What is Swept Path Analysis? 6 Important Points

Table of Contents

What is Swept Path Analysis?

How to Do Swept Path Analysis?

When to Perform Swept Path Analysis?

Where to Perform Swept Path Analysis?

What is the Software Available for Swept Path Analysis?

Swept Path Analysis by Autodesk:

Swept Path Analysis by Keysoft Solution-AutoTurn:

Swept Path Analysis by Transoft Solution -AutoTurn:

Swept Path Analysis by CGS Labs -AutoPath:

What Vehicles to be used Swept Path Analysis?

Advantages of Swept Path Analysis:

What is Swept Path Analysis?

Swept Path Analysis is a digital vehicle manoeuvring process to check the proposed or existing road layout and examine its complexity and whether or not the layout can accommodate the most onerous vehicles. It is important for the design consultant to check the swept path for at least a fire engine, an ambulance and a multi-axle artic vehicle in the absence of any specific preference from the client or local authority.

How to Do Swept Path Analysis?

Swept Path Analysis can be carried out in multiple ways and almost all software provides facilities like Auto driving mode, manual driving mode, driving following a specified line (or polyline), etc. All these methods are designed to run various conditions and situations such as the design speed of the vehicle, a minimum number of tun (3-point turn or 4-point turn) acceptable for U-Turn, minimum clearance from road edge or road kerb line, etc.

If the road layout has a series of sharp bends and or the road has narrow lanes, it is recommended to perform manual driving mode and run the vehicle at low speed at corners. If the road is a standard motorway and the length is significant enough, then performing an auto-driving mode or driving the vehicle following a specified path (made by a polyline) would be recommended.

When to Perform Swept Path Analysis?

Swept Path Analysis should be carried out in the road or junction design project when the road layouts are recommended to change as a result of the improvement scheme or when a completely new greenfield road project is designed or proposed. When carrying out swept path analysis, it is recommended to tick box following key points to satisfy the analysis:

• Most onerous vehicles (specified by the client) must pass the analysis.
• Fire Engine and Ambulance swept path must be carried out and pass the analysis.
• A minimum horizontal clearance of 0.5m (or the agreed value with the client) from the road edge or road kerb must be maintained. The same is applicable between the lanes.
• If the road is a dual carriageway, can it accommodate two large vehicles (multi-axle artic) in two lanes?
• Can the junction accommodate all vehicular movements in all directions?
• Can the road layout accommodate a minimum of three-point U-turn?

Where to Perform Swept Path Analysis?

Swept Path must be carried out for all types of road projects regardless of the size of the scheme. Here are some the road scheme examples for reference:

• Major Highways Project
• Urban Street and Junction
• Residential Streets
• High Streets
• School Zone and Hospital Zone
• Industrial Area

What is the Software Available for Swept Path Analysis?

There are various software tools available to carry out swept path analysis. It is recommended to get an agreement with the client if they have any preference for particular software to run the analysis.

Swept Path Analysis by Autodesk:

Autodesk provides an add-on facility for swept path analysis and it is one of the most renowned and widely accepted tools to carry out swept path analysis. It comes with a variety of options to select vehicle types with several vehicular movement parameters.

Swept Path Analysis by Keysoft Solution-AutoTurn:

Keysoft Solution provides “Auto-Turn”, another very sophisticated tool to carry out a swept analysis. It provides a classy control system to run, play, reverse, pause and record the analysis. It comes with a big library of vehicles to choose from, to run the swept path. So, an overall very good tool to run the analysis.

Swept Path Analysis by Transoft Solution -AutoTurn:

Transoft Solution provides “Auto-Turn” software to run the swept path and it has similar features like simulation, run, play, pause, etc along with a library of vehicles, etc.

Swept Path Analysis by CGS Labs -AutoPath:

Auto path developed by CGS Labs is UI-based software to run swept path analysis. It comes with a custom vehicle option and other choices to make it easy for the user to operate it. The technical support of CGS Labs makes the product even more attractive and value for money product.

What Vehicles to be used Swept Path Analysis?

Generally, all swept path analysis software comes with a library of tons of choices of vehicle based on the country-specific requirement, vehicle sizes, number of axles, etc. but the standard practice is to get the agreement with the client to run the analysis for specifics vehicles to meet the local requirement.

It is recommended to run the swept path for the Fire Engine, Ambulance, and Refuge vehicle and one of the most onerous HGV vehicles (16.5m long multi-axle artic) to meet the client’s requirement. I hope the blog provides you with adequate information about swept path analysis and its associated features.  

Advantages of Swept Path Analysis:

The advantages of swept path analysis include:

1. Safety: Swept path analysis can be used to identify potential hazards and conflicts in the movement of vehicles, such as collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians, which can help to improve safety in the area.

2. Design: Swept path analysis can be used to ensure that the design of a roadway or parking facility meets the needs of the vehicles that will be using it, by assessing the turning radius, clearance, and other key factors.

3. Planning: Swept path analysis can be used to evaluate the impact of proposed developments on the movement of vehicles, allowing for informed decision-making during the planning process.

4. Accessibility: Swept path analysis can be used to evaluate accessibility for all types of vehicles including emergency services, delivery, public transport and large vehicles such as trucks and buses.

5. Efficient: Swept path analysis can be done using software, which can be done quickly and efficiently, providing results in a short time

6. Cost-effective: Swept path analysis can be done at a relatively low cost, and can help to identify issues early in the design process, reducing the need for costly changes later on.

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