A project report on

2022
Analyzing forces on a car moving on a cloverleaf interchange

Maqsood Akbar Khan (BME203045)

Hamza Kayani (BME203072)

A Project Report submitted to the

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Assessment of Mechanics

Lab Project

Third Semester

Faculty of Engineering

Capital University of Science & Technology, Islamabad

January 2022

Copyright © 2022 by CUST Student

 DECLARATION

It is declared that this is an original piece of my own work, except where otherwise
acknowledged in text and references. This work has not been submitted in any form for another
degree or diploma at any university or other institution for tertiary education and shall not be
submitted by me in future for obtaining any degree from this or any other University or
Institution.

Maqsood Akbar Khan (BME203045)

Hamza Kayani (BME203072)

(Januray 2022)

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 CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

It is certified that the project titled “Open Ended Problem” carried out by Maqsood Akbar Khan-
BME203045 and Hamza Kayani-BME203072 under the supervision of Sir Zain-ul-Abdeen,
Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, is fully adequate, in scope and in
quality, as a semester project for the lab of Engineering Mechanics.

Supervisor:

--------------------------

Zain-ul-Abdeen

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Faculty of Engineering

Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad

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 Acknowledgement

First of all we would like to thank Allah Almighty for gathering us and courage to accomplish
this report, and special thanks to my teacher Sir Zain-ul-Abdeen and all other resources that
helped us out in completion of this report; this has helped us to explore more knowledge. The
process of working on this report was very interesting, it helped a lot in understanding the
problem discussed in report and gathering the useful and important about the cloverleaf
interchange.

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 Abstract

This report is about the Analyzing forces on a car moving on a Cloverleaf Interchange according
to prompts and requirements given by our supervisor. It applies ideas learned from the student’s
studies and research in a way that can make them learn more and practice with what they already
know.

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 Table of contents
DECLARATION.........................................................................................................................................1
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL................................................................................................................2
Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................................................3
Abstract.......................................................................................................................................................4

Chapter 1 Contents
..................................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1)Introduction.......................................................................................................................................6
Overview.................................................................................................................................................6
1.2)..........................................................................................................................................................7
Chapter 2.....................................................................................................................................................7
Literature Review....................................................................................................................................7
Chapter 3.....................................................................................................................................................8
Methodology...........................................................................................................................................8
3.1) Working of the Apparatus................................................................................................................8
Chapter 4.....................................................................................................................................................8
Design and Calculations..........................................................................................................................9
Chapter 5..................................................................................................................................................13
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................13
References.................................................................................................................................................14

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Chapter 1

Introduction
In this project report we will be analyzing a car moving on a cloverleaf interchange. Specifically
we will be studying the forces acting the car while it travels on the interchange in detail. Our
main focus will be on centrifugal force and we will be studying various conditions or variables
that can have an effect on the centrifugal force and how are these conditions related to the forces.

1.1)Overview

We used an apparatus called centrifugal apparatus to investigate the physical laws of a car
traveling on an cloverleaf interchange. This apparatus helps us to study the relationship between
the radius, speed and mass of the car on the centrifugal force. We use this apparatus to model the
car traveling on the interchange which makes it possible for us to analyze the forces on it.

1.2) Project Idea

The centrifugal apparatus consists of an arm rod which rotates about the vertical axis. We can
vary the mass or the load on the arm and also we can vary the radius or the distance of how far
the mass is attached on the rod from the origin point. We can also vary the rotations per minute
(rpm) of the rotating rod. Varying all these variables can allow us to study the effect of these
variables have on the centrifugal force, whether they are directly proportional or inversely.

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Chapter 2

Literature Review

The purpose of this project is to understand the process of cloverleaf interchange. The primary
drawback of the classic design of the cloverleaf is that vehicles merge onto the highway at the
end of a loop immediately before other vehicles leave to go around another loop, creating
conflict known as weaving. Weaving limits the number of lanes of turning traffic. Most road
authorities have since been implementing new interchange designs with less-curved exit ramps
that do not result in weaving. These interchanges include the diamond, parclo and single point
urban interchanges (SPUI) when connecting to an arterial road in non free-flowing traffic  on the
crossroad and the stack or clover and stack hybrids when connecting to another freeway or to a
busy arterial in free-flowing traffic where signals are still not desired. To understand this
problem we have been given four possible cases in which cloverleaf interchange can be used.
Most cloverleaf interchanges have been phased out in Ontario, but some close variants do remain
with similar traffic flows. The main difference however is that adjacent on and off ramps are
shared together by single bidirectional carriageways. Examples include the Highway 62
interchange in ontario, as well as the Lawrence Avenue and Don valley parkway interchange in
Toronto. The Don mills and don valley parkway and the Highway and Dixen road are also other
examples; however, one quadrant of each has a loop missing.

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Chapter 3

Methodology

3.1) Working of the Apparatus

The centrifugal force apparatus allows us to note centrifugal force for different variables such as
mass and radius. To measure the centrifugal force exerted by the load attached on the arm, it is
supported such that is can move in radial by two guides. The centrifugal force is transmitted by
way of crank lever and the thrust rod located in the axis of rotation to a clamped bending bar.
The centrifugal force is displayed via digital instrument. Multiple engaging holes on the arm
allows us to vary the radius as per requirement. The speed of the arm can be also adjusted
accordingly, in our case we used a function generator to control the speed of the arm.

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Chapter 4

Design and Calculations

Question: A car of mass m moves on a Cloverleaf Interchange to go from one side of road to the
other. The interchange width is w. Perform an experiment to Analyze and answer the following
questions related to this case;

R =73m

M=2000kg

V=9m s−1

at=2 m s−2

t=8sec

a) What forces are acting on the car when it moves along any of the loop of the interchange?

ft=mat

ft=2000∗2

ft=4000 n . m

2
fc=man=mv /r
2
fc=2000∗( 9 ) /17

fc=9529.411 N

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 ft=√ ( ft ) + ( fc )
2 2

ft=√( 4000)2 +(9529.411)2

ft=10334.87 N

b) How will the forces vary when the car moves from the inward to the outward lane of the
interchange on loop? At what point will it be under the effect of maximum forces and what
would be its effect on the car?

ft=4000 N

ac=2m s−2
−1
v=9 m s

M=2000kg

R=19m

2000∗92
fc=
19

fc=8529.31 N

ft=√ 8526.31 + 2000

2 2

Ft=8757.737N

c) How will the forces vary at the point of maximum force form part (b) when the speed of the
car changes? At what speed the car will have maximum forces acting on it? and what would be
its effect on the car?

a) When velocity increases:

−1
v=13 m s

M =2000kg

−2
at =4 m s

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 R=16

ft=mat

Ft=2000*4

Ft= 8000 N

m v2
fc=
r
2
2000∗13
fc=
16

Fc=21125 N

Fc = Fn

Ff =√ 80002 +211252

Ff =22589.5 N

b) When velocity decreases:

−1
v=3 m s

M =2000kg

−2
at=0.45 m s

R=22

ft=mat

Ft=2000*0.45

Ft=900 N

2
mv
fc=
r

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 2
2000∗3
fc=
22

Fc=818.18 N

Ff =√ 818.18 +90 0
2 2

Ff =1216.31 N

If velocity increases forces of car increases. If velocity decreases forces of car decreases.

d) How will the forces vary when the mass of the car changes at distance on lane from part (a)
and speed from part (b)? What would be the resulting effect of the change of mass of the car?

a) When mass increases:

−1
v=8 m s

M =2500kg

−2
at =3 m s

R=22

ft=mat

Ft=2500*3

Ft=7500 N

m v2
fc=
r
2
2500∗8
fc=
22

Fc=7272.72N

Ff =√ 75002 +7272.722

Ff =10447.12 N

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b) When mass decreases:

v=8 m s−1

M =3000kg

−2
at =3 m s

R=22

ft=mat

Ft=3000*3

Ft=9000 N

2
mv
fc=
r
2
3000∗8
fc=
22

Fc=8727.27 N

Ff =√ 9000 +8727.27
2 2

Ff =1253.55 N

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Chapter 5

Conclusion

Cloverleafs allow cars to move freely without stopping as they loop around the exit, but that
happens only when traffic is light. When traffic increases, the short weaving space between the
loop ramps causes a terrible merging mess. The Virginia study also concluded that cloverleaf
interchanges have the most fixed-object accidents, such as slamming into concrete barriers, of any
type of interchange. Those usually happen when motorists are forced off the road in the battle to
merge with other drivers. In this project we analyze the forces acting on a moving car in a
cloverleaf interchange. After finding and analyzing we conclude that if velocity increases forces on
car also increases, if velocity decreases forces on car also increases. In another case it will
experience minimum force when the car is moving in inward line and when car moves from inner
to outer line it will experience less force as force will decrease. When mass of car increases the
forces acting on car also increases. When mass decreases then force acting on car decreases.

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References
 A guide to design of interchanges, Arahant tehnik (Jalan)
 Banks J.H Capacity and level of services, Dec 2017
 Characteristics of vehicle platoons at isolated intersections, journal of the transportation
research forum vol.44 No.1, Yi jiang, shou li, spring 2005
 Karayollari Ell kitabi, KGM dec 2017

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