Summary and Analysis of the Attributes of Methods of Surface Texture Measurement

Abstract

It is well established among researchers in the pavement friction area that type of surface texture greatly influences the friction properties of pavement surfaces. Although it is recognized that other factors not necessarily related to surface texture also affect surface friction, various agencies in this country and abroad are engaged in developing methods for measuring pavement surface texture. Some 20-odd extant methods are currently used. The relative attributes of many of these methods are questioned, since results of tests using these methods have not, on the whole, produced consistent or reproducible quantitative results. Succinct descriptions of all currently known methods of surface texture measurement are presented. Studies which have related surface texture to pavement skid resistance obtained by skid test devices are reported; many reported methods of texture measurement have apparently never been subjected to correlation study. The need for a standard method of test which will provide a valid assessment of a pavement surface texture and thereby improve communication of surface characteristics is emphasized. Current efforts toward establishment of such standardization are reviewed.