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During Transport Month, Paul Nordengen of the CSIR wishes for improved quality of life by looking at solutions for certain aspects of transport that affect all road users. Heavy vehicles play a big role in the safety and efficiency of fellow road users, as they impact on travel time and congestion on roads, he notes.
Nordengen comments: “Challenges in the area of heavy vehicles, specifically, include the problem of deterioration of provincial road networks and safety aspects,” he says. While South Africa has a national overload strategy (the formulation of which he played a major role in), he feels we have a long way to go to curb heavy vehicle overloading, which impacts high maintenance costs of roads directly.
“Heavy vehicle overloading continues to be a major problem in South Africa although road and traffic authorities are good at law enforcement in this domain. Premature road deterioration, as a direct result of overloading, is costing South Africa more than R800 million annually in accelerated road wear as well as in excess of R10 billion a year in increased heavy vehicle operating costs. Together with inadequate vehicle maintenance, driver fatigue and poor driver health, it also contributes significantly to South Africa’s poor road safety record,” says Nordengen.
A CSIR research project on the impact of abnormal loads on structures led to Nordengen becoming involved in the development of an overload control database and management system with the then Natal Roads Department. This system, which became known as the CSIR Vehicle Overload Management System (VOMS) is still the repository of all available overload control information in South Africa. Nordengen is recognised as a leading expert on overload control both in South Africa and numerous SADC member states.
Nordengen has made significant contributions to the road transport industry over a period of 20 years, specifically in the areas of network asset management, heavy vehicle transport and capacity building. Over the past 15 years his capacity building work has borne fruit as Chair of the South African Road Federation (SARF) Education Committee. Nordengen also currently serves a two-year term as President of the SARF and has been Vice-President: Developing Countries of the International Forum for Road Transport Technology for the past number of years.
Performance-based standards
Through his international research exposure, Nordengen learned about a new approach to the design of heavy vehicles, which results in safer, road-friendly and more productive heavy vehicles. CSIR research on this approach – performance-based standards (PBS) - has led to a PBS national strategy and more recently, two PBS demonstration vehicles in the forestry industry. One of the vehicles, run by Sappi, was developed and manufactured in South Africa, while the Mondi trailer chassis was imported and assembled locally.
“The design of these vehicles is based on a performance rather than a prescriptive approach, thereby focusing on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle under various critical operating conditions. Through computer simulation, vehicle parameters such as axle spacing, wheel track, suspension and the placement and length of the fifth wheel or drawbar are optimised to improve safety performance,” explains Nordengen. Initial monitoring results of the two vehicles indicate savings of approximately 18% in total transport operations, which could translate into savings of millions of rands per year for the forestry industry. “We are investigating a larger scale demonstration project in forestry, as well as demonstration projects in other industries,” says Nordengen. He has registered for a PhD on the subject of performance-based standards for heavy vehicles in South Africa.
Self regulation
In the national overload control strategy, the CSIR recommended self-regulation in heavy vehicle transport as a potential initiative for complementing law enforcement efforts, not only to reduce heavy vehicle overloading, but also to improve vehicle maintenance and driver wellness (primarily health, driver hours and training). Nordengen has been a key driver of this initiative since its inception in the forestry industry in 2003. Overloading in forestry (timber transported to pulp mills) has reduced by approximately 40%. One of the key concepts is to involve the total logistics chain in the accreditation system, thereby taking responsibility for heavy vehicle transport on the public road network. This initiative has resulted in three SABS standards being developed and self-regulation initiatives - in various stages of implementation - in forestry, sugar, coal, agriculture, aggregate and sand, ready-mix concrete and bitumen.
Abnormal loads
The CSIR developed the registration and issuing of permits for abnormal (indivisible) loads by provincial road authorities in South Africa to a computerised system, used in all provinces for the past 15 years. The CSIR, and Nordengen, have become the leading authority on many aspects of abnormal loads in South Africa. He has been a representative on the Abnormal Loads Technical Committee (ALTC) for almost 20 years and has provided extensive technical input during this period
Bridge management
Some earlier work by Nordengen included bridge management, first in Taiwan and then in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland. While the CSIR bridge management system is not the only bridge system utilised in South Africa, it is the major one used by road authorities. As a result of these efforts, the majority of bridge structures in South Africa are now being managed systematically through visual and, where necessary, project level inspections, asset prioritisation and optimisation.
Of all the countries in SADC and other regions in Africa where he has done research and development, Nordengen prefers Namibia and Malawi. “From my travels for work through Africa, it is clear that South Africa is way ahead as far as road infrastructure is concerned,” he comments.
“In South Africa, we live in a creative environment where we can change certain things. I’ve experienced tremendous flexibility and openness from road authorities, and a willingness to try to implement new and innovative recommendations.”
Nordengen, a keen sportsman, already has 10 Midmar Miles, 13 Comrades marathons, 14 Argus cycling tours and a few ultra triathlons under his belt. On the music front, he loves most music from classical to modern; he sings and plays guitar in his church worship group. He and his wife, Charmaine, and their two children (Ingrid, 12 and Jonathan, 8) love the outdoors, enjoying day hiking trips, camping and watching birds and mammals.
CSIR Communication:
Hilda van Rooyen, email: HvRooyen@csir.co.za
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