Weigh-in-Motion (WIM)

• Overview    • Awards   • Fact Sheet    • Media    • Training    • Publications

Overview

Fig. 1:  WIM Process

Today’s military forces must maintain the capability to rapidly project massive combat power anywhere in the world with minimum preparation time. Currently, units use portable individual wheel weight or fixed in-ground static scales, tape measures, and calculators to determine vehicle axle weights, total vehicle weight and center of balance for vehicles to be transshipped via railcar, ship, or airlifted in support of military and humanitarian operations. The process of manually weighing and measuring all vehicles for transshipment operations is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and most importantly is prone to human errors that can result in safety hazards and inaccurate data. In austere areas of operations, scales may not be available at all, and the cargo weight and center of balance must be estimated. This process is even more susceptible to human error. The lack of a standardized airlift-weighing system for joint service use also creates redundant weighing requirements at the cost of scarce resources and time.

The Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) system provides a man-portable means of accurately weighing vehicles (including wheel and/or track), cargo (pallets, containers) as each crosses the scales and determining axle weights and spacing for vehicles, total vehicle/cargo weight and longitudinal center of gravity. The WIM system can also weigh the above statically. Because of the automated nature of the WIM system, it eliminates the introduction of human errors caused by manual computations and data entry, adverse weather conditions, and stress. Individual vehicles can be weighed continuously at low speeds (approximately 3-10 mph) and at intervals of less than one minute. The system requires only two men to operate, versus six to eight for its portable single wheel weight scale counterpart, and tests have demonstrated that it can speed up the process by a factor of five.

The WIM system’s capability to rapidly weigh vehicles and determine their center of balance will enhance the rapid and safe deployment of the force. Deploying and supporting units can set up their TOE portable WIM systems at home stations, ports of embarkation, intermediate staging bases, ports of debarkation, theater staging bases, and austere airfields in accordance with the combat, combat support and combat service support requirements of the geographic combatant commander.

Fig. 2:  WIM Gen II Information Infrastructure Conceptual View

The prototype WIM Gen I was tested during a field demonstration at Pope AFB/Ft. Bragg, NC, in May 2003.  Using the results of this demonstration, the Army units that tested the WIM GEN I recommended enhancements to determine the best application of new weighing technology and automated interfaces. ORNL enhanced that prototype to a field-ready prototype (WIM Gen II) incorporating state-of-the-art technologies to capture automated vehicle identification, determine the weight and center of balance, update that real-world “actual” data electronically into AALPS for load planning and manifesting purposes, and then to TC-AIMS II for in-transit visibility for operational planning, deployment and execution purposes.

Awards

Best Practice : Weigh-in-Motion System 

Fact Sheet

• Weigh In Motion Fact Sheet (PDF)

Media

• "Technologies for Troops:  Getting There Faster" Retrieved June 15, 2006 from http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/v39_1_06/article08.shtml (Mirrored Copy)
• Koch, J. Raynel. "Weigh in Motion adds up" Retrieved January 19, 2006 from http://militarynews.com/wheel/wheel_news.htm (Mirrored Copy)

• Video 1 (24MB) - Static Scales
• Video 2 (36MB) - Portable Scales
• Video 3 (28MB) - The Weigh In Motion System

• WIM User Manual Summary
• WIM User Manual for Integrated Systems Summary

Publications

• Abercrombie, RK, Hively, LM, Scudiere, MB, and Sheldon, FT, 2008. "Error Reduction in Portable, Low-Speed Weigh-In-Motion (Sub-0.1 Percent Error)," Proceedings of International Conference on Heavy Vehicles Paris'2008 (incorporating 10th International Conference on Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology [HVTT 10] and 5th International Conference on Weigh-in-Motion [ICWIM 5], Paris, France, May 19-22, 2008. Accepted for publication. To be published by ISTE/Hermes in partnership with J. Wiley.

• Abercrombie, RK, Sheldon, FT, and Schlicher, RG 2006. "WIM Configuration and Data Management Activities," North American Travel Monitoring Exhibition & Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 4-7, 2006 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK, Sheldon, FT, Schlicher, RG, and Daley, KM 2005. "Development of the Joint Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) and Measurement Reach Back Capability (WIM-RBC) - The Configuration and Data Management Tool for Validation, Verification, Testing and Certification Activities," Logistics Spectrum, Volume 38, Issue 4, 2004 p. 4-9 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK, Sheldon, FT, Schlicher, RG, and Daley, KM 2005. "Development of the Joint Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) and Measurement Reach Back Capability (WIM-RBC)," 40th Annual International Logistics Conference 2005, Logistics: Product and Process for Capacity, Orlando, Florida, 08/16/2005 (PDF).

• "Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Generation II," U.S. Army Deployment Process Modernization Office (DPMO) Quarterly Army Division Transportation Officer (DTO) & Mobility Officer (MO) Newsletter, Volume 1, Issue 1, 05/20/2005 p.5 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK 2005. "Next Generation Weigh-In-Motion (WIM): Enhancing Weighing and Measuring of Military Vehicles/Cargo," Institute for Defense and Government Advancement 3rd Annual Meeting, Arlington, Virgina, 03/1/2005 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK 2005. "Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) Research and Development Activities at ORNL," International Conference on Weigh-in-Motion, Taipei, Taiwan, 02/21/2005 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK, et al. 2005. "Weigh-In-Motion Research and Development Activities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory," Fourth International Conference on Weigh In Motion, Taipei, Taiwan, National Science Council, National Taiwan University Publications (ISBN 986-00-0417-X), 2005, pp.139-149 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK, et al. 2004. "Weigh-In-Motion Technology for Military Operations: Developing a Portable, Safe, and Accurate System," TR News - Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, vol.231, March-April 2004, pp.16-18 (PDF).

• Abercrombie, RK, JE Coats and RB Honea 2004. "Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) Technology for In-Theater Applications," 83rd Annual Meeting of Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 01/14/2004 (PDF).

• Phillips, SA and RK Abercrombie 2003. "Weigh In Motion (WIM) With Rational Rose," Used for fulfillment of RAMS requirement, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, 08-08-2003 (PDF).