Fix this text
Uniken
Fix this textTHE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
Fix this textNo. 274 (No. 14 of 1989)
Fix this textPublished fortnightly by the News Service
Fix this textRegistered by Australia Post Publication No. NBF 4388
Fix this text15 September 1989
Fix this textFriction meter device
Fix this textA boon for
Fix this textroad safety
Fix this textRoad slipperiness is said to
Fix this textbe a major cause of accidents
Fix this textworld-wide. A road surface
Fix this textthat has been “polished”
Fix this textsmooth by traffic may cause a
Fix this textvehicle to brake too slowly or
Fix this textveer out of control. But the
Fix this textnaked eye perceives only
Fix this textextreme smoothness. So a
Fix this textdevice that can predict loss of
Fix this textfriction soon enough to permit
Fix this textremedial action would be a
Fix this textboon to roads and traffic
Fix this textauthorities.
Fix this textAnd a team of Road Traffic
Fix this textAuthority and UNSW engineers is
Fix this textabout to test one such device. The
Fix this textYandell-Mee Texture Friction
Fix this textMeter, named after its joint design-
Fix this texters, Dr William Yandell, Senior
Fix this textLecturer in the Department of
Fix this textGeotechnical Engineering and Dr
Fix this textDavid Mee, formerly of the School
Fix this textof Electrical Engineering and
Fix this textComputer Science, is a small
Fix this textcomputer-controlled instrument
Fix this textthat can accurately sample
Fix this textpavement surface texture to give in
Fix this textseconds the sideways (steering)
Fix this textforce and braking friction for
Fix this textseveral travelling speeds.
Fix this textThe theory underlying the
Fix this textdevice took 12 years to evolve.
Fix this text“Six students gained PhDs work-
Fix this texting on it,” said Dr Yandell who
Fix this textsupervised their work.
Fix this textConventional measuring de-
Fix this textvices measure at one speed only
Fix this textone type of friction at a time -
Fix this textsteering or braking. But, as Dr
Fix this textYandell explained, a road surface
Fix this textwhich shows high friction for
Fix this textsteering at high speeds may have
Fix this textvery low braking friction.
Fix this textUnited Kingdom authorities
Fix this textpresently use a truck with a fifth
Fix this textwheel to measure surface friction.
Fix this textThe truck costs $600,000, com-
Fix this textpared to $30,000 for the Yandell-
Fix this textMee meter, and measures only one
Fix this textkind of friction at a time.
Fix this textDr Yandell points out that
Fix this textslipperiness doesn’t depend on road
Fix this textsurface texture alone. Truck tyres,
Fix this textbeing made of a different kind of
Fix this textrubber from car tyres, have less
Fix this textgrip on the road; so trucks take
Fix this texttwice as long to brake as cars, even
Fix this textthough truck brakes are very
Fix this textpowerful.
Fix this text“That’s why, if a truck’s
Fix this textbehind you, you should never brake
Fix this textsuddenly,” Dr Yandell said.
Fix this textIt is also why his new meter
Fix this texthas been designed to accommodate
Fix this textsoftware that can simulate truck
Fix this texttread as well as car tread. Friction
Fix this texthigh enough for cars may be too
Fix this textlow for trucks.
Fix this textWhile the University’s research
Fix this textand development company,
Fix this textUnisearch Ltd, has already ar-
Fix this textranged for the Australian company,
Fix this textDynatest P.M.S., to construct and
Fix this textmarket the Yandell-Mee Texture
Fix this textFriction Meter internationally, the
Fix this textCommonwealth Government has
Fix this textventured $58,000 for a 12-month
Fix this textjoint project to test the device
Fix this textthoroughly by measuring its per-
Fix this textformance against the best conven-
Fix this texttional tools.
Fix this textIt will be lined up against the
Fix this textNSW Roads and Traffic Authority-
Fix this textowned SCRIM sideways force-
Fix this textmeasuring truck, a British design,
Fix this textand will be used to validate the
Fix this textprecision of the Swedish RST
Fix this textCoarse Texture Measuring Truck
Fix this textwhich the Authority is hiring for
Fix this textthe trial. This model has eleven
Fix this textlasers across its front bumper bar to
Fix this textmeasure pavement profile (bumps
Fix this textand ruts) and surface texture, to an
Fix this textaccuracy of one millimetre, travel-
Fix this textling at 50kms an hour.
Fix this textContinued on page 2
Fix this textThumbs up for
Fix this textnew Courses
Fix this text& Careers date
Fix this textMemorial ceremony
Fix this textfor Sir Philip Baxter
Fix this textA Memorial Ceremony
Fix this textwill be held on Tuesday 19
Fix this textSeptember for a man long
Fix this textknown as the ‘essential
Fix this textfounder’ of the University of
Fix this textNSW, Emeritus Professor Sir
Fix this textPhilip Baxter, who died on 5
Fix this textSeptember. The ceremony
Fix this textwill be held at 4.15 pm in the
Fix this textSir John Clancy Auditorium,
Fix this textUNSW.
Fix this textSir Philip, 84, was Director
Fix this text(1953-54) and the first Vice-
Fix this textChancellor of the University from
Fix this text1955 to 1969 when he retired from
Fix this textthe University.
Fix this textHe had also been Chairman of
Fix this textthe Australian Atomic Energy
Fix this textCommission from 1957 to 1972.
Fix this textSir Philip had been associated with
Fix this textatomic energy activities in Aus-
Fix this texttralia since their beginnings. He
Fix this textbecame a member of the Industrial
Fix this textAtomic Energy Policy Committee
Fix this textin 1950, shortly after its
Fix this textestablishment by the Common-
Fix this textwealth Government.
Fix this textAt the time he was Foundation
Fix this textProfessor of Chemical Engineering
Fix this textin the New South Wales University
Fix this textof Technology (now UNSW).
Fix this textSir Philip was bom in Wales in
Fix this textContinued on page 2
Fix this textTravelling science show-new home
Fix this textUNSW’s Travelling Sci-
Fix this textence Exhibition, established
Fix this textthree years ago to tour
Fix this textsuburban high schools, is to
Fix this texthave a permanent home on
Fix this textcampus, making it available
Fix this textto all high school students in
Fix this textNSW.
Fix this textA Science Exposition Centre,
Fix this textto be administered by a full-time
Fix this textdirector, will be established at
Fix this textUNSW to host organised tours
Fix this textfrom the many schools within the
Fix this textdaily travel distance of the campus,
Fix this textto provide a home for the mobile
Fix this textexhibition and to function as an
Fix this textadministrative and meeting centre.
Fix this textThe announcement came at a
Fix this textluncheon on 6 September when the
Fix this textacting Chairman of the Chamber of
Fix this textMines, Metals and Extractive
Fix this textIndustries (NSW), Mr Vince
Fix this textGaud, announced a $lO,OOO
Fix this textsponsorship for a UNSW Science
Fix this textExposition.
Fix this textMr Gauci said the Chamber
Fix this textaimed to encourage secondary
Fix this textschool students to consider science-
Fix this textrelated courses at tertiary level.
Fix this text“The hands-on approach which the
Fix this textExpo will allow is not currently
Fix this textavailable anywhere else and it is
Fix this texthoped that it will travel to country
Fix this textcentres in the future,” he said.
Fix this textUNSW Pro-Vice-Chancellor,
Fix this textProfessor Alan Gilbert, said the
Fix this textChamber had made a major practi-
Fix this textcal commitment to one of Aus-
Fix this texttralia’s most pressing needs: the
Fix this textdirection of young Australians, and
Fix this textparticularly talented young
Fix this textAustralians, towards science, engi-
Fix this textneering and applied science.
Fix this text“The University has been pre-
Fix this textsenting a mobile Science Exhibi-
Fix this texttion to secondary school students in
Fix this texttheir schools for three years,”
Fix this textProfessor Gilbert said.
Fix this text“The enterprise developed
Fix this textfrom the need expressed by the
Fix this textNSW manufacturing industry, ini-
Fix this texttially through the Rotary Club of
Fix this textContinued on page 4
Fix this textThe Yandell-Mee Texture Friction
Fix this textMeter. It analyses a television
Fix this textimage of a sharp beam of light
Fix this textwhich shines on the road surface
Fix this textas the test vehicle moves along
Fix this textthe road.
Fix this textDr William Yandell and Mr Mohammad Sjahdanulirwan, a PhD student
Fix this textwho operates the Friction Meter.
Fix this textEmeritus Professor Sir Philip
Fix this textBaxter. Courtesy: Archives
Fix this textUNSW will be opening Its doors next year to
Fix this textstudents wishing to undertake the new Bachelor
Fix this textof Industrial Design course. As the photo above
Fix this textshows there was no shortage of inquiries about
Fix this textthe course at Courses and Careers Day held on 9
Fix this textSeptember.
Fix this textMost faculties indicated that attendance was
Fix this texthigher than in previous years. The ‘rush’ period
Fix this textwas from 10am to 1pm.
Fix this textSee page 8 for more photos of Courses and
Fix this textCareers Day.
Fix this textIt's easy and takes two shakes of a lamb's tail!
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http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252619683
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. (1975). Uniken Retrieved June 11, 2025, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252619683
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit and University of New South Wales, issuing body. Uniken Kensington, N.S.W: University of New South Wales, 1975. Web. 11 June 2025 <http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252619683>
University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit & University of New South Wales, issuing body. 1975, Uniken University of New South Wales, Kensington, N.S.W viewed 11 June 2025 http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252619683
{{Citation
| author1=University of New South Wales. Public Affairs Unit.
| author2=University of New South Wales, issuing body.
| title=Uniken.
| year=1975
| section=volumes : illustrations ; 30-43 cm.
| issn=0312-7877
| issue=1989, no. 14 (15 Sept., 1989)
| location=Kensington, N.S.W
| publisher=University of New South Wales
| url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-252619683
| id=nla.obj-252619683
| access-date=11 June 2025
| via=Trove
}}
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