Tire-pavement Interaction Research Articles

Measurement and Characterization of Asphalt Pavement Surface Macrotexture Using Three Dimensional Laser Scanning Technology

Abstract Pavement macrotexture plays a critical role in highway users' safety. It is also closely related to tire-pavement interaction noise. In recent years, continuous effort has been made toward three-dimensional macrotexture measurement in the field to accommodate pavement management. This study presents a newly developed macrotexture measuring system with 3D laser scanning technology. The underlying system demonstrates a series of desirable properties including: (1) 3D surface feature, (2) high speed data collection, (3) large sampling capacity, (4) high resolution and accuracy, and (5) ease of operation. Based on data collected on a real-world asphalt pavement by the system, it is demonstrated that the existing pavement macrotexture evaluation indexes are extended from 2D to 3D. By comparison, it is shown that the 3D indexes are able to characterize pavement macrotexture in a more comprehensive and realistic manner. The correlation among the 3D indexes is also evaluated, which provides pavement researchers and engineers more flexibility in selecting relevant indexes in macrotexture property evaluation.

Predicting Truck Load Variation Using Q-Truck Model

The study of heavy vehicle forces on pavement is important for both vehicle and pavement. Indeed it was identified several factors such as environment, materials and design consideration affects pavement damage over time with traffic loads playing a key role in deterioration. Therefore, this paper presents dynamically varying tire pavement interaction load, thus enable to assess the strain response of pavements influenced by road roughness, truck suspension system, variation of axle loading and vehicle speed. A 100m pavement with good evenness was simulated to check the sensitivity of the dynamic loads and heavy truck vertical motions to the roughness. The most important performance indicators that are required in pavement distress evaluation are radial strain at the bottom of the asphalt concrete and vertical strain at the subgrade surface was predicted using peak influence function approach. The results show that truck speed is the most important variables that interact with truck suspension system and thus effect of loading time are extremely important when calculating the critical.

Safety Aspects of Wet Asphalt Pavement Surfaces through Field and Numerical Modeling Investigations

Good pavement macrotexture has a direct influence on vehicle safety during wet weather conditions by improving vehicle traction and braking ability. Apart from the macrotexture, several other factors, such as environmental, tire, and pavement-related characteristics, affect the wet friction. Most experimental studies had a limited scope of reusability as soon as there was a change in any of the other factors. In recent years, the development of powerful finite element tools has made it possible to simulate complex wet tire–pavement interaction as close as possible to the actual field conditions. However, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the past analytical and numerical studies were able to include the actual pavement surface texture in their analysis. This paper describes an approach to study the effect of actual surface morphologies of asphalt pavements on the wet friction coefficient by using the finite element method. Asphalt surface morphologies representative of open-graded mix to close-graded mix were used in the finite element analysis. The finite element model was duly calibrated with the field investigations conducted with state-of-the-art field equipment. The extreme loss of wet friction, which ultimately led to the risk of hydroplaning, was also studied. The analyses were performed for two water film thicknesses, two tread patterns, and two tire slip ratios. The results from the current study can be used as safety indicators of in-service asphalt pavements under wet and flooded conditions.

Finite-Element Analysis of Effect of Wide-Base Tire on Tire-Pavement Noise

This paper investigates the effect of tire width to tire-pavement noise. A tire-pavement noise numerical model in the near field has been developed using the three-dimensional finite-element method, and performed in the standard FEM code package ADINA. The model is composed of two main components: a rolling tire pavement interaction model and a sound propagation model. The tire width studied ranged from 180 to 210 mm. The computer simulation model was calibrated and validated using experimental results made available from past research. From the simulation results, it was found that tire width has a noticeable effect on tire-pavement noise. In particular, it was found that tires with wider base were found to produce higher noise levels.

Development of Mode-Wise Noise Prediction Models for the Noise Generated Due to Tyre-Pavement Surface Interaction

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the noise generated due to tyre-pavement surface interaction for various modes and to develop a noise prediction model for each mode by taking into account various factors affecting the noise generation. Eight asphalt pavement and four cement concrete pavement stretches were selected for measurement of the noise. Tyre-pavement interaction noise was measured using controlled pass-by method by eliminating the noise generated from engine and the vehicle exhaust systems. Noise levels were measured as a function of vehicle type, vehicle speed, loading condition, pavement temperature, direction of wind, and type of pavement. The influence of each of these variables are analyzed and quantified in this paper. The vehicle speed is found to be the most significant variable affecting the noise generated due to tyre-pavement surface interaction followed by other variables. Further, individual noise prediction models are developed for each mode in each survey location and a combined tyre-pavement interaction noise model is developed for each mode for both asphalt and cement concrete pavements.

Effect of Surface Friction on Tire–Pavement Contact Stresses during Vehicle Maneuvering

AbstractAccurate modeling of tire–pavement contact behavior plays an important role in the analysis of pavement performance and vehicle stability control. A three-dimensional (3D) tire–pavement interaction model was developed using the FEM to analyze the forces and contact stresses generated during vehicle maneuvering (free rolling, braking/acceleration, and cornering). A pneumatic radial-ply tire structure with rubber and reinforcement was simulated. The steady-state, tire-rolling process was simulated using an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation. An improved friction model that considers the effect of sliding speed on friction coefficients was implemented to analyze the effects of pavement surface friction on contact stresses, friction forces, and cornering forces. The results showed that the magnitudes and nonuniformity of contact stresses are affected by vehicle-maneuvering conditions. As the pavement surface friction increases, the tangential tire–pavement contact stresses at various roll...

Analysis of Near-Surface Cracking under Critical Loading Conditions Using Uncracked and Cracked Pavement Models

In this paper, the mechanism of near-surface cracking under critical loading conditions was investigated using mechanistic modeling approaches. These loading conditions were represented by a combination of nonuniform tire contact stresses in three directions generated during vehicle maneuvers (free rolling, acceleration/braking, and cornering) that were predicted from a tire-pavement interaction model. Three-dimensional finite element models of uncracked and cracked pavements were developed to evaluate the critical factors that are responsible for crack initiation and propagation at the near-surface of a typical full-depth pavement structure. It was found that the near-surface cracks in the proximity of tire edges showed strong mixed-mode (tension and shear) fracture potential. The pavement responses from both uncracked and cracked pavement models indicated that shear mode of fracture in the presence of compression appeared to be the dominant mode of damage for near-surface cracking. Compared to the free rolling condition, tire braking/acceleration and cornering induced high tangential contact stresses on the pavement surface, which could significantly accelerate the development of cracks at the pavement near-surface. The near-surface cracking potential was dependent on the variations of localized tire contact stress distributions. The findings presented in this study shed light on the experimental characterization of the near-surface cracking phenomenon, which appears to be driven by different stress conditions than the classical bottom-up fatigue cracking. This study also highlights the impact of vehicle maneuvering on premature pavement damage that is often neglected in the current pavement design process.

Development and validation of a tenable process for quantifying texture spikiness for pavement noise prediction

In pavement infrastructure, it is important to characterise the surfaces for an effective prediction of noise. One of the major influencing variables, texture orientation, also called spikiness, is a measure of how spiky the surface asperities are. Tyre–pavement interaction noise is associated with mechanisms triggered by micro-, macro- and megatexture. Of the variables within macro-texture range, texture spikiness has gained increased interest by providing explanations for scenarios with similar texture direction and mean profile depth on the same level of distress yet exhibiting very different noise levels. A tool created in this research, ‘PARSER’, facilitated computation of skewness/spikiness statistics. This paper therefore tenably quantifies texture spikiness by the method of skewness of amplitude distribution function. Consequently, a logical quantification of texture spikiness has facilitated a phenomenological noise prediction model. When properly quantified, texture spikiness is an indispensable tyre–pavement interaction variable.

An experimental procedure to obtain sound power level of tyre/road noise under Coast-By conditions

The rolling noise from tyre–pavement interaction represents the greatest sound contribution from a vehicle when cruising at a high speed. To evaluate the sound levels from this source, existing standardized methods that establish different measurement procedures in both the immediate tyre surroundings, for example the Close-Proximity method, as well as at greater distances, as the Coast-By method. A fundamental parameter that can quantify the sound generation of a source is its sound power level. The standardized methods establish procedures to measure the sound pressure level but not the power level of a tyre as a noise source. For this reason, this paper presents a novel methodology based on sound pressure measurements to obtain the sound power level that a vehicle emits in Coast-By conditions, where noise is generated at tyre/road interaction. The paper describes the testing procedure used to obtain the sound power level, and it is accompanied by a mathematical simulation that studies the feasibility of the proposal. Finally, the proposed methodology is further validated through a field study.

고속도로 영업소 광장의 럼블스트립 관련 소음평가

PURPOSES: This study evaluated a measuring technique for tire-pavement interaction noise that uses a noble close proximity (NCPX) method as well as for noise level measured inside of a car (e.g., Inside Noise Level) in term of rumble strips constructed at a tall gate. METHODS: According to the measurements of NCPX and inside noise level (INL), 1/3 octave band frequency analysis and overall noise level calculation were conducted in order to evaluate noise levels of NCPX and INL, depending on types of rumble strips. RESULTS: The tested sections of general concrete pavement surface and two different types of rumble strips were evaluated, using 1/3 octave band frequency analysis and overall noise level. From the analyzed results, it can be concluded that rumble strips generate a relatively huge noise levels when compared to the concrete pavement surface. CONCLUSIONS: Noting that above 3 dBA different noise levels can let drivers know that they are getting close to toll gate; therefore, they should apply their brakes. Thus, the noise levels of rumble strips are required to be reduced, based on considering the neighbors living near toll gates.

Simulation of tyre–pavement interaction for predicting contact stresses at static and various rolling conditions

This paper describes the development of a 3D tyre–pavement interaction model to predict the tyre–pavement contact stress distributions for future use in the mechanistic analysis of pavement responses. The ribbed radial-ply tyre was modelled as a composite structure (rubber and reinforcement), and the tyre material parameters were calibrated through load-deflection curves. The steady-state tyre rolling process was simulated using an arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation. The model results are consistent with previous measurements and validate the existence of non-uniform vertical contact stresses and localised tangential contact stresses. The analysis results show that the non-uniformity of vertical contact stresses decreases as the load increases, but increases as the inflation pressure increases. However, vehicle manoeuvring behaviour significantly affects the tyre–pavement contact stress distributions. For example, tyre braking/acceleration induces significant longitudinal contact stresses, while tyre cornering causes the peak contact stresses shifting towards one side of the contact patch. The model results provide valuable insights into understanding the realistic tyre–pavement interaction for analysing pavement responses at critical loading conditions.

Pavement Macrotexture Monitoring through Sound Generated by a Tire-Pavement Interaction

AbstractA road is considered safe when it provides adequate friction between the tire and pavement surface interaction to avoid accidents. The current manual methods of evaluating surface friction of roads are not only dangerous for the inspectors and motorists on the road but are very time-consuming and subject to the inspector’s judgment. This paper confirms the possibility of monitoring pavement macrotexture from acoustic measurements underneath the body of a moving vehicle. Currently, macrotexture is quantified by a mean texture depth (MTD) index. In the present work, MTD is estimated from the sound generated by the tire-pavement interaction in a moving vehicle. To establish this approach, experiments were performed at the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT), Auburn, Alabama. Signal processing techniques were used to identify a frequency band that led to an accurate correlation between integrated acoustic pressure and MTD collected by NCAT. This frequency band depends on the speed of the veh...

서울시 내부순환도로 교면포장 형식에 따른 소음특성 연구

A measuring technique for tire-pavement interaction noise that uses a proposed noble close proximity(NCPX) method, which has been proofed in terms of the reliability and consistency of interaction noise measurement through several researches, equipped with surface microphones has been adopted in order to perform bridge deck pavement noise evaluations on four different pavement surfaces. Through field testing measurement of bridge deck pavement in Seoul inner ring road, the appropriate noise-measuring procedures have been used for evaluating the noise characteristics of four different surfaces. Measuring results show that tire-pavement noise levels vary depending on the surface types and vehicle speeds. Furthermore, the different characteristics of tire-pavement interaction noise can be found before and after the new surface construction of bridge deck pavements in terms of the 1/3 octave band analysis of vehicle speed.

Impact of Wide-Base Tires on Pavements: Results from Instrumentation Measurements and Modeling Analysis

Wide-base tire technology can reduce vehicle fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions because there is less rolling resistance at the tire–pavement interface. This study investigated the impact of wide-base tires on two typical flexible pavement structures—full-depth and thin asphalt pavements—through accelerated pavement testing and advanced finite element modeling. Three tire configurations (dual, the first-generation 425, and the new generation 455 wide-base tires) and various pavement sections with different asphalt layer and granular base layer thicknesses were considered. In particular, the advanced modeling simulated realistic tire–pavement interaction and considered appropriate material properties for each pavement layer. It was evident from this study that, of the three possibilities, the wide-base 425 tire configuration caused the greatest pavement damage. The wide-base 455 tire was found to cause greater bottom-up fatigue cracking and increased potential for subgrade rutting than the dual-tire assembly on most tested sections except the thin pavement section with the thickest granular base layer. However, the impact of wide-base tires on fatigue cracking and subgrade rutting potential became less significant with a stronger pavement structure. The finite element modeling results indicated that, compared with the dual-tire assembly, the wide-base 455 tire resulted in similar or less primary rutting potential in thin asphalt pavements and less near-surface cracking potential in thick asphalt pavements.

Effect of tire footprint area in pavement response studies

The necessity of incorporating realistic non-uniform measured contact stresses, tire footprint area, as well as other non-linear and viscoelastic behaviour within tire-pavement interaction have been suggested by many researchers in order to obtain more reliable pavement responses. However, modeling 3D contact stresses with distribution and other non-linear properties in common pavement design procedure seems difficult and impractical because of the complexity usually involved in this process. Therefore, layered linear elastic theory and average circular contact pressure have been widely used in most common pavement design procedures. In this paper, a simple but acceptable method for predicting pavement responses, in the existing layered linear elastic program (KENPAVE) was utilised. This modified method is based on incorporating tire imprint instead of load over inflation pressure ratio and utilizing a more realistic representative value rather than tire inflation pressure for uniform tire-pavement contact stresses. It was found that critical tensile stain at the bottom of HMA is underestimated, and accordingly fatigue life is greatly overestimated when using conventional method. In addition, based on the results of modified layered linear elastic method, new generation of wide-base tires (Michelin445/50R22.5, Michelin455/55R22.5) reduce vertical contact stress and pavement damage, since they provide wider area of contact and require lower inflation pressure. On the other hand, older generation of wide-base tire (Goodyear425/65R22.5) was considered more detrimental to the pavement in terms of bottom-up fatigue cracking. Key words: Tire-pavement footprint area, contact stresses, wide-base tire, layered linear elastic program.

Impact of Wide-Based Tires on the Near-Surface Pavement Stress States Based on Three-Dimensional Tire-Pavement Interaction Model

Impact of Wide-Based Tires on the Near-Surface Pavement Stress States Based on Three-Dimensional Tire-Pavement Interaction Model

Tire Noise Generation and Propagation over Porous and Nonporous Asphalt Pavements

Acoustic measurements were made on several asphalt test pavements at the National Center for Asphalt Technology test track, including five porous pavements. Onboard sound intensity (OBSI) measurements were taken to quantify the tire–pavement noise source strength as a function of pavement parameters. The OBSI results fell into three pavement groupings based on spectral shape. More than other parameters, these groupings were determined by whether the pavement was porous or not and whether it was new or older. The OBSI results also indicated that single-layer porous pavements were particularly effective at reducing tire–pavement noise source strength at frequencies above 1,250 Hz for designs 18 to 33 mm thick. For a thicker, double-layer porous pavement, source strength reductions extended down to 630 Hz. Porous pavements were also found to be effective in reducing the source strength of the tire–pavement interaction by reducing some tire noise mechanisms and by reducing the sound power level of the source through local sound absorption. Testing was also conducted to evaluate the additional attenuation for sound propagating over porous, sound-absorbing pavements compared with nonporous pavements. From the propagation measurements, all porous pavements produced additional sound attenuation over that produced by the nonporous pavements. The additional attenuation also increased with distance from the source.

Impact of Wide-Based Tires on the Near-Surface Pavement Stress States Based on Three-Dimensional Tire-Pavement Interaction Model

ABSTRACT The effects of truck tire types on near-surface pavement responses were evaluated via finite element anyalysis. First, two wide-based truck radial tires (425/65R22.5 and 445/50R22.5) were modeled based on the tire geometries and specifications from the tire manufactures. Accordingly, tire-pavement interaction models were developed. These models were then calibrated to make sure models can be used for further evaluation purpose. A study on how truck tire types affect near-surface respones were investigated based on calibrated tire-pavement contact models. The results indicated that the Super Single (SS) (425/65R22.5) tire produced the worst damage to the pavement in terms of top-down cracking and AC rutting in Asphalt Concrete (AC) layers, while New Generation Wide-Based (NGWB) tire (445/50R22.50) induced approximately the same damage as the standard dual tire assembly (11R22.5) evaluated in this study.

Toward Monte Carlo Simulation-Based Mechanistic-Empirical Prediction of Asphalt Pavement Performance

The mechanistic-empirical study of pavement performance requires that immediate pavement responses due to tire loading be mechanistically computed for pavement structures, and the long-term pavement performance be related to the computed pavement responses. The problem becomes very complicated when variability is considered for loading, pavement and environmental conditions. A Monte Carlo simulation-based mechanistic-empirical pavement design/analysis procedure was verified in this study. The complex tire-pavement interaction was more realistically handled and computed using finite element models and measured tire-pavement contact stress data. The computation time problem involved in pavement response computations was resolved by using a computationally efficient method that relates critical pavement responses to tire loading and pavement structural conditions. In the Monte Carlo simulation, different truck classes were drawn from the truck population empirically based on actual traffic volume data. Axle load spectra were characterized by actual axle load data collected at a weigh-in-motion site. Results from a survey of truck configurations were used to describe the distribution of truck tire pressure. Pavement structural parameters and relationships between material moduli and environmental conditions were obtained from the Long-Term Pavement Performance data. The distress models developed in National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 1–37A were employed to predict pavement performance. The simulation study estimates the effects of increased tire pressure and steering axle load on a typical pavement structure for 2 million truck passes. The Monte Carlo simulation method and models used in this study can provide useful experience for the development of future flexible pavement design and analysis procedures.

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling of Static Tire–Pavement Interaction

A three-dimensional tire–pavement interaction finite element model (FEM) was developed, calibrated, and validated. First, a three-dimensional model of a radial truck tire was developed on the basis of tire characteristics reported by tire manufacturers using the finite element program ADINA. Contact groups between tire and pavement surfaces were then created, thus establishing a complete tire–pavement interaction model. Tire model properties were calibrated on the basis of measured load–deflection curves from one radial truck tire. The model was then validated by comparing predicted contact stresses with measured stresses from the actual radial truck tire. Contact stress analysis was conducted to evaluate tire responses under different levels of normal load and inflation pressure. Excellent correspondence between predicted and measured contact stresses was observed. This work appears to indicate that tire structure and geometry information reported by tire manufacturers, along with measured load–deflection data, can be used to develop three-dimensional models to predict tire–pavement interface stresses and their effects on pavement performance.