Pavement Surface Characteristics Research Articles

Pavement Condition Management Coupled with Skid Management at the Network Level: A Multi-Choice Goal Programming Approach

Highways promote economic growth and social development. Traditionally, pavement management considers pavement conditions for maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) decision-making along with system constraints. One of the major tasks of highway agencies is to promote safety. Highway safety involves a complicated interaction of multiple factors. However, it is well established that there is a link between pavement surface friction and safety. Pavement surface characteristics affect the safety and comfort of passengers. Since the pavement management process considers only pavement physical conditions in M&R decision-making, there is a need to include safety indicators in the process to promote both riding comfort and safety. This study aims to integrate the pavement surface friction, that is, the skid resistance, into traditional pavement management. An optimization model has been proposed based on multi-choice goal programming by systematically integrating skid resistance into pavement M&R decision-making along with pavement conditions. Multi-choice goal programming allows setting interval aspirations rather than a fixed target. A case study has been conducted to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model in managing pavement conditions and pavement skids together. The case study considered five goals related to pavement conditions, skid states, and M&R costs. Interaction among the goals is discussed in different scenarios. The case study also uses friction treatment with traditional pavement management treatments. The model can capture the interaction between pavement conditions and pavement skids and determine the program that best achieves the goals. The proposed method provides a simple approach to selecting a network-level M&R program and obtaining insights into the management of conditions and skid together.

ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ ПОВЕРХНІ ПОКРИТТЯ ДОРОЖНЬОГО ОДЯГУ СТАНДАРТНІ МЕТОДИ ВИМІРЮВАННЯ

Abstract. The texture of a road pavement surface and its skid resistance which concerns its ability to resist the vehicle wheel skidding have been accepted worldwide as the road safety criterion. These characteristics are interconnected in that the texture affects the skid resistance. The goal of the paper is to carry out the comparative analysis of valid road safety and performance parameters and its dependence on the road pavement surface texture and the comparative analysis of international and regional standard methods of road surface texture and skid resistance measurements covering methods acceptable for the road network survey. The main principles of the road pavement surface texture categorization were analyzed with its ranging as micro-, macro- and megatexture where the microtexture parameters sufficiently influence adhesion between pavement and tire especially in wet conditions. It was stated also that the macro- and megatexture parameters govern the rolling resistance and dynamic effect where the last is attributable to the comparable dimensions of the megatexture wavelength and the tire footprint and also affects the increase in loading that may be equal to the additive ESALs up to 40 %. The high-range wavelength roughness exceeding λ = 500 mm should be viewed as the road surface unevenness, as the feature negatively governing the vehicle road-holding ability. Also the contemporary high-performance techniques and methods for the road pavement surface skid resistance determination were reviewed and it was shown that these method and the according equipment should be divided as performing the longitudinal friction measurements or the side-way force measurements to be carried out under conditions that allow the investigators to distinguish the contribution made by the road pavement surface characteristics to the friction force. The possibilities of the usage of the results of the mathematical analysis of the road surface profile survey were analyzed separately and it was shown that the power spectral density can be accepted as a valid parameter for non-direct estimation of the road surface texture through international roughness index IRI. Keywords: road pavement, surface texture, profilometer, skid resistance, slid angle, friction coefficient, international roughness index.

Introduction of a new index to assess pavement functional condition

AbstractFor most countries, the construction of the road network is completed to a great extent. As a result, the road operators have focused on the management of the current road constructions. The pavement management systems have been the determinative answer to the above need finding the optimal and more efficient solution which minimizes the maintenance cost. In this context, the present paper aims at the development of an index that assesses sections of road networks based both on the pavement essential demands and surface characteristics. This project presents a model for the rating of highway sections taking into consideration criteria and sub-criteria related to the pavement function. The developed model has been formed based on the opinion of a group of experts. The technique of the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) has been used to mathematically analyze the above opinions and manipulate uncertainty and subjectivity. This method ends up by calculating the weights of significance which are the factors of the index equation. The index is composed in combination with the variables which have come up from the regular measurements of pavement characteristics assessing the pavement functional condition. The results are compared to those of the regular AHP highlighting the degree of influence by the uncertainty of experts’ judgments in some factors of the index. Furthermore, the suitability and ease in the fitting of the FAHP method are verified in pavement management problems. In this project data related to the checks on surface characteristics in the National Highway Network are displayed.

Influence of surface characteristics of cement pavement on ice-concrete adhesion

Breaking the adhesion between ice- and pavement is crucial for road de-icing. This study investigates the impact of concrete pavement surface characteristics on ice-pavement adhesion. To achieve this, 20 cement concrete specimens with different combinations of 10 surface textures and 2 wettability surface characteristics were prepared. The water contact angle (WCA) and six texture parameters were determined using the sessile drop and tangent line methods, as well as the sand patch and laser texture scanner techniques. To evaluate the ice–concrete adhesion, shear strength measurements obtained through interlayer shear instrument testing were utilized. In our analysis, we examined the relationship between ice adhesion strength and several factors, including the freezing temperature (T), water wettability, and surface texture parameters. A partial least squares (PLS) model was built to comprehensively analyze the effects of different factors on ice-concrete adhesion. The results indicate that improving hydrophobicity, as demonstrated by an increase in WCA from 20.4° to 119.4°, and raising the freezing temperature were both effective approaches for significantly reducing ice-concrete adhesion. The effects of different texture parameters on hydrophilic and hydrophobic concrete were significantly different. Specifically, for ordinary concrete, the ratio of the surface area (Sr) and the mean texture depth (MTD) demonstrated a positive correlation with ice adhesion strength. For hydrophobic surfaces, the MTD exhibited the greatest correlation with adhesion, followed by Sr. However, skewness (Rsk) also had a significant effect on the ice adhesion of hydrophobic concrete, and ice adhesion preferred valley-texture concrete. Finally, the PLS model results showed that the order of influence on ice-concrete adhesion was: Sr > WCA > MTD > T > Rsk. Based on our findings, we suggest three approaches for reducing ice adhesion to concrete surfaces: implementing semicircular or trapezoidal groove textures, reducing the surface energy of the concrete, and introducing the valley texture surfaces. This study focuses on the influence of surface characteristics of concrete pavements on ice adhesion and provides guidance on designing concrete surfaces for effective road de-icing.

Assessing the Impact of Rutting Depth of Bituminous Airport Runway Pavements on Aircraft Landing Braking Distance during Intense Precipitation

A runway pavement during its useful life is subject to a series of deteriorations because of repeated load cycles and environmental conditions. One of the most common deteriorations is the formation of rutting (surface depression in the wheel path) on the runway surface. Rutting negatively affects aircraft performance during landings and will behave even worse during precipitation or with the existence of fluid contaminations on the surface. This paper aims to develop a model for calculating aircraft braking distance during landing on wet-pavement runways affected by rutting based on dynamic skid resistances generated by tire–fluid–pavement interactions. Intense precipitation, variable rutting depths for a 100 m length step, water film depths (e.g., 1 to 26 mm), and aircraft wheel loads (e.g., 10 to 140 kN) are considered as the boundary conditions of the developed model. The output is a model that can estimate aircraft braking distance as a function of rutting depth and can perform further assessment of the probability of the occurrence of landing overrun. After validating the model with existing methodologies and calibrating it according to the actual landing distance required for each type of aircraft, an Italian airport is simulated using a model with real data regarding the level of service of its pavement surface characteristics.

Use of Pavement–Vehicle Interaction-Related Models to Estimate Excess Fuel Consumption of Pavement Alternatives During the Design Stage

The need to quantify the effect of various pavement characteristics on pavement–vehicle interactions (PVI) and the associated excess fuel consumption (EFC) has been identified by practioners of pavement life cycle assessment (LCA), particularly for the use phase. With the current need to reduce carbon emissions, if found to be significant, these effects might also need to be considered by agencies when making investment decisions or when evaluating pavement design and rehabilitation strategies. Several studies have evaluated rolling resistance factors such as pavement roughness, macrotexture, and structural response (SR) to loading to generate models to predict EFC. Available PVI models consider either the effects of pavement surface characteristics (PSC) or SR only, and it is not possible to estimate the total PVI-related EFC using just one model. This paper summarizes a study demonstrating the use of select PVI models for estimating EFC during the pavement design stage for a new construction or reconstruction project and attempts to combine the results of PSC models with SR models to calculate the total contribution of PVI to EFC. The results from the analysis may be helpful for evaluating alternative pavement design strategies, materials, or surface textures for inclusion in the final design and project specifications, provided the gaps and limitations of the models are well understood and considered. The study also identified challenges that might be encountered by agencies in performing such analyses, such as availability of high-quality data for longer analysis periods and lack of measurement methods for ground truth.

Evaluating the Friction Characteristics of Pavement Surface for Major Arterial Road

The performance of the pavement in terms of vehicle safety and tire wear is affected by the friction behavior of the pavement. To highlight the main characteristics that affect the production of better friction resistance of the pavement surface in this work. The micro-texture and macro-texture of the asphalt surface of Baghdad Airport highway were studied using two methods: (sand patch method and the British pendulum test). The sand patch was examined by drawing sand grains of a specific volume, while the micro-texture was analyzed using a BPT under dry and wet surface conditions. All data obtained from the two examinations were analyzed and modelled statistically using SPSS 25 software. Results show that skid resistance of pavement surface increase with the increase of MTD, this increase may be due to the increase of coarse aggregate which lead to increase the roughness of the pavement surface, this increase ranged between (96 - 91%). MTD decreases with the increase of traffic flow due to the friction between the road surface and the vehicle tires leading to increase of smoothness of the road surface. This is mean that MTD is highly affected by the traffic flow and this effectiveness ranged between (84-97%). Skid resistance also is highly affected by the traffic flow with an effectiveness ranged between (81-94%) for both pavement conditions. According to the regression analysis for friction and other parameters, it can be concluded that surface friction values are highly affected by cumulative traffic (asphalt mix deterioration) over time. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091775 Full Text: PDF

Estimating the Potential of Skid Incident at Airport Runway – A Case Study

Skid resistance or friction on airport pavement plays an essential role in runway safety to ensure safe stopping distance. It also provides safety margins during take off and landing of aircraft especially in directional control by reducing the occurrence of overrun and veer-off incidents. The friction between pavement and tire is related to multiple factors such as pavement surface characteristics (microtexture and macrotexture), material intruded between tire and pavement surface (water, snow, and contaminants), tire conditions (types, wear, and inflation pressure), and vehicle operating conditions (vehicle speed and whether the wheel is rolling or locked). Skid incidents due to wet pavement surface at airport runway is a major concern especially in regions of wet-tropical climate countries such as Malaysia. Thus, this study was undertaken to measure the potential of skid incident at airport runway by collecting data on pavement surface characteristics. Field data collection on pavement surface microtexture was conducted using the British Pendulum Tester at a local airport runway to obtain data for the estimation of the skid number (SN). Due to constraints, pavement surface macrotexture test was unable to be conducted at site. However, the pavement surface macrotexture was able to be estimated based on previous research. The potential of the skid incident was estimated by calculating the SN using the aircraft’s touch down speed at the airport runway, varies from 50 to 70 knots (57.5 – 80.6 mph or 92.6 – 129.6 km/h). The results of the estimation indicated that the possibility of the skid incident occurrence was high. This study provides useful insights for airport authority to investigate the potential of overrun and veer-off incidents of aircraft at the airport runway.

Concave distribution characterization of asphalt pavement surface segregation using smartphone and image processing based techniques

Surface segregation of bituminous mixtures is a criterion of pavement quality and largely affects the characteristics of the pavement. Simple yet effective evaluation of the surface segregation will enable pavement engineers to tailor timely strategies to mitigate the problem. In this paper, a more efficient image processing method with the aid of smartphone imaging was adopted to rate the segregation level of asphalt pavement surface. Twenty-seven asphalt mixture specimens with vast differences were prepared to acquire different surface images using three types of smartphones. A field test section was chosen to validate the practicability. Furthermore, the Fractal Dimensions (FD, DBC-FD) and Percentage of Concave Distribution Area (PCDA) were used to characterize Concave Distribution Characteristics (CDC) of asphalt pavement surface. Texture Depth (TD) and Mean Texture Depth (MTD) were gained through the sand patch method. It was found that it is an encouraging approach to evaluate the surface segregation based on CDC. The image processing technique relying on the selected smartphone type was proposed by the error rate of reliability analysis, which was not more than 3% compared to the other used smartphones. A newly developed indicator called e was presented to stand for PCDA. The coefficient of determination between e, FD, DBC-FD and TD/MTD are respectively 0.7958, 0.7882, and 0.7585. In the field validation, the coefficient of determination between e and TD/MTD reaches to 0.8546. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the proposed image processing method can be a promising approach to rate the segregation of asphalt pavement surface.

Investigation of influential factors of tire/pavement noise: A multilevel Bayesian analysis of full-scale track testing data

Tire/pavement noise is a primary source of traffic noise that continuously interferes with human life. In this study, we employed a Bayesian multilevel model to reveal the causal relationship between the resulting noise and the considered variables and quantify their uncertainties. The experimental design comprised four primary factors: pavement type, tire type, driving speed, and trailer weight. We also included the impacts of pavement surface characteristics and environmental factors. The results show the proposed Bayesian model is more predictive than its fixed effects counterpart. Among the considered factors, the influence of speed dominates all other factors on the noise levels. The tire/pavement noise increases with macrotexture depth while decreases with the porosity of the surface material. The porous asphalt pavement attenuates noise more significantly at a higher speed. The noise level increases statistically when the tire load increases, while it decreases as the air temperature increases.

Surface monitoring of road pavements using mobile crowdsensing technology

Pavement-surface characteristics should be considered during road maintenance for safe and comfortable driving. A detailed and up-to-date report of road-pavement network conditions is required to optimize a maintenance plan. However, manual road inspection methods, such as periodic visual surveys, are time-consuming and expensive. A common technology used to address this issue is SmartRoadSense, a collaborative system for the automatic detection of road-surface characteristics using Global Positioning System receivers and triaxial accelerometers contained in mobile devices. In this study, the results of the SmartRoadSense surveys conducted on Provincial Road 2 (SP2) in Salerno, Italy, were compared with the Distress Cadastre data for the same province and the pavement condition indices of different sections of the SP2. Although the effectiveness of the crowdsensing-based SmartRoadSense was found to vary with the distress type, the system was confirmed to be very efficient for monitoring the most critical road failures.

3-D Thermomechanical Tire–Pavement Interaction Model for Evaluation of Pavement Skid Resistance

Skid resistance is known to be affected by environmental conditions such as ambient temperature and pavement temperature. Finite element (FE) modeling has been an effective and efficient way to study the effects of temperature on skid resistance. However, existing FE models either are not able to incorporate the pavement surface characteristics or only perform heat transfer analysis per the two-dimensional (2-D) cross-section of the tire, which could lead to inaccurate predictions of skid resistance. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to develop a three-dimensional, coupled thermomechanical tire–pavement interaction model to investigate the variations in skid resistance as a function of ambient temperature and pavement temperature. The advantages and capability of the proposed model were highlighted by comparing the tire temperature profiles predicted by the proposed model and by the existing 2-D staggered model. Parametric studies of various factors that affect skid resistance were carried out. On the basis of the output results, a relationship between skid resistance and different parameters is proposed.

Aggregate Characteristics-Based Preventive Maintenance Treatments for Optimized Skid Resistance of Pavements

Skid resistance of pavements plays a significant role in roadway safety. Preventive maintenance (PM) treatments have been used to restore pavement condition and retard future deterioration. As aggregate is the main component of such treatments, this study assessed the skid resistance of pavements in Oklahoma following PM treatment application to evaluate whether skid resistance is maintained or improved and economics are optimized, and presents a methodology to assist pavement engineers manage skid resistance. The 13 commonly used sources of aggregates in Oklahoma were acquired for aggregate morphological characterization in the laboratory in relation to shape, angularity, and surface texture-related index properties, using the Aggregate Imaging System before and after Micro-Deval abrasion. Accordingly, a systematic experimental design was developed to include 45 field testing sites constructed with typical Oklahoma PM treatments and the common aggregate sources. Multiple rounds of field data collection were performed during a 3-year period using the most recent three-dimensional (3D) laser imaging technology for pavement surface characteristics and a Grip Tester for skid resistance. The impacts of aggregate properties and pavement surface characteristics on the skid resistance were investigated and used to develop statistical deterioration models. Subsequently, life cycle cost analysis and performance-based sensitivity analysis were conducted using the developed deterioration model. This study presents a detailed analysis of aggregate characteristics and its relationship to skid resistance of pavements. An understanding of these relationships and application of the presented methodology can result in improvements in pavement safety with enhanced stewardship of financial resources.

Modelling pavement surface characteristics for noise prediction through Bailey-related indicators

The aggregate gradation of bituminous mixtures (hot mix asphalts, HMA) is one of the major factors affecting their surface texture. In turn, this latter is a crucial factor and influences drivers and bystanders’ safety, comfort, and health. Despite this, the design of texture levels still lacks sound bases and dedicated algorithms and this negatively affects the acoustic design of bituminous mixtures. Consequently, the objectives of this study were confined into the derivation of relationships to be used in mix design to predict texture levels. Experimental data were analyzed, in the pursuit of setting up appropriate models and algorithms. Analyses involved the consideration of Bailey-related indicators. Algorithms were then calibrated and tested, in order to allow the validation of the algorithms set up. Results demonstrate that the texture level is well correlated to the asphalt mixture composition. Researchers can benefit from the results obtained for improving understanding of noise-related and rolling resistance-related implications. Furthermore, the same results can be useful for practitioners facing the need to design mixtures complying with ISO or project-specific requirements.

A novel pavement mean texture depth evaluation strategy based on three-dimensional pavement data filtered by a new filtering approach

Automatic pavement inspection is a reliable strategy to evaluate pavement conditions. Generally, the skid resistance of asphalt pavement is employed to characterize the pavement surface characteristics. The mean texture depth (MTD) of pavement is a crucial metric to characterize the macrotexture of asphalt pavement. The primary aim of this article is to evaluate pavement MTD. To evaluate this parameter based on three-dimensional (3-D) point cloud data extracted from a self-developed 3-D detection system, a novel filtering method and reference surface integral method were proposed. The novel filtering method was first employed to eliminate the isolated noise of the extracted 3-D point cloud data and was compared with the primary surface profile (PSP)-based filtering method. Then, a 3-D virtual model of pavement texture was generated based on the filtered 3-D data. Finally, a novel method, the reference surface integral, was proposed to evaluate the pavement MTD. The evaluated results were compared with the results measured via manual sand-patch testing. The results show that the novel filtering method performs better filtering performance than PSP-based filtering. The error between the evaluated MTD and the measured MTD is within 3.28%, which demonstrates that the proposed filtering method and MTD evaluation method have robust advantages and can be employed to evaluate pavement performance.

The effect of exposed aggregate concrete gradation on the texture characteristics and durability

To ensure a lower tire/road noise level and proper friction, exposed aggregate concrete (EAC) is widely used for the construction of major highways in Europe. Even though EAC is commonly used, the number of publications about the effect of the EAC composition on the texture characteristics and durability is lacking. Moreover, there are no publications about EAC mixtures for pedestrian sidewalks. The objective of this article is to develop a mixture gradation that will lead to better pavement surface characteristics and durability of EAC used for the wearing layer of highways and pedestrian sidewalks. Variations in the maximum coarse aggregate size and proportions were used to develop EAC mixtures. The experimental research results showed that increasing the amount of coarse aggregates improves the skid resistance, resistance to polishing, exposed aggregate peak number, and compressive strength but impairs the mean profile depth (MPD) and mean texture depth (MTD). Based on the evaluation of the experimental data collected in this study, all EAC mixtures with a maximum aggregate size of 8 mm (EAC 8) achieved higher compressive strength values than EAC mixtures with a maximum aggregate size of 5 mm (EAC 5). However, EAC 8 and EAC 5 showed similar values of flexural strength, splitting strength, skid resistance and resistance to polishing. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was developed and applied to prioritize all tested EAC alternatives considering the most important criteria. The EAC 5 mixture with 80% coarse aggregates fr. 2–5 mm (EAC 5_3) was selected as the most rational alternative for the wearing layer of pedestrian sidewalks, while the EAC mixture contained 70% coarse aggregate fr. 5–8 mm (EAC 8_1) was selected for the wearing layer of highways.

Effect of Aggregate Microtexture Losses on Skid Resistance: Laboratory-Based Assessment on Chip Seals

AbstractSkid resistance has long been recognized as one of the most important pavement surface characteristics for safer roads. Evaluation of skid resistance of pavement is crucial but it is not an...

Development of a Trailer to Measure the Noise Generated at the Interface between Tire and Pavement Surface

Abstract Noise pollution is another environmental pollutant to be formally recognized as an actual threat to human health and the quality of life. The growth in noise pollution is unsustainable because it involves direct and cumulative adverse health effects. Pavement characteristics are one of the important factors affecting noise generation and propagation. The selection of an appropriate pavement mixture or texture with the proper maintenance efforts is the best method to control the main cause of pavement noise. Therefore, the major objective of this research study was to develop a methodology to evaluate tire-pavement noise. Other objectives were investigating the effect of the pavement surface characteristics on the generation and propagation of the noise of asphalt concrete (AC) and portland cement concrete (PCC) at varying traffic speeds, and finally the development of a statistical model for prediction tire-pavement noise at varying traffic speeds. Field noise measurements were performed using a noise trailer developed in this study and attached to the parent vehicle. Overall, PCC sections with higher skid resistance and lower average texture depth produced the highest noise levels compared with the conventional AC sections; PCC type had an average difference of about 1 dB(A) compared with the AC pavement. The presence of surface distress led to increasing the tire-pavement noise level by 7 dB(A). There were increments of about 1 dB(A) and 7 dB(A) to change vehicle speed from 20 to 40 km/h and from 40 to 60 km/h, respectively. Regarding the measurement period effect on the tire-pavement noise level, tire-pavement noise had an increment of about 7 dB(A) during daytime compared with night.

Evaluating the asphalt pavement's surface characteristics by field testing

Pavement management systems are crucial because of monitoring the current pavement condition to supply safe, efficient, comfortable and durable riding surface for vehicles. Driving safety is the most important issue, which is closely related to pavement surface texture. The texture of the pavement surface and its ability to resist the polishing effect of heavy traffic is an important parameter in providing necessary skidding resistance during the service life. In this study, 4 different asphalt pavement sections located in Izmir/TURKEY with having different traffic characteristics were investigated every three months for two years aiming to evaluate the effect of traffic volume on the surface textural and frictional properties of the pavement. The textural properties were evaluated using sand patch test (SPT) and a 3D Laser Scanning System (LSS), while Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) was employed to assess the frictional properties. As a result, lower Mean Texture Depth (MTD) and Mean Profile Depth (MPD) values were obtained for the increased traffic volumes. High correlation was derived between macro and micro textural properties of the asphalt pavement. Additionally, the textural and frictional properties were found highly related for the investigated asphalt pavement surfaces.

Effects of Vehicular Speed on the Assessment of Pavement Road Roughness

Good ride quality is a fundamental requirement for all road networks in modern countries. For this purpose, it is essential to monitor and evaluate the effect of irregularities on road pavement surfaces. In the last few decades, many roughness indices have been proposed, with the aim to represent shortly the pavement surface characteristics and the relative performances, using a single number and a correspondent scale of values. In this work, a comparison between three different evaluation methods (International Roughness Index, ISO 8608 road profile classification and frequency-weighted vertical acceleration awz according to ISO 2631) was carried out, applying these methods to some real road profiles. The similarities and differences between the obtained results are described, evaluating the effect of the road characteristic speed on the roughness thresholds. In fact, the specific aim of the analyses is to underline the need to use different thresholds depending on the speed at which the vehicular traffic can travel on the road sections. In this way, it will be possible to identify appropriate thresholds for the various types of roads, having for each of them a specific range of design or operating speed.