A Call to Rethink Bounce Tests for Inertial-Profiling Systems

This paper provides an evaluation and analysis of existing “bounce-test” specifications for inertial road profilers. The analyses are based on simple, intuitive ideas understandable by any engineer. It is shown that existing specifications are internally inconsistent and lack sufficient detail with regard to the parameters involved in a bounce test. A discussion of several of the various sources of errors in inertial road-profiling instruments is given and related to bounce-test criteria. Finally, an alternate criterion is proposed that would eliminate many of the deficiencies in current specifications as well as the associated difficulties in their implementation in the field.