Support
Roadbed reinforcement is not applied or drawn properly
Summary
When applying a roadbed reinforcement over an existing road in MDT, it is common for the reinforcement not to be shown at some stations, for the roadbed layers not to be drawn under certain vectors or not to reach the end of the section, or for the measurement report to show several repeated lines of the same material. This article explains why each situation happens and how to solve it, and why the Designate Polylines button is only enabled when the template is edited from the Segment.
Applies to
MDT — one of the documented cases corresponds to MDT 25; the remaining enquiries do not indicate a version. The Definition of Reinforcements and the Designate Polylines button are still current in MDT 26, according to its reference manual.
Templates and roadbeds functions: reinforcements and roadbed layers.
Symptoms
At some stations the roadbed reinforcement is not applied.
The roadbed layers are not drawn under some vector, or the layers drawn do not reach the end of the section.
The measurement report shows several repeated lines with the same material name (three lines of the same material, for instance) and it is not clear what each one corresponds to.
When defining the template file for the reinforcement, the Designate Polylines button (used to point out the polylines defining the current roadbed outline) is not enabled.
Cause
The reinforcement is not applied when the lines defining it fall outside the surface, or when a vertex of the natural terrain cross section coincides with the reinforcement boundary. There are also cases in which the tolerances allow the reinforcement not to be applied.
Roadbed layers are only calculated, extended to the roadbed slope and measured correctly when the platform elements are lane, berm or shoulder. On other vectors (undetermined, sidewalk, parking, and so on) the layer thickness has to be specified manually and, in addition, the extension of the layer is not shown.
The measurement report shows several lines with the same material name because the program measures each geometric area separately (left and right outside the reinforcement, and the central area), and they are all named the same since the material is the same.
The Designate Polylines button is only enabled when the template file is edited from the Segment, because the Segment holds the alignment information. An isolated theoretical template works with a simulation and does not have that information.
Solution
Case: the reinforcement is not applied at some station
Check that the lines defining the reinforcement do not fall outside the surface (towards the right-hand side of the section, for example).
Check whether a vertex of the natural terrain cross section coincides with the reinforcement boundary: that coincidence prevents it from being applied. Simply moving the vertex slightly solves the problem.
Bear in mind that there are cases in which the tolerances allow the reinforcement not to be applied; adjust them and compare the result.
Case: the roadbed layers are not drawn, are not extended, or the report repeats the material
Define all the platform elements as lane, berm or shoulder so that the volume of the roadbed layers is calculated and they are extended to the roadbed slope.
If you use other vectors (undetermined, sidewalk, parking, and so on), specify the layer thickness manually; on those vectors the extension of the layer is not shown.
If several lines of the same material appear in the report and you only want to tell the material of the side boxes from that of the reinforcement area, assign a different material to the reinforcement area. The program does distinguish both areas, but since the material has the same name it does not tell them apart in the report.
Regarding the measurement of the material between the natural terrain and the reinforcement:
That volume is measured as cut and the program does not tell it apart on its own. The usual approach is to apply a layer underneath with a fixed thickness matching what is normally milled.
For the program to include that gap in the measurement, enable the Adapt to Terrain option and apply the same layers inside the reinforcement.
If you want to tell it apart, another option is to create a TRA file from the original, leaving only the stations with the PV code, and compare it against the natural terrain.
The program does not calculate the milling volume directly: to obtain it, generate a surface with the lines defining the asphalt mix and calculate the volume with the corresponding thickness.
Case: the "Designate Polylines" button is not enabled when defining the reinforcement
Edit the template file for the reinforcement from the Segment, not from the isolated theoretical template: only then does the program interpret the alignment data and enable the designation of polylines.
The PV code is used in the cross sections to indicate where the reinforcement must be applied; the quickest way to point it out is by directly assigning the polylines in plan view.
If the problem persists
If you need to attach several files (the segment and the drawing, for instance) to the same enquiry, compress them beforehand into a single ZIP file.
The support team has videos explaining how MDT applies the reinforcement; attach your segment when opening the enquiry to get an answer tailored to your case.
If the reinforcement is still not applied after reviewing the position of the reinforcement lines, the natural terrain vertices and the tolerances, contact APLITOP technical support.
Category: Templates and roadbeds · Level: Advanced