Asphaltophones: Modeling, analysis, and experiment

Abstract

The asphaltophone is a musical instrument consisting of (1) a specially designed road surface topology, (2) the tire's contact patch, and (3) the vehicle itself. Each of these components in the asphaltophone has an analogy in the phonograph, which is composed of (1) a record, (2) a stylus, and (3) an amplification device. Asphaltophones are an enjoyable and inexpensive method to keep drivers alert and develop tourism. In this paper, a simplified quarter-car model is proposed to study the effects of the asphaltophone on a vehicle. An analytical solution of the simplified quarter-car model to the most common asphaltophone profiles is derived. This analytical solution is used to determine the relationship between the asphaltophone's profile and the signal quality. An experimental installment is analyzed. The asphaltophone experiment was fabricated and installed on a college campus. The fabrication process used a laser cutter to cut predefined sections from a strip of asphalt marking tape. To the authors' knowledge, very little research has been pursued on this instrument.