Relative Resistance of Rained-On Concrete Pavements to Abrasion, Skidding, and Scaling

Abstract

Abstract Cores from concrete pavements that had been exposed to rain while plastic and specimens prepared in the laboratory and exposed to artificial rain showers were tested for abrasion, skid resistance, and scaling. Companion not-rained-on cores and laboratory specimens were similarly tested. The results indicated that average skid resistance measured with the British Pendulum Tester (BPT) was similar on both rained-on and not-rained-on cores and specimens. Full-scale tire skid numbers were about 10% higher on not-rained-on untraveled pavement sections than on adjacent rained-on sections. Scaling caused by freeze-thaw exposure and abrasion loss determined with the U.S. Corps of Engineers Method of Test for Resistance of Concrete or Mortar Surfaces to Abrasion (Procedure CRD-C52-54) were consistently higher on rained-on than on comparable not-rained-on cores and specimens. Abrasion loss was higher on untraveled pavements than on those that had been in use for several years. Also, abrasion loss was higher on specimens that had been exposed to heavier rain intensity, longer rain duration, and deeper texturing. Comparison of abrasion loss, scaling caused by freeze-thaw exposure, and frictional BPT numbers on not-rained-on and rained-on cores from untraveled pavements and on similarly prepared specimens indicates that abrasion and British Pendulum Numbers can be predetermined from specimens made and tested in the laboratory. Examination of two field sections after exposure to traffic and weathering for two years confirmed the validity of laboratory testing predictions. Two abrasion machines made to the specifications of the U.S. Corps of Engineers Procedure CRD-C52-54 gave two different levels of abrasion loss on paired specimens, but the resulting trends were similar.