name and location of FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 9

18 the desired project or file. Showing the full path in the recently used files provides additional information regarding the project or file selected. Default Analysis Figure 6: Select the Default Analysis Users can select among the enabled analyses the default analysis to be displayed when the Analysis speed button is clicked. This would give user a quick access to the most frequently used analysis. Select Analysis to be Enabled ProVAL provides the ability to have a convenient look-and-feel for any application such as construction quality assurance (QA). This feature includes a flexible selection to turn on/off each analysis. For example, if used in Construction mode, de-selection of all analyses except the Smoothness Assurance Module (SAM) would allow the contractors to focus on the SAM analysis. On the other hand, experienced users would prefer the Full Analysis mode that all analyses are turned on. Each ProVAL analysis can be turned on or off by checking or checking the check box. Enabled analyses will be available under the Analysis menu. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 10

19 Figure 7: Select the Analyses to be Enabled Figure 8: Selections of Enabled Analysis Combing the above two options, ProVAL can be customized to fit any "mode" of applications. For example, "Construction Mode" or "Full analysis Mode" as stated above. The advantages that can be realized from the mode selection include: improved speed of adoption of ProVAL in the paving industry; avoid confusion due to multiple choices of analyses during construction QC/QA, and improved usability as it focuses only the specific analysis that is to be used in the construction QA. Exit ProVAL To exit the application, select Exit from the File menu. If the project file has changed, the application will ask the user to save the project file. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 11

20 PROFILE DISPLAY Displaying a Profile In Figure 9, both the left and right wheel path profiles of the imported file have been selected. In the Display Units area, the unit system may be changed, as well as the units of the elevation and longitudinal distance. The units selected here will determine the units displayed in the analyses. In Figure 9, the USCS system of units has been selected, with distance in feet and elevation in inches. Also in Figure 9, the filename is shown in the tree view. Figure 9: Main Screen with Left and Right Elevations Selected You may zoom in to view the details of the elevation data. Drag a box around the data to zoom, and the data contained in that box will expand to the extents of the plot. Return to the full extent view by clicking the Default Zoom button in the plot window. An example of this is shown in Figure 10, which is a zoomed portion of the plot (distance is between 0 to 100 ft, while elevation is between 0 to 8 inches) in Figure 9. This feature is available on all plots within the ProVAL software. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 12

21 Figure 10: Zoomed Profile Plot Another aspect of the profile display window, which also occurs in all analysis output plots, is that by moving the mouse cursor over the profile, the distance from the beginning and the elevation of the point are shown in a tool tip, as shown in Figure 11. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 13

22 Figure 11: Popup Distance and Elevation at a Specific Point Any plot throughout the ProVAL application can be copied to the system clipboard and pasted into other Windows applications. To do this, left click on the chart or tab to the chart and select Copy from the Edit menu and then paste the image into another application. This way, profile plots can be used in reports and other documents or presentations. Event Markers The Event Markers feature can be used to define and view event markers for a given profile. Event marker text can be defined by right clicking on a profile in the Profiler Explorer Tree and selecting Edit. This will change the view to the Editor as shown in Figure 13. This menu can also be selected from the Profiles menu at the top of the application. You can enter event marker text for any data location, then click Set Event to make it to take effects. Currently, event markers in the TxDOT (pro), Dynatest (rsp) and Ames (ldf, adf) profile data files can be imported. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 14

23 Figure 12: Edit Profile Data Screen Using the Show Event Markers checkbox, vertical lines will be shown on the plot for the current file selected and highlighted as shown in Figure 14. Each line denotes an event marker defined at a data point. By using the mouse to hover the cursor over the red diamond at the top of each event marker, a tool tip will be displayed, showing the text of the event marker. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 15

24 Figure 13: Edit Profile Data Screen You may also view the profile with event markers turned on or off in the Profile Viewer window. If profiles from multiple files are checked, then only the event markers for current file are shown. The current file is the one highlighted in the profile selector (TreeView) or the file associated with the current profile. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 16

25 Figure 14: Event Markers Point Reset The Point Reset feature can be used to truncate profiles for viewing and analysis. By checking the Use Point Reset checkbox, profiles will be redrawn with the new start and end points (e.g., lead-in and leadout points) defined by the user. These points can be defined by clicking the right mouse button on a profile and selecting Edit. Please see Error! Reference source not found. for details. Some analyses may use these points, if selected by the user. See Using Point Reset for known issues related to Point Reset File Properties File properties can be viewed by right clicking the file in the Files section. A pop-up window will appear with two choices: Edit, Rename, and Remove File. Selecting Remove File will remove the file from the project and all profiles contained in that file. Selecting Rename will all you to edit the title of the file. This is the friendly name of the file. Changing this value will not change the filename. Selecting Edit will switch the view to the Editor, described in the next section. These commands are also available in the Profiles menu. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 17

26 Profile Properties Profile properties can be viewed by right clicking the profile in the Files section. A pop-up window will appear with two choices: Edit, Rename, and Delete Profile. Selecting Delete File will permanently delete the profile from the file. Selecting Rename will all you to edit the title of the profile. Selecting Edit will switch the view to the Editor, described in the next section. These commands are also available in the Profiles menu. PROFILE DATA EDITING The following sub-sections detail the functions within the Editor as seen in Figure 15. Figure 15: Features in the Profile Data Editing Screen FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 18

27 Placed between the Profile Viewer and Analysis windows, the Profiler Editor allows users to perform detailed analyses and to view intermediate results in order to gain confidence in the analyses. This facility can be used to edit profile data properties, filter profiles and view the filtered profile data using various filtering options. There are three major windows for the Profile Editor: Data, Filters, and Properties. Profile Data The Data window contains options to edit profile data. The functionalities of profile data editing include the followings: Figure 16: Profile Editor Window - Inputs The File drop-down (displaying the selection of all available profiles) can be used to select the profile to be edited. Profile length or sample Interval Termed Linear Distance Adjustment in ProVAL 2.6 or earlier, it is now consolidated in the Profile Editor. With this feature, you can either set a new Length or change a Sample Interval. The changes would take effects when clicking the Set Interval button. Therefore, the Length and Sample Interval work as a pair. Offset This feature is used to shift the profile in the distance axis, so that the location of the beginning of a profile w.r.t. the origin or zero distance reference location can be adjusted. For examples, several repeat profile runs of a same road section can be synchronized (distance-wise) by using the Cross Correlation to find the optimum offset then using this feature to set the offset of each comparison profile (w.r.t. a correct profile). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 19

28 Start Point and End Point This tool (formerly called Point Reset in ProVAL 2.6 or earlier) is very useful to set a new Start and/or End points for a shorter section of interest. Unlike Length and Sample Interval inputs, new Start and/or End point can be set independently. When analyzing a very long profile, this tool is very useful to make the ProVAL analysis run more efficiently. Lead-In and Lead-Out Lead-In is defined as the location corresponding to start of the surveyed section, while the Lead-Out, the end of survey section. Therefore, the raw profile data include three sub-sections: lead-in section, surveyed section, and lead-out section. Some agencies require certain lead-in and/or distances for reasons such as minimizing side effects from filtering. Unless Lead-In and Lead-Out values are defined by the imported file (such as with AMES files and the PPF files), the default values will be the first and last data points, respectively. Lead-In and Lead-Out are showed as event markers on plots. The values are used to define the Section Length of the surveyed section. This section of data is currently used by the Cross-Correlation and Profiler Certification analyses, rather than the total length of the profile. Reverse direction With one click on the Reverse button, all the profile traces within the selected profile can be flipped or reversed in the distance direction. This is useful when profile runs were against the traffic direction within limited access areas or due to a long turn-around. Keep clicking the Reverse button would toggle the flipped profiles in either direction (such as the following two figures). Figure 17: Profile Editor Window Before Reversal FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 20

29 Figure 18: Profile Editor Window After Reversal Data point information For each data location, this facility can be use to inspect and edit distance Location, Event marker text, and Elevation data. To add an event marker, simply select the Location and type text into the Event marker field. It would then generate a vertical line marker on the profile chart. A mouse-over action at a data point or an event marker will generate a call-out displaying the point information or event marker text, respectively. To delete an event marker, simply enter the location distance value then delete the event text. Note that any distance value entered in the Location field will be snapped to the closest data point. Though highly discouraged, you may edit the elevation value by overwriting the existing ones in the Elevation fields. Any changes using the above facilities will be recorded in the Properties/History (see the Properties section). Therefore, any modification to the profile data (including profile data edits, filtering and properties information detailed in later sections) will be traceable. Figure 19: Profile Editor Window Point Information FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 21

30 Figure 20: Profile Editor Window Point Information and Event Marker Filters The Filters window contains two different tools: Wavelength Filter and Cropping. The users may either do filtering only, filtering then cropping or simply cropping an unfiltered profile. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 22

31 Figure 21: Profile Filter Window The Filtering only operation requires selection of a filter option and associated setups (such as: cutoff wavelengths). After a successful filtering, users may choose to view the filtered profile with or without the before-filtered profile by checking or un-checking the Show Original Profiles selection. To save the filtered profile, simply click the Save As button. Some text would be added to the title, such as: BWBP stands for Butterworth Band-pass, BWLP stands for Butterworth Low-pass, etc. When the IRI or PTRN filter is used, both the above display and saving options are disabled due to the filtered output unit being in profile slope - incompatible with the original profile elevation. The filtered profile slope, however, can be exported to a CSV file using Edit/Save Chart to File. Figure 22: Profile Filter Window View Option and Save Feature FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 23

32 Figure 23: Profile Filter Window Save As The Filtering then Cropping operation is a two-stage process where the users have a choice after filtering either to save the filtered file to another file or do further cropping then save the filtered/cropped traces to a file. Currently, it is not prevented to filter a profile with either IRI or PTRN filter, crop the filtered slope, and save it to a file (note that the unit in the saved would be in elevation instead of slope). To achieve the desired effect, crop the profile and save it to a file first. Then, filter the cropped file with the IRI or PTRN filter then export the chart to a CSV file. The Cropping only is simply a one-step process by leaving wavelength filter selection to None and selecting the Cropping action with desired cropping setups. Wavelength Filter There are several filters available in the Wavelength Filter window: Butterworth Low-pass: 6 th order bi-directional cascaded Butterworth low-pass filter Butterworth High-pass: 6 th order bi-directional cascaded Butterworth high-pass filter Butterworth Band-pass: the Butterworth high-pass and low-pass filters described above, cascaded Moving Average Low-pass: moving average smoothing filter Moving Average High-pass: moving average anti-smoothing filter Moving Average Band-pass: cascading high-pass and low-pass moving average filters IRI: The filter set used in the calculation of the International Roughness Index (IRI), including the 250-mm moving average, the conversion to slope, and the Quarter-car filter with the Golden-Car parameters PTRN: The filter set used in the calculation of the Ride Number (RN), including the 250- mm moving average, the conversion to slope, and the band-pass filter for frequency weighting. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 24

33 Figure 24: Profile Filter Window Filter Selection The Butterworth Low-pass filter can be used to filter out wavelengths shorter than the Short Cutoff Wavelength. The Butterworth High-pass filter can be used to filter out wavelengths longer than the Long Cutoff Wavelength. The Butterworth Band-pass filter can be used, with desired Short Cutoff Wavelength and Long Cutoff Wavelength, to filter out wavelengths outside of the range of interest. The following is an example of PCCP profile with transverse surface tined textures that is smoothed with the Butterworth Low-pass filter with a short cutoff wavelength of 4 ft. The chart is zoomed in to demonstrate the smoothing effect. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 25

34 Figure 25: Butterworth Filter Low-pass example (zoomed) The following two charts are examples of Rod-and-Level profile - before and after filtering with the Butterworth High-pass filter with a long cutoff wavelength of 300 ft. Note that the original prevailing long wavelength slope is removed after high-pass filtering. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 26

35 Figure 26: Butterworth Filter Before High-pass Filtering Figure 27: Butterworth Filter After High-pass at 300 Feet The Moving-Average filter set is useful for viewing certain profile features. The Moving-Average Lowpass filter is often used as a simple tool to emulate the tire-enveloping effect -- to smooth out shorter wavelength content (such as surface textures) of a profile that do not affect the vehicle response. On the other hand, the Moving-Average High-pass filter can be used to subtract smoothed profile (also called anti-smoothing) to view shorter wavelength content of a profile, such as joint faulting. The Moving- Average Band-pass filter is using both the Moving-Average Low-pass filter and Moving-Average High-pass filter in cascade. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 27

36 Similar to the above Butterworth Low-pass filtering example, the following chart display the profile smoothed by the Moving-Average Low-pass filter with a short cutoff wavelength of 4 ft. Figure 28: Moving-Average Filter Low-pass Example (zoomed) The following three charts are classic examples using the Moving-Average high-pass and band-pass filtering to view different features of a JPCP profile. The first chart is a result after the Moving-Average high-pass at 3 feet that shows the concrete joint features. The second chart shows the curled slab shapes after the Moving-Average band-pass between 3 and 20 feet. Finally, using the Moving-Average band-pass between 20 and 100 feet, all the above shorter wavelength features (joints and slab shapes) disappears and longer wavelength content (such as slope) than 200 feet diminishes. What is left is the longer-duration trend of the pavement. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 28

37 Figure 29: Moving-Average Filter High-pass with 3 ft Figure 30: Moving-Average Filter Band-pass between 3 and 20 Feet Figure 31: Moving-Average Filter Band-pass between 20 and 100 Feet FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 29

38 The IRI and PTRN filters are based on a Quarter-Car model, and use the same filter set as in the calculation of the index, respectively. Unlike the above filters, the IRI and PTRN filters generate profile slopes instead of elevations. The output plot would display filtered slope only without the option to show the raw profile elevations. To export the filtered slopes, simply use the Edit/Export Chart to File menu. The following charts are examples of IRI and PTRN filtered slopes from the original Walking Profiler data in the previous examples. Note the difference between the two charts where PTRN emphasizes shorter wavelength effects. Figure 32: IRI Filter Example FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 30

39 Figure 33: PTRN Filter Example Figure 34: PTRN Filter Example Export Chart to File The above filters would allow users to filter out certain range of profile wavelength (or frequency) content, so that they can focus the analysis on the wavelengths of interest. For examples, users may use the above filters (combining with other ProVAL analysis modules, such as PSD) to evaluate frequency responses of a profiler. When comparing different devices such as inertial profilers with Rod-and-Level or Walking profilers, the above filters can be used accordingly (say, high-pass filter for the latter two inclinometer-based profilers) to compare their profile traces on the same chart for the same wavelengths FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 31

40 of interest. Users, however, can not use these filtering tools to replace those in the Cross-Correlation analysis since the latter requires special treatments during the cross-correlation sweep. Cropping You may use the Start and Stop Location to crop a profile. When the Start and Stop locations do not coincide with the actual start and end of a profile, ProVAL would shade the area on the plot to indicate the cropped sections. Unlike the Set Start and End Point in the Profile Data window, this action would permanently delete data outside of the cropped area. Figure 35: Profile Filter Window Cropping Plot After the Crop button is clicked, a Save As dialogue box will be prompt to enter the new filename for saving. By default, some text would be added to the title, such as: to ft stands for cropped from to ft. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 32

41 Figure 36: Profile Filter Window Butterworth Bandpass Using combination of the Wavelength Filter and Cropping tools would allow users to compare traces by different devices using the same or different lead-ins or lead-outs. Figure 37: Profile Filtering and Cropping Before FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 33

42 Figure 38: Profile Filtering and Cropping After Properties Also known as meta-data, the profile Properties are simply information regarding the profile data: e.g., profiler ID, data collection date, operator s name, roadway description, and etc. ProVAL would do its best to import as much information from the raw profile data but it would be limited unless those information are saved in the ProVAL native profile data format, *.ppf. Users can utilize this facility to inspect and modify the properties. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 34

43 Figure 39: Profile Properties Window There are a set of must-have or non-optional property fields (assigned to a range of tag numbers) that are not allowed to be deleted. However, users may add their own information by using the Add feature and a new tag number (an allowable range of numbers are displayed during addition). Up to 1,024 userdefined items can be added. Then, users can define the name, unit, and value (entry) for the new item. Only user-defined properties can be deleted using the Delete button. Figure 40: Profile Properties meta-data FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 35

44 The Sensor Locations Relative to the Vehicle Center is currently used for information only. The Left Channel and Right Channel would need to be defined if any analyses using both channels are to be performed. Finally, all modifications in the Profile Editor will be stored in the History indicating time and date and contents that were changed. The modification history will be stored in the ProVAL native *.ppf files. The amount of entries in the History is unlimited (technically, only limited by the size of the memory address of a computer). The history will be included in the report along with file properties if selected for printing. This important feature would make any prior changes to a profile transparent, so that any potential disputes regarding manipulation of profile data may be avoided. Figure 41: Profile Properties History FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 36

45 PROFILE ANALYSIS This section describes the analyses and utilities that can be performed by the ProVAL software package. Several utilities can be accessed in each analysis are as follows: User-defined Setups Add, delete, rename, set default, export, import setups that facilitate the analyses. Using Point Reset Set a set of new start and end points for the analyses. It is useful when only a section of interest needs to analyzed. Using Pre-Process Filter and Other Filter Options Pre-process the profiles prior to the analyses using various filters similar to those in the profile Editor. Export Facilities Table results and chart data can be exported using these facilities. The analyses performed by the software include the following: Cross-Correlation The cross-correlation routine takes two profiles representing two runs of the same section taken one after the other and determines the best fit, longitudinally, so that the beginning points of the profiles are the same. The analysis now complies with the algorithm described in the AASHTO PP49 Standard Practice for Certification of Inertial Profiling Systems. Localized Roughness (Tex-1001-S) This analysis identifies localized roughness based on the TxDOT Specification Tex-1001-S. Power Spectral Density (PSD) A power spectral density is a statistical representation of the importance of various wave numbers. It shows the wave number and amplitude of all the component sinusoids that make up the pavement profile. Precision and Bias (ASTM E 950) In order to ascertain the level of precision and bias introduced into the data by a particular profiler, the precision and bias analysis is used with 11 profiles (including a reference profile) of the same pavement section based on the ASTM E 950 specification. Profiler Certification This analysis allows you to select up to 12 profiles for repeatability and accuracy tests, compliant with the AASHTO PP49 Standard Practice for Certification of Inertial Profiling Systems. Profilograph Simulation This analysis simulates the output of a Profilograph device. This type of device is used by many states as a basis for payment after a contractor has completed construction on a stretch of pavement. The output of this analysis is the California Profilograph Index (CPI). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 37

46 Ride Statistics This analysis computes the International Roughness Index (IRI), Pre-transformed Ride Number (PTRN), and Ride Number (RN). Also, when two channels of profiles exist for the left and right wheel path, it will compute the Half-Car Roughness Index (HRI) and the Mean Roughness Index (MRI). The above indexes are analyzed and reported for the entire profile trace. Ride Statistics at Intervals This analysis performs Ride Statistics at user-defined intervals. Ride Statistics Continuous This analysis performs Ride statistics at each data point. Rolling Straightedge Simulation The rolling straightedge computes the maximum vertical deviation from a straightedge of any length (specified by the user) to the surface of the pavement. Smoothness Assurance Module This analysis identifies bumps and provides a grinding simulation. The users may select various grinder models and grinding strategies to optimize the grinding. You can use the Analysis menu to access the analysis portion of the application. If you are not in the Analysis window when selecting an analysis, the Analysis window will be automatically shown. Pressing the Analysis button on the toolbar will switch the view from Viewer or Report to Analysis without changing the current analysis. The units of the analysis results are consistent with the units selected in the Viewer screen. Each Analysis contains a profile selector in the upper left. The profiles selected are independent from the other analyses and the Viewer window. This gives the flexibility to have different profiles selected for different analyses. User-defined Setups This feature allows users to define and save specific settings in compliance with agency specifications. A default setup can be selected for each analysis type, though other named setups can still be accessed from a drop-down selection. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 38

47 Figure 42: Input Sets - Menu While in any analysis window, users can access an input management utility by using the menu Analysis/Input Sets to Import, Export, Add, Default, Rename, and Delete the setup settings for the selected analysis. Once in the Input Sets window, the above functions are available either from the buttons on top of the window or the right-click of the mouse button to display the function selection. While only the current analysis will be expanded in the window, the user is allowed to expand other analyses and work with those input sets. Import: Import a previously exported settings, *.pvi (ProVAL Input Set). Export: Export the current settings to a file, *.pvi. Add: Add a named setting based on the current setup (Notes about the current setup can be stored in the Comments box.) Default: Any available setup can be set as default and displayed in Bold. Rename: Any non-original setup can be renamed. Delete: Any non-original settings can be deleted. Setups that come with ProVAL are marked as Original with a lock icon indicating that it can not be renamed or deleted. To change the setup of any other analysis, simply switch to the selected analysis windows and repeat the above process. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 39

48 Figure 43: Input Sets Original Set To add a new input set for a given analysis: Select the desired analysis, Modify the current inputs to a desired values (note that the Input Set drop down selection for the selected analysis will change to User-defined); Active the Input Sets dialog by selecting the Analysis/Input Sets menu; Click the Add button to prompt for the name of the new input set; Type in desired name for the new input set and click the OK button; A new input set item will be added under the current analysis in the Input Sets window (there will be a blue triangle on the left the input set name that differentiates itself from the Original one marked by a lock symbol); Add description in the Comments field if necessary. Figure 44: Input Sets Add a New Input Set FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 40

49 Figure 45: Input Sets After Adding a New Input Set and Comments To export all input sets: Open the Input Sets dialog by selecting Analysis/Input Sets menu; Click the Export button to prompt for the name of the input set file; Type in desired name for the input set file and click the Save button. The saved file can then be imported later on, say, to a different computer. Figure 46: Input Sets Export an Input Set To import input sets: FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 41

50 Open the Input Sets dialog by selecting Analysis/Input Sets menu; Click the Import button to prompt for the name of the input set file; Select the input set file to be imported and click Open. The imported inputs will then be listed under the appropriate analysis in the Input Set window. If any duplication of input set names occur, the imported one will be tagged as (imported). Figure 47: Input Sets Import an Input Set Figure 48: Input Sets After Importing FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 42

51 To set the default input set for a given analysis: Open the Input Sets dialog by selecting Analysis/Input Sets menu; Select the input set for the desired analysis to be the default and click the Default button. The new default input name will be in bold. Figure 49: Input Sets Before Setting a New Default FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 43

52 Figure 50: Input Sets After Setting a New Default To rename or delete an input set, simply select the input set item in the Input Sets windows and click Rename or Delete, respectively. Again, only non-original input sets can be renamed and deleted. All the above operations using the speed buttons can be also performed using the mouse right-click menu. Figure 51: Input Sets the Mouse Right-Click Menu FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 44

53 When starting an analysis, the users may select a predefined, named setup from an Input Set drop-down selection before proceeding. For example, a selection may include user-defined as well as pre-defined smoothness specifications for PCCP, HMA, profiler specifications, or bridge decks for a given State. The Default setup is initially selected. The report will then include the named settings with the analysis results. The advantages that can be realized from this feature include the following: Customizable settings for any given user, Named settings can be created by DOTs and distributed to their contractors, Time-saving and boost in productivity by using stored, pre-defined settings, and Avoid confusion and potential mistakes due to modification of settings during construction QC/QA operation. Using Point Reset Point Reset can be a very powerful tool in your analysis. However, not all analyses are using this feature due to staged development. Users need to be aware of the limitations stated in this section in order to perform analyses correctly. Point Reset makes use of the start and stop point values of the distances. Point Reset is defined in the Editor. The following Table summaries the current use of Point Reset in each analysis: Table 1: Uses of Linear Distance Adjustment and Point Reset. Analysis Type Point Reset Cross-Correlation Localized Roughness TX Method Power Spectral Density (PSD) Precision and Bias (ASTM E 950) Profiler Certification Profilogragh Ride Statistics Ride Statistics at Interval Ride Statistics Continuous Rolling Straightedge Smoothness Assurance The intent of the current version of Cross-Correlation is to take two entire traces (i.e. no "truncation" is allowed) and find the optimum offset of the comparison trace (you'll need to set one of them as the reference trace, therefore the other selected trace will be the comparison trace) to achieve the best correlation. The users can then use this optimum offset value in the Editor to synchronize the comparison trace with the reference trace for subsequent analyses. Cross-Correlation will use the offset defined in the Editor for the basis profile when displaying charts. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 45

54 For analyses that do not allow use Point Reset, this limitation may be lifted in future upgrades. Using Pre-Process Filter and Other Filter Options Pre-Process Filter or Filter option can be used to pre-process the profile prior to a specific analysis. These filters are a sub-set of the ones used in the profiler Editor window. There are several options to perform Pre-Processor Filter depending on an analysis type: None, IRI filter, Butterworth Low-Pass filter, Butterworth High-Pass filter, Butterworth Band-Pass filter, Moving Average Low-Pass filter, Moving Average High-Pass filter, Moving Average Band-Pass filter. All filtered profiles would be in elevation before proceeding to a specific analysis. An exception is the Cross-correlation where filtered profile slopes are used to prevent longer wavelength content to dominate the cross-correlation computation. A low-pass filter would allow lower frequency content or longer wave lengths (with respect the short cutoff wavelength) to pass through. On the other hand, a high-pass filter would allow higher frequency content or shorter wave lengths (with respect to the long cutoff wavelength) to pass through. A band-pass, as it implies, would allow frequency content in between to pass through. Therefore, a low-pass filter may smooth the profile while a high-pass filter would allow you to examine higher frequency content or shorter wave length stuff. Table 2: Uses of Filters. Analysis Type IRI BW LP BW HP BW BP MV LP MV HP MV BP Cross-Correlation Power Spectral Density (PSD) Profiler Certification Profilogragh Rolling Straightedge * Smoothness Assurance Module** BW Butterworth, MV Moving average, LP low pass, HP High pass, BP band pass. A low-pass Butterworth filter with a cutoff wavelength is currently hard-coded in the Rolling Straightedge analysis. In the Smoothness Assurance Module, BW LP and MV LP/HP/BP are available for the Raw profile for comparison while the comparison Profilograph/Rolling- Straightedge allows only BW LP and MV LP. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 46

55 Export Facilities The export facilities allow users to export any table results or chart data in ProVAL to external files. All tables (except the Profilograph wheel offsets) can be copied to the Windows clipboard and pasted to any other applications. Chart data can be exported to comma delimited (CSV) files that can be imported into other applications, such as spreadsheet programs. Export Tabular Results (Grid Data) Users can select any tabular results by using the mouse to click anywhere within the selected table, then select the file menu Edit/Export/Grid to Clipboard, Grid to Excel, or Grid Data to File (Figure 52). A table does not need to be selected if there is only one table on the screen; the software will automatically select it. If the menu Exdit/Export to Excel is greyed out or disabled, you can use the File/Options/Excel Path tool to set the Excel location if the Excel does exist in your computer. For the selection of Grid to Clipboard, the content within the entire table can then be copied to a temporary storage in Windows memory called clipboard. You can then use the paste function of any Windows application that supports Windows clipboard, e.g., MS Excel, to copy the grid content to a document for further processing or customization. For the selection of Grid to Excel, MS Excel will be automatically launched and the content within the entire table of the specific ProVAL analysis will be exported to a MS Excel file for further processing or customizing the results (Figure 53). This option will, obviously, require a MS Excel application to be installed on the same system. If this selection is greyed out or disabled, use the application s File/Option/Excel Path tool set it manually. For the selection of Grid Data to File, ProVAL will prompt a dialogue (Figure 54) for users to designate a filename to save the table content in a tab delimitated text file. The exported text file (Figure 55) can then be automatically imported to, say, a pavement management system. Figure 52: Selections to Export Grid Data FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 47

56 Figure 53: Export Grid Data to File Then Paste it to Excel Figure 54: A Dialogue to Export Grid Data to a Text File FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 48

57 Figure 55: Export Grid Data to a Text File Export Chart Data Users can select any chart by using the mouse to click anywhere within the selected chart, and then select the file menu Edit/Export/Chart Data to File (Figure 56). The data within the chart can then be saved to a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file with a default name, ProVAL Chart (you can always modify the file name) in the same folder as the ProVAL project file if it exists, otherwise the folder of the last opened file will be used. (see Figure 57) The exported CSV files can be then either viewed in a text editor () or imported a spreadsheet program, such as MS Excel (), to further processing or customizing the results. A chart does not need to be selected if there is only one chart on the screen; the software will automatically select it. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 49

58 Figure 56: Export Chart Data to File Selection FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 50

59 Figure 57: Export Chart Data to File Dialogue Figure 58: Open Exported CSV File in a Text Editor FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 51

60 Figure 59: Open Exported CSV File in Excel Please note that Excel (up to the Excel 2003 version) has a limitation to hold up to 65,536 data points in a given column while the ProVAL data points are only limited by the available computer memory. When reproducing charts in Excel, each Excel chart series has limited to 32,000 data points with ProVAL charts, the number of data points is only limited by the available memory. Cross-Correlation What is the Cross-Correlation Analysis? The Cross-correlation (CC) is a statistical metric to measure correlation between two random signals. A CC value of 100% (or 1.0) indicates the signal pairs are perfectly correlated; 0, no correlation; and -100% (or -1.0), perfect, but negatively correlated. This technique has been proven to be successful to compare pavement profiles for repeatability tests and accuracy tests. When CC is applied to pavement profile comparison, the process would require additional, special treatments (or conditioning) of raw pavement profiles. The conditioning includes: same filtering history for both basis and comparison profiles, interpolate comparison profile to the recording interval of the basis profile (only when the recording intervals are different). Conversion to slope, as a part of the conditioning, is recommended for comparison of large wave bands to make sure the influence of the long wavelength content does not eclipse the influence of the shorter wavelength content. Once the CC rating for comparison pair is obtained based the standard CC formula, the value will then be scaled to consider the ratio of variance of each conditioned profile. This last process is to compensate the CC error when two profiles have exact the same shape but very different amplitude. The analysis is fully compliant with the AASHTO provision standard, PP49, Standard Practice for Certification of Inertial Profiling Systems. The ProVAL cross-correlation analysis uses two profiles of the same section that have been measured at approximately the same time (usually subsequent runs). The starting points of the data in the measured FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 52

61 profiles do not always match. To correct for this, the cross correlation technique can be used to determine the proper offset of the second profile to match the starting point of the first profile. Since the two measured profiles are not exact copies of each other, the software must utilize statistical techniques to determine the optimum offset. Figure 60 shows two measured profiles of the same section, where the starting point is offset by about one foot. Figure 60: Two Measured Profiles Prior to Cross-Correlation Analysis How to Set Up the Analysis? Users may simply use the Original input set that specifies a default maximum offset (currently 5 ft) for the CC sweep tests or change it to any reasonable values, such as 20 ft (see Figure 61). Once users change the default maximum offset value (may be required when manually triggering was used during survey), the input set will switch to User-Defined. The ProVAL CC will shift the comparison trace w.r.t. the basis trace from (maximum offset) to +(maximum offset) in terms of horizontal distances at an increment of the basis sampling interval to compute coefficients of cross-correlation. Next, select the basis and comparison traces in the profile selector (see Figure 61). In the profile selector, channels within the same file are shaded with the same color, to easily differentiate files. The FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 53

62 profile selector also displays the sample interval for each channel and its Section Length (distance between Lead-In and Lead-Out) for informational purposes. The CC module will automatically condition the traces and crop the profile between the lead-in and lead-out for CC analysis as required in the AASHTO PP49. The final column is the pre-processor filter, which can be applied on a per-channel basis. Figure 61: Inputs for the Cross-Correlation Analysis Note that only a pair of traces can be analyzed at a time. Users who are interested in analyzing more than a pair of traces will need to use the Profiler Certification Module instead. The analysis results from the PCM will be more concise and without detailed plots as in the CC module. When a channel is selected, the text in the Filter column will turn into a hyperlink. Just as with Web links, the hyperlink is blue and underlined for familiarity. The text is an easy to understand description of the current filter. For example, None or IRI (with 250mm Filter). Clicking this link will open up the Filter window, where the filter settings can be changed. Figure 62: Filtering Settings Selection of Filter Type You may apply the 250mm moving average filter by clicking the checkbox for Apply 250mm Filter (see in Figure 62) if the raw profile data has not been previously filtered and IRI is selected as the Pre-processor filter. This option should also be unchecked for profile data collected by devices that mechanically prefilter the data (walking devices such as: AARB Walking Profiler, and rolling devices such as: Surpro). There are four (4) options to perform Pre-Processor Filtering: None, IRI filter, Butterworth Band-pass filter, Butterworth low-pass filter, and Butterworth high-pass filter. When the Butterworth low-pass or high-pass filter is selected, the additional input, Cutoff Wavelength, will be needed. If you select the Butterworth band-pass filter, both the Short Cutoff Wavelength and Long Cutoff Wavelength will be needed (see in Figure 63). Once all set, simply click the Analysis button to perform CC analysis. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 54

63 Figure 63: Filtering Settings Butterworth Band-pass Filter How to Interpret the Analysis Results? After performing the cross-correlation analysis, the ProVAL software will report the Maximum Correlation, Relative Offset at Maximum Correlation, and make available three charts. The first chart is the Shifted Profiles chart which shows the two profiles aligned with the appropriate offset (Figure 64), in which case the two profiles would lie approximately on top of each other. The second chart is the Shifted Filtered Profiles chart (), which shows the two profiles aligned with the appropriate offset after the pre-processor filters, re-sampling (if necessary), and convert-to-slope. This chart will only show if a pre-processor filter has been selected for both channels. Finally, the user can select Correlation to view the cross-correlation coefficient at various offsets (Figure 66) used by the software in determining the optimum offset. The cross-correlation coefficient is the best when approaching 100%. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 55

64 Figure 64: Plot of Two Shifted Profiles based on the Optimum Offset FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 56

65 Figure 65: Plot of Two Shifted, Filtered Profiles based on the Optimum Offset FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 57

66 Figure 66: Plot of Correlation Coefficient for Two Profiles Localized Roughness (TxDOT Method) What is the Localized Roughness (TxDOT Method)? This analysis identifies localized roughness (Bumpfinder) based on the TxDOT Specification Tex-1001-S. Profiler and profile measurement requirements for this method are documented in the TxDOT Specification Tex-1001-S. The analysis procedures are as follows: Average each elevation point from the two longitudinal profiles (left and right wheel paths) from a travel lane to produce a single averaged wheel path profile. The single averaged wheel path profile will then be placed on a 25-foot, centered-moving average filter. The difference between the average wheel path profile and the 25-foot moving average filtered profile for every profile point is determined. Deviations greater than 0.15 inches are considered a detected area of localized roughness. Positive deviations are considered as "bumps" and negative ones as "dips". FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 58

67 How to Set Up the Analysis? To perform this analysis, select Localized Roughness (Tex-1001-S) in the Analysis menu. You will need to select profiles from both left and right channels (wheel paths) of a single profile data in order to perform this analysis. Though the Sliding Base Length and Deviation Threshold can be user-defined, it is not recommended. Any input values other than the defaults (25 ft and 0.15 inches, respectively) will not be compliant with the TxDOT Method. How to Interpret the Analysis Results? ProVAL will report "bumps" and "dips" identified with this method in a table as well as a plot (see Figure 67). The table shows the locations or sections where the deviation has exceeded the threshold as well as the deviation value at the midpoint of each identified section. You can select a Plot Type of either Moving Average (as in Figure 67) or Deviation (Figure 68). The Moving Average option will show the single average profile and its moving average, while the Deviation option will allow you to view the deviation from the threshold value. The TxDOT s Ride Quality software has an option to impose a Bump Penalty Gap that defines a distance between the leading edges of consecutive bumps within which a bump penalty will not apply again. This feature is not stated in the Tx-1001-S specification; therefore it is not implemented here. However, the bump penalty gap may be implemented in the future. Figure 67: Location Roughness (Tex-1001-S) Results with a Moving Average Plot FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 59

68 Figure 68: Location Roughness (Tex-1001-S) Results with a Deviation Plot Power Spectral Density What is Power Spectral Density Analysis? The Power Spectral Density (PSD) function of road profiles is a statistical representation of the importance of various wave numbers (or wave lengths). Pavement profiles can be decomposed into series of sinusoids using techniques (such as Fast Fourier Transform or FFT) to show how the variance is distributed over wave numbers. The PSD implementation in ProVAL is similar to the method used by UMTRI researchers with a drift removal technique. How to Set Up the Analysis? The PSD analysis can be performed with different parameters. To perform this analysis, select Power Spectral Density in the Analysis menu. Then choose the type of calculation to perform Elevation or Slope in the PSD Calculation pull-down box. Also, an option to perform 1/N Octave Band frequency averaging is available by using the Octave Bands check box: if checked, an input of Bands Per Octave is needed; if un-checked, an input of Constant Frequency Interval will be used. If the value of Constant Frequency Interval is less than or equal to the narrow band frequency, a narrow band PSD results will be displayed, i.e. no frequency averaging is performed. The narrow band frequency is defined as 1/(sample interval * (M-1)) where M is nearest number of power of 2s that is higher than the number of samples. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 60

69 If frequency averaging is used, the accuracy of expected PSD values is improved but the spatial frequency (wave number) resolution is reduced. If frequency averaging is not used, the opposite is true. To diagnose a problem associated with a profile, frequency averaging is recommended since it would aid the visual inspection of the PSD plot. Figure 69: Inputs for PSD Analysis There are several options to perform Pre-Processor Filtering: none, IRI, Butterworth Band-pass filter, Butterworth low-pass filter, and Butterworth high-pass filter. If the IRI filter is selected, additional input is needed to check or uncheck the 250mm moving average filter that used in the IRI algorithm. When either the Butterworth low-pass or high-pass filter is selected, an additional input of Cutoff Wavelength corresponding to the selected filter will be needed. If you select the Butterworth band-pass filter, both the Short Cutoff Wavelength and Long Cutoff Wavelength will be needed. Please consult the pre-process filter details in the Cross Correlation section. How to Interpret the Analysis Results? As an example, the original profiles plot prior to PSD analysis may look like those in Figure 70. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 61

70 Figure 70: Two Measured Profiles prior to PSD Analysis Depending on the PSD Calculation option you selected, the resulting PSD may be presented as in Figure 71 (slope calculation option with Octave Bands frequency averaging) and Figure 72 (elevation calculation option with Octave Bands frequency averaging). The resulting PSD plot may also be viewed with respect to wave number (default) or wavelength by selecting the desired option in the Plot Versus drop-down box. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 62

71 Figure 71: PSD Analysis Results Slope Calculation Option FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 63

72 Figure 72: PSD Analysis Results Elevation Calculation Option If the Constant Frequency Interval is used, the above two analyses will display PSD in fixed-frequency band fashion as in Figure 73 (PSD slope with constant frequency interval) and Figure 74 (PSD elevation with constant frequency interval). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 64

73 Figure 73: Slope PSD Analysis Results with Constant Frequency Interval FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 65

74 Figure 74: Elevation PSD Analysis Results with Constant Frequency Interval Users may also turn off the logarithmic scale for Y-axis for viewing, such as the following for the slope PSD without frequency averaging. As seen in this plot, a dominating PSD is located at 0.4 cycle/ft in the high wave number range. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 66

75 Figure 75: Slope PSD Analysis Results without Frequency Averaging (nonlogarithmic scale for Y-axis) The Pre-Processor Filter can be very useful to zoom in the wavebands of interest. For example, using the IRI filter may reveal the range of wave lengths (4 ft to 100 ft) that affect IRI as illustrated in Figure 76. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 67

76 Figure 76: Slope PSD Analysis Results Octave Band Averaging with IRI filter Please note that PSD might not be the best tool to analyze signals that are very none stationary or time-varying. In that case, users may resort to other means such as the Hilbert-Huang Transform. Precision and Bias (ASTM E 950) What is the ASTM E 950? The precision and bias analysis based on the ASTM E 950 specification requires at least 11 profiles (including one reference profile measured with a reference profiler such as rod-&-level) along the same pavement section. The ASTM specification also requires that the pavement section be m (1056 ft) long, with the profile measured at increments of m (1 ft). Beginning at 0, and taking 1056 additional measurements, each of the profiles must have 1057 data points. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 68

77 How to Set Up the Analysis? Figure 77 shows 10 profiles in the Profiler Viewer screen. Each profile is the left elevation along the same section of pavement. The units in the precision and bias report may not be consistent with the units selected in the Profiles screen, since the analysis and report is made in metric units only. Figure 77: 10 Profiles in a Profiler Viewer Screen You will need to select at least 11 profiles and specify one as the reference profile by clicking the Set Reference Profile before running the Precision and Bias Analysis. The overall bias and precision values are reported. The classification based on both bias and precision is also given. In the case shown in Figure 78, the profiler used would be considered Class 1 for both precision and bias. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 69

78 Figure 78: Precision and Bias Analysis Results Profiler Certification What is the Profiler Certification? The Profiler Certification analysis includes the functionalities to compare multiple runs of a profiler The re-sampling process required in the (i.e., repeatability test) and compare those repeats AASHTO is automated in ProVAL PCM. with a reference profile (i.e., accuracy test). The Users do not need to match the sampling computation of cross-correlation will be based on the interval of the comparison profiles with that guidelines stated in the AASHTO PP49. AASHTO of the reference profile(s). PP49 Standard Practice for Certification of Inertial Profiling Systems is currently a provision standard for profiler operators and profiler equipment certification. If a reference profile is selected, the sample interval should be less than 2.75 in. How to Set Up the Analysis? Begin by selecting the comparison channels in the profile selector. You may select 3 to 12 comparison profiles and 1 (two-channel) to 2 (one-channel) reference profiles. Selection of a reference profile is only required if you wish to perform the accuracy test. Analysis is at a channel-by-channel basis, as required in AASHTO PP49. In order to keep the analysis tables compact, a Run number is assigned to each comparison file. This Run number will be used identify comparison files in the analysis tables. A Run number will be assigned for each selected Comparison profile sequentially. De-selecting a previously selected comparison profile will clear out the assigned run number. Reselecting a comparison profile and selecting another comparison will assign it a run number that was previously cleared. Using this selection tool, users can effectively select profiles and adjust the selection. A Clear Selections button can also be used to clear the selection so that users can restart selection again. Note that an Excel-type column and row header FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 70

79 highlighter (in orange color) would assist users with the file selection by indicating the row and column for the current cell. Figure 79: Inputs for the Profiler Certification The profile selector lists the available channel types in each profile where the channel type can be set in the Editor. Depending on the availability of channels in the comparison and reference profiles, the PCM will do the following analyses: For the repeatability test, the left channel of a comparison profile will automatically be compared against left channels of the rest comparison profiles, and the same for the right channels. For the accuracy test, left channels of all comparison profiles will automatically be compared against the left channel of the reference profile, and the same for the right channels. For informational purposes, the profile selector also displays the sample interval for each channel and its Section Length (distance between Lead-In and Lead-Out). There are several scenarios for the reference profile selection depending on the number of channels in the comparison profiles and reference profiles. Figure 80 shows the case when both the comparison profile and the reference profile consist of two channels. Figure 81 shows the case when the comparison profile consists of two channels while the reference profile consists of one channel. Therefore, users would need to select two one-channel reference profiles that correspond to left and right channel, respectively, in order to evaluate both channels in one run. Figure 80: Profiler Selector with a Two-channel Reference Profile Figure 81: Profiler Selector with Two One-channel Reference Profiles FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 71

80 To avoid errors for reference profile selection, ProVAL will issue warnings when more than one channel exists in the selected reference profiles (see Figure 82) and when more than two reference profiles are selected (Figure 83). If users ignore these warnings and run the analysis, the accuracy test results will be empty since this analysis will not be performed. Figure 82: Profiler Select Warning Duplicate Channels Figure 83: Profiler Select Warning More than Two Reference Files Another warning is issued when the recording interval of reference profile(s) is greater than 2.75 in. (recommended by AASHTO PP49). However, ProVAL would still provide accuracy test results if users ignore this warning and run the analysis. Two pre-processor filters can be selected: one for the comparison files and one for the reference file(s) (if selected). Therefore, the pre-process filter can be applied. Clicking the Reference Filter or Comparison Filter buttons will open up the Filter window, where the filter settings can be changed. Hovering the mouse over either button will show a tooltip that gives an easy to understand description of the current filter. For example, None or IRI (with 250mm Filter). Figure 84: Tooltip to Display Filter Settings FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 72

81 Figure 85: Filtering Inputs for the Profiler Certification You may apply the 250mm moving average filter by clicking the checkbox for Apply 250mm Filter if the raw profile data has not been previously filtered and IRI is selected as the Pre-processor filter. There are four (4) options to perform Pre-Processor Filtering: None, IRI filter, Butterworth Band-pass filter, Butterworth low-pass filter, and Butterworth high-pass filter. When the Butterworth low-pass or highpass filter is selected, the additional input, Cutoff Wavelength, will be needed. If you select the Butterworth band-pass filter, both the Short Cutoff Wavelength and Long Cutoff Wavelength will be needed. Once all inputs are ready, you simply click the Analysis button to perform the analysis. This analysis consists of many cross correlation analyses and it take awhile depending on the number of comparison and reference profiles, their sampling intervals, maximum offsets, prefiltering options, and of course, your computer speed. How to Interpret the Analysis Results? Three sets of analysis results are provided. Repeatability will display two grids for each channel. If only Left or Right channel comparisons were made, there will only be two grids. If both channels have comparisons, there will be four grids. The first grid, Correlations, shows the correlation between each combination of profiles. To prevent display of duplicate results, combinations already displayed will show a dash, -. For example, if a value is shown for 2 vs. 3, a dash will be shown for 3 vs. 2. Invalid combinations, such as 3 vs. 3, will also show a dash. Correlation values which fail to meet the Repeatability Passing Score will be marked in bold. The second grid, Offsets, will display the offset for the comparison at the maximum correlation displayed in the Correlations grid. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 73

82 Figure 86: Repeatability Test Results for Ten Comparison Profiles If a Reference profile was selected, the Accuracy table will show the correlation between the comparison profile and reference profile for the Left and Right channels, whichever is present. Correlation values which fail to meet the Accuracy Passing Score will be marked in bold. Figure 87: Accuracy Test Results for Ten Comparison Profiles (both channels) Statistics for the Repeatability and Accuracy test are grouped together on the Statistics tab. One statistic in particular to note is the Grade. If the Mean score is less than the Passing Score input, the Grade will be Failed, otherwise it will be Passed. For example, if the Mean score for Left channel Repeatability test is 93 and the Repeatability Passing Score input is 92, the Grade will be Passed. Figure 88: Statistics of Results for the Profiler Certification Ride Statistics What is the Ride Statistics Analysis? The Ride Statistics Analysis will allow you to perform common ride index analysis such as follows: IRI : International Roughness Index PTRN : Pre-transformed Ride Number RN : Ride Number MRI : Mean Roughness Index HRI : Half-Car Roughness Index. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 74

83 How to Set Up the Analysis? You may apply the 250mm moving average filter by clicking the checkbox for Apply 250mm Filter if the raw profile data has not been previously filtered. Use Point Reset can be applied if you have defined a new set of beginning and ending point in the Profile Editing window. Figure 89: Analysis Set Up for Ride Statistics You can perform a ride statistics analysis by selecting Ride Statistics from the Analysis menu and pressing the Analyze button. The results of this analysis are shown in Figure 90. How to Interpret the Analysis Results? Profile data from the K.J. Law, Inc., digital profilometers include a 12-inch (305mm) moving average; therefore the 250-mm moving average filter in the ProVAL software should not be applied. For other data, please consult your profiler manufacturers when in doubt. It is straight forward! As seen in Figure 90, for each file in the Files section of the Profiles screen, one line of output is generated, giving the HRI and MRI values for the two profiles contained in the file, if applicable. For each profile in the Profiles section of the Profiles screen, one line of output is also generated. The profiles that were selected are analyzed, and the IRI, PTRN, and RN are given on that line of data. The title Track Run E1 indicates the file in the Profiles section of the Profiles screen, and the titles LElev. and RElev. indicate the profiles contained in that file. If two elevations are selected, the HRI and MRI will be calculated. If not, these are left blank. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 75

84 Figure 90: Ride Statistics Analysis Results Ride Statistics at Intervals Similar to the Ride Statistics analysis, this type of analysis reports the same information at intervals specified by the user using the input, Segment Length. However, only one file can be analyzed at a time. But users will have an option to select a ride index or indices combination for the analysis and report (Figure 91). In the output table, the profiles are across the top of the table, and the intervals run down the left side. As shown in Figure 92 (as an example by selecting IRI and HRI as the reporting indices), the IRIs are calculated for each interval of each channel in a profile, and the HRIs are calculated for both channels. Figure 91: Ride Statistics at Intervals Index Selection FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 76

85 Figure 92: Ride Statistics at Intervals Analysis Results Dual Indices Ride Statistics Continuous Similar to the Ride Statistics analysis, this type of analysis computes the same information at each data point. Only one profile trace for a selected index type can be analyzed at a given time. Similar to the Localized Roughness Analysis, a threshold of value of a given index can be defined by the user. Then, the sections where the rectified and smoothed roughness indexes (moving average based on the Sliding Base Length) have exceeded the Threshold value as well as the maximum (or minimum, for RN) index value within each identified section will be reported in a table as shown in Figure 93. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 77

86 Figure 93: Ride Statistics Continuous Results Also, a plot of continuous plot for rectified indexes is displayed. Profilograph Simulation What is Profilograph Simulation? The Profilograph simulation emulates Profilograph traces (such as California Profilograph) from true profiles collected using inertial profilers or other devices that are capable doing so. Profilograph indexes are computed and scallops can be identified and viewed graphically. How to Set Up the Analysis? The Profilograph module would only analyze true profile data. Users cannot import data collected by Profilograph devices directly to ProVAL. The Profilograph analysis consists of three tab windows: Inputs, Simulation, and Scallops. The Input screen allows users to perform simulation setup, segment definition, and defective template. The Simulation screen displays the simulated Profilograph traces and computed Profilograph indexes. The Scallops holds scallops information in tabular and graphical forms. The Scallop is defined as an FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 78

87 excursion of the surface record above or below the blanking band. Multiple traces are allowable for this analysis. Figure 94: Profilograph Analysis Screen Input - The first step is to set the input values required by the particular use of this analysis. In the Input area, the following information is necessary to detect scallops and compute Profilograph indexes: Blanking band width, Minimum scallop width, Minimum scallop height, Scallop rounding increment, The blanking band and scallop information should be contained in standard specifications developed for such an analysis. The Wavelength filter is supplied to emulate tire-enveloping. Currently, there are two types of filters available for this analysis: Butterworth Low-pass filter and moving average filter. If any filter other than None is selected, the users will need to specify a Short Cutoff Wavelength. The wavelength filter is set and applied to each file independently. If you set it for any of the traces under the same file, the settings would be applied to the rest traces of the same file. This feature would allow users to compare data collected by different devices (e.g. inertial profilers vs. walking profilers) that require different filtering options. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 79

88 Figure 95: Profilograph Input Screen Users can select either Raw Profilograph Index or Rounded Profilograph Index for the reporting. The latter is often used by State agencies but not explicitly specified. By clicking the Wheel Offsets, you can specify the following (as seen in Figure 96): Number of wheel offsets (equal to half the total number of wheels), and Wheel offsets. Figure 96: Wheel Offsets for Profilograph Simulation The values for the number of wheel offsets and their values have been preset based on a standard California Profilograph. However, the wheel configuration can be user-defined. Example of a 2-wheel, a 6-wheel and a 12-wheel model is illustrated in Figure 99. Figure 97: A 2-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 80

89 Figure 98: A 6-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph Figure 99: A 12-Wheel Configuration of Profilograph The segments can be defined by using several utility buttons as seen in the following figure: Add Multiple, Add Single, Clear All, and Remove. Add Multiple allows you to define the segments using a constant length, while Add Single would allow you to add single segment. Clear All is a speedy way to clear all segments defined, while Remove is used to remove only a specific segment (highlighted by an orange arrow at the left side of the row when you navigate the segment table). Also, you may select the distant unit for the display by overwriting the one defined in the distant unit in the Profile Viewer screen (but in the same unit system, either SI or USCS). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 81

90 Figure 100: Profilograph Input Segment Definition Utility Figure 101: Profilograph Input Add a Constant Segment Figure 102: Profilograph Input Add a Single Segment For example, after specifying a constant length and clicking OK from the above screen, the segments table and a plot will be updated such as the followings: FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 82

91 Figure 103: Profilograph Input Segment Table and Plot You can also zoom in, zoom out, and scroll the simulated Profilograph trace using the mouse and the bottom scroll bar that similar to the SAM plots. This feature is also available in the Simulation and Scallops windows. Once the above steps are complete, simply click the Analyze button to perform analysis. Once analysis is complete, the Analyze button will be greyed-out and you may switch to the Simulation and Scallops screens to examine the results. How to Interpret the Analysis Results? Simulation Screen This screen holds the results of Profilograph Indexes and simulated Profilograph traces (see the following screenshot). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 83

92 Figure 104: Profilograph Output Simulation and Profilograph Indexes The selected Profilograph indexes (either raw or rounded) for each segment are reported in a tabular form. If both channels are selected for analysis, average indices from both channels will also be included. If multiple traces are used, all results will be displayed side-by-side (i.e., following the same segment definition). Simulated Profilograph traces are displayed in the plot at the bottom of the Simulation screen with segment delineation in vertical lines. Both the tabular results (grid data) and the simulated trace (chart data) can be exported using the Edit/Export/Grid to Clipboard or Grid to File, or Chart to File functions. Scallops This screen contains a scallops table and the corresponding plot (see Figure 105) FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 84

93 Figure 105: Profilograph Output Scallops You may select a specific trace from the Channel drop down box. You may also select to display either all scallops, up-scallops only, or down-scallops only in the scallops table. The table shows location (from/to), type (up/down), and maximum height (in excess of blanking band) for each scallop. You may also zoom in the plot to examine scallops. The next screenshot is a close look by zooming: distance from 0 to 1100 feet, elevation 0.2 to -0.2 inches. Note that in this plot, the blanking bands are drawn at a segment-by-segment basis and they are de-trended (using a least-square technique) locally. There are 2 up-scallops and a down-scallop (in thick, red lines) but other smaller scallops are ignored due to the minimum scallop height/width requirements. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 85

94 Figure 106: Profilograph Output Zoomed Scallops Plot (1 of 2) Further zooming to between 200 and 350 ft, you will then see individual scallops very clearly with respect to blanking band. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 86

95 Figure 107: Profilograph Output Zoomed Scallops Plot (2 of 2) Currently there are no standards to define scallops that extend beyond either end of the profile (Type I partial scallops) and those spanned into two neighboring segments (type II partial scallops). ProVAL assumes the above partial scallops need to be at least 1/3 of the minimum scallop width and at least the full minimum scallop height. Scallop heights from Type I partial scallops at the beginning and end of profiles, if present, are included in the Profilograph index computation for the first and last segments, respectively. However, only the larger value of the Type II scallops from either side of the segment border is included in the Profilograph index computation for the segment it belongs to. Due to the blanking bands are making the use of least-square fitting techniques at a segment-by-segment basis, Type II scallops may only occur at one side of the segment border, especially when aggressive vertical curves present. Rolling Straightedge Simulation What is the Rolling Straightedge Simulation? The rolling straightedge simulation simulates the rolling straightedge measurement from profiles collected using inertial profilers. It can determine the vertical deviation between the center of the straightedge and the profile for every increment in the profile data. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 87

96 How to Set Up the Analysis? First the length of the straightedge to be simulated must be entered in the Input area. Then press the Analyze button. A plot then appears showing straightedge deviation versus distance, as shown in Figure 108. Also, the root mean squared vertical acceleration value for each profile analyzed is calculated. Figure 108: Rolling Straightedge Analysis Results. Figure 109 shows the zoom capability of the software. By dragging a zoom box inside the plot, the data enclosed by the box can be zoomed to the extents of the plot window. Figure 109 shows the rolling straightedge analysis results from about 1700 to 2000 feet from the beginning of the profile. The view can be returned to show the full extents by clicking the Default Zoom button in the plot window. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 88

97 Figure 109: Zoomed Rolling Straightedge Analysis Results Current Rolling Straightedge simulation includes a hard-coded Butterworth low pass pre-process filter with a cutoff wavelength of 0.6 m (1.97ft). Smoothness Assurance Module What is the Smoothness Assurance Module (SAM)? The Smoothness Assurance Module can be used to optimize grinding strategies by analyzing measurements from profiles collected using inertial profilers. It can determine the out-of-spec locations and recommend must-grind locations. It also provides very flexible user-defined grinding strategies. A comprehensive report can then be generated to include ride quality reports before and after grinding. How to Set Up the Analysis The Smoothness Assurance Module consists of five screens as follows: Inputs: Inputs necessary to run the Smoothness Assurance Module analysis. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 89

98 Analysis: Displays the ride quality specification results and hot-spots. Grinding: Inputs necessary to setup the grinding simulation. Grinding Results: Shows the grinding results. Warnings: Warns users about possible problems with the profile data. The first two screens are for the ride quality report while the third and fourth screens are for the grinding simulation. The final screen, Warnings, is optional. Users may select to skip the grinding simulation and simply perform ride quality analysis. The report will only include the sections of the analysis that were used. Inputs Window The inputs window is shown in Figure 110. Figure 110: SAM - Input Window Smoothness Specification Inputs These inputs are related to ride quality specifications. Users may select a desired Ride Quality Index (options include IRI, HRI, MRI, PTRN, RN, and Averaged RN) for the analysis. The input for the Ride Quality Threshold, and the corresponding Continuous Short Interval (recommended between 25 and 50 feet), will be used to identify hot-spot or out-of-spec sections in a continuous roughness report. There is an option for producing the overall ride quality report: Fixed Interval Report or Continuous Long Interval Report. The Fixed Interval input (normally 528 feet or one-tenth miles) is used to produce a fixed interval roughness report. If Continuous Long Interval Report FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 90

99 is selected, two more inputs are required Ride Quality Threshold and its corresponding Continuous Long Interval. Caution should be taken to ensure that the profile requirements for each ride quality index are met. For IRI and HRI, it is recommended to have a profile sampling interval less than 3 inches and the profiler device to be valid in the wavelengths between 4 and 120 feet. For RN, the sampling interval should be less than 2 inches and the profiler device should be valid in the wavelengths between 1 and 50 feet. Profile Selection and Adjustment Inputs These inputs are related to profile selection and resetting the start and end points for the analysis. Users may use the File drop-down box to select a single profile data (all imported profiles from the profile viewer window are available) for the analysis. If the Ride Quality Index selected in the above input section is HRI, the Channel drop-down input will be disabled (i.e. both left and right channel will be used in the analysis). Otherwise, users will need to select one of the available channels for the sequent analysis. Use Point Reset is the same as in other analyses to enable lead-in and lead-out assignments. Apply 250mm Filter is used for those profiles that have not been previously filtered using a moving average technique in order to produce ride statistics. By clicking the Adjustments button, it will display the Profile Data Editing screen same as that in Profile Viewer window. Please be aware that you will need to re-run other analyses if you make any adjustments to the profile data. Histogram Inputs These inputs are used to produce a Histogram from the fixed interval roughness report. Users will need to specify the Upper Bound, Lower Bound, and Class Interval. The Upper Bound and Lower Bound are used to limit the reporting range. The Class Interval will be used as the step to count frequencies of occurrence (i.e. sections). Please note that the first and the last steps are semi-infinite to include all occurrences. The Ride Quality Threshold value from the Smoothness Specification Inputs will be used to compute the percentage of pavement sections that are out-of-spec. Comparison Inputs There are 4 options in the Analysis Type drop-down box: None, Raw Profile, Profilograph, and Rolling Straightedge. By selecting options other than None in the Analysis Type, ProVAL will display the corresponding trace side-by-side with the roughness report. Otherwise, the simulation will not be performed and no side-by-side comparison will be produced. By selecting Profilograph or Rolling Straightedge in the Analysis Type, ProVAL will simulate the trace for the selected device (from the profile measured by an inertial profiler). There is a Filter input for Raw Profile that offers the following options: None, Butterworth Low-pass filter, Moving Average Low-pass, Moving Average High-pass, and Moving Average Band-pass. There is also a Filter input for both Profilograph and Rolling Straightedge that offers the following options: None, Butterworth lowpass filter and Moving Average Low-pass. If a filter option other than None is selected, users will then need to specify a Short Cutoff Wavelength (low-pass and band-pass) and Long Cutoff Wavelength (high-pass and band-pass) for the selected filter. If Profilograph is selected, the Profilograph wheel offsets need to be defined by clicking the Wheel Offsets button. A dialog screen will then pop up to aid users input. Please refer to the standalone Profilograph analysis for details about the wheel offset inputs. If Rolling Straightedge is selected, the Straightedge Wheelbase needs to be specified. Analysis Window The Analysis window shows the ride quality spec report along with one or two plots. Depending on what you select for the overall ride quality report, this window will display either (1) Continuous Short Interval report with Fixed Interval Report or (2) Dual-Continuous reports (i.e., Continuous Short and Long Interval Reports). (1) Continuous Short Interval report with Fixed Interval Report There are three tabular reports. On top left, Continuous Report Defective Segments shows the sections that are over the threshold value (specified in Smoothness Specification Inputs of the Input window) and their maximum values (or minimum, for RN) within these sections. Immediately beneath the previous report is the Histogram (Continuous) report that contains the histogram from the continuous FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 91

100 roughness analysis. This histogram defines the percentage of the job that falls within each roughness range of interest. These percentages may be weighed against an incentive pay schedule to calculate the overall bonus or penalty. A % Pavement Out-of-Spec is also reported to indicate those that are over the Ride Quality Threshold. Finally, the last table at the bottom is the Fixed Report which shows roughness values for all fixed-length sections. Figure 111: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Continuous Short Interval plus Fixed Interval) (2) Dual-Continuous reports (i.e., Continuous Short and Long Interval Reports) Dual Continuous Reports are simply two continuous roughness reports based on a short and a long interval. Therefore, two sets of tables showing defective segments and the histogram are displayed for both criteria. The users have also an option to switch the continuous roughness plot between the short interval or long interval by clicking the button in the upper right corner. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 92

101 Figure 112: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Dual Continuous) Short Interval Plot FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 93

102 Figure 113: SAM - Ride Quality Reports (Dual Continuous) Long Interval Plot There may be one (e.g. Figure 111) or two plots (Figure 114) on the right of the screen depending on the option selected in the Comparison analysis in the Input window. The Continuous Roughness plot is displayed with the threshold value plotted as a horizontal line in red. If Raw Profile, Profilograph or Rolling Straightedge is selected in the Comparison Input window, a corresponding trace will be plotted side-by-side with the above continuous roughness plot. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 94

103 Figure 114: SAM - Ride Quality Spec Results (two plots) Users can also take advantage of the synchronized zooming and scrolling when comparing the plots. Both plots will be zoomed into the same x-axis range while the y-axis range remains fixed. The scroll bar will then be activated at the bottom of the screen for users to scroll both plots horizontally and simultaneously. To zoom out to the entire trace, simply click Default Zoom at the right end of the scroll bar. This is particularly helpful for experienced users to fine tune the grinding locations. For example, Figure 115 is a zoomed view between 4,000 and 5,000 ft from Figure 114. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 95

104 Grinding Window Figure 115: Zooming and Scrolling for Plot Comparison The Grinding input window is shown in Figure 116. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 96

105 Figure 116: SAM Grinding Inputs First, users may define the grinder parameters to be simulated in the Grinder frame at the upper right. You may select a grinder mode from the Grinder Type drop down box: User-defined, 18-foot Wheelbase, 25-foot Wheelbase are available. For User-defined grinder, additional inputs will be needed: Head Position, Wheelbase, Tandem Spread, and Short Wavelength Cutoff. For 18-foot Wheelbase and 25-foot Wheelbase, the above inputs are fixed and not editable. The Head Position is defined as the front tandem center to the grinding head divided by the wheelbase. The Wheelbase is distance between tandem centers. The Tandem Spread is the distance between tandem wheel centers. The Short Wavelength Cutoff is used in a low-pass filter (currently, moving average) during grinding simulation to emulate tire-enveloping. For any grinder selection, the Maximum Grinding Depth is currently used only to issue deep grinding in the Warnings window where this value is exceeded in the grinding simulation. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 97

106 Figure 117: Grinder Setup The Grinding Strategies (Figure 118), the associated speed buttons, and the Selected Grinding Location (Figure 120) can be used to define any grinding sections and grinding setups (starting and end points, head height, and directions). The users can either select Default or One Grind from the drop down box. If Default is selected, the program will provide users a list of optimal grinding locations determined by the software. However, it is recommended that users fine-tune the list manually to suit their needs. One Grind is used to define a single grind location to cover the entire length. While it sounds unrealistic, it is a powerful tool for experienced users to determine must-grind locations. Enable All and Disable All buttons are simply utilities to turn on or turn off the Enable field for all grinding locations that listed in the Grinding Locations table. Within the Grinding Locations table, the users can navigate to any grinding location and an indicator (a triangle with highlighted background) will point to the active location. The user may then use the Selected Grinding Location frame to edit the grinding setup for the active grinding location. The Default and One Grind strategies are not directly editable. However, the user may make editable copies of these strategies using the Grinding Strategies Manager discussed below. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 98

107 Figure 118: SAM Grinding Locations The users can use the Grinding Strategies Manager to manage multiple grinding strategies. By clicking the Strategies button, a window such as in the following screenshot will pop-up to allow users to copy, rename, and remove strategies. Therefore, multiple strategies can be stored. Please note that only the active strategy will be used for analysis and reporting. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 99

108 Figure 119: SAM Grinding Strategies Manager For each Selected Grinding Location, users may decide whether to grind it or not by selecting or unselecting the Enable checkbox. Users can also define the Start and End Points, Head Height of the grinder, and Direction. The Head Height of the grinder is relative to the datum formed by the mid-points of the front wheel set and rear wheel set. There are several options for the Direction definition: forward, reverse, forward-forward, reverse-reverse, forward-then-reverse, and reverse-then-forward (the first two are for one-pass grinding and rest are for two-pass grinding). Users may cycle through those options to achieve the best grinding effects. Figure 120: SAM Selected Grinding Location Grinding Results Window As seen in the following figure, a typical grinding result includes 3 tables and at least one plot. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 100

109 Figure 121: SAM Grinding Results (one plot) The above screen is for the report when Fixed Interval Report is selected. If Continuous Long Interval report is selected, the screen should look like the following: FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 101

110 Figure 122: SAM Grinding Results (one plot) Dual Continuous reports Uses may switch between Continuous Short Interval plot and Long Interval plot by clicking the button at the upper right corner. The top continuous roughness profile plot is the default while the bottom plot is optional. If users select None, only one plot will be displayed for the continuous roughness profiles before and after grinding (e.g. Figure 121). If users select Profilograph or Rolling Straightedge in Comparison/Analysis Type of the Input screen, the bottom plot will display the corresponding simulated trace (e.g. Figure 123); if Raw Profile is selected, both the raw profile (before grinding) and simulated profile (after grinding) will be displayed. Please note that the raw profile may be filtered if the corresponding filter option is selected. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 102

111 Figure 123: SAM Grinding Results (two plots) The Continuous Report Defective Segment Report, Histogram Report, and Fixed Report are similar to those in the Ride Quality Specification Analysis except the results here are for those after grinding. Comparing the example of before vs. after grinding results in Figure 111 and Figure 121, it can be seen that the percentage of Pavement Out-of-Spec has improved from 3.3% to 1.6% by using the default grinding locations. A more detailed side-by-side comparison is provided in the Report section. The users can also take advantage of the synchronized zooming and scrolling when comparing the plots. Both plots will be zoomed into the same x-axis range while the y-axis range remains fixed. The scroll bar will then be activated at the bottom of the screen for users to scroll both plots horizontally and simultaneously. To zoom out to the entire trace, simply click Default Zoom at the right end of the scroll bar. It will be helpful for experienced users to fine tune the grinding locations. Figure 124 is a zoomed section (4,000 to 5,000 feet) from Figure 124. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 103

112 Figure 124: Grinding Result - Zooming and Scrolling in Comparison Plots Warnings Window The Warnings window is used to check whether there are any potential errors in the profile data or during analysis. After clicking the Check for Warnings button, ProVAL will check for several possible problems and display the results in a table. The table shows the channel of profile data, the locations, and the warning types (see below). FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 104

113 Figure 125: SAM Warnings The warning types consist of the following: Spikes : Possible problems identified by anti-smoothing technique the baselength for the anti-smoothing is set to be the greater of 0.3 meters or 5 times the sampling interval and the threshold is set to be 5 mm, High Straightedge Response: possible problems associated with high Rolling Straightedge responses a 3 meter (9.8 feet) wheelbase is used with high and low response thresholds (for detecting Bumps and Dips) are set to be 3 mm and -5 mm, respectively, Extreme Roughness: possible problems with extremely high roughness values the threshold is set to be 5 times the average roughness value, Deep Grinding: when grinding depth exceeds the maximum grinding depth value specified in the Grinder setup frame of the Grinding screen. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 105

114 REPORTING After performing the analyses desired, press the Report speed button or to go to the reporting screen. In the Report screen, there are four speed buttons on the top of the screen: Create, Export, Save, Print. The Create button allows users to generate reports based on the selections on this screen. The Export button will launch MS Excel and export the generated report to an Excel spreadsheet. The Save allows the generated report to be saved into an HTML file. If the Export button or the menu Report/Export to Excel is greyed out or disabled, you can use the File/Options/Excel Path tool to set the Excel location if the Excel does exist in your computer. The Print button, of course, will print the generate report to an available printer. Figure 126: Report Screen Speed Buttons There are also menu functions equivalent to the above speed buttons. In addition, there are also functions to perform page setup and print preview, etc. (see Figure 127) Figure 127: Report Screen Menu Functions Create a Report There are also various selections to create a report: Show Viewer Chart: The profile chart can be included in the report if this option is checked, otherwise leave it unchecked. Analyses to Print: Under this title is a box in which the specific reports to be printed can be selected. The only choices in this box are those analyses that have been performed during the current session. Check each analysis to be printed. File to Print: The profile data properties or information associated with the profiles can be included in the report by checking the profiles under this sub-screen. After the above selections are made, you can generate the report by either clicking the Create speed button or select Create Report from the Report menu. In the large window to the right, the report will appear. The following figure shows a sample report screen that includes the portion with a profile chart. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 106

115 Figure 128: Report Screen part 1 The next screenshot displays a portion of the report that includes the profile properties and analysis results. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 107

116 Figure 129: Report Screen part 2 FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 108

117 Export a Report After the report is generated using the Create button, you may export it to MS Excel by clicking the Export button. The MS Excel program, if available in the same system, will be fired and the report will be automatically imported. Note that everything from the report, except the charts, will be exported. Shown in Figure 130 is an example of an exported report in an Excel worksheet. Figure 130: Exported Report in an Excel Worksheet FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 109

118 Save a Report You can also save the generated report to an HTML file by clicking the Save button. A dialogue such as that Figure 131 in will be prompted for users to determine the location and filename to be saved to. Currently, the report is in HTML format. All reported related files including images will be named after the main report file name. This would allow multiple report files to be saved in the same folder. You may use any standard-compliant web browser to view and print it. You can even import it to other software, such as MS Excel, to further customize the report. Page Setup for a Report Figure 131: Save a Report to an HTML File You can customize the page setup for printing via the menu Report/Page Setup. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 110

119 Figure 132: Page Setup for Printing Print Preview a Report You can also preview the report before printing via the menu Report/Print Preview. FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 111

120 Figure 133: Preview for Printing Print a Report To print a report, you either click Print button from the upper left corner of the Print Preview screen or the Print button on the report screen. Then, the print window will appear. This is the standard print window from Microsoft Windows similar to that shown in Figure 134 (though the list of available printers and the active printer may be different on your system). When the report is printed, it always begins with FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 112

121 the initial profiles and project information shown on the Profiles screen. It continues with the analyses that were selected, with each one beginning at the top of a page. Figure 134: Report - Print Screen OTHER INFORMATION The Official ProVAL website is: Sayers, M.W., and S.M. Karamihas, The Little Book of Profiling, The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), October The Road Profile User s Group: The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) home page: An extensive bibliography can be found at the UMTRI website: FHWA ProVAL User s Guide Page 113