ISSN: 1945-7553
Published Online: 3 August 2007
Page Count: 12

Relationship of Aggregate Microtexture to Asphalt Pavement Skid Resistance

Luce, Anthony
Graduate Research Assistant, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station,TX

Mahmoud, Enad
Graduate Research Assistant, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station,TX

Masad, Eyad
Associate Professor, Texas A&M University, College Station,TX

Chowdhury, Arif
Assistant Research Scientist, Texas Transportation Institute, College Station,TX

(Received 23 February 2007; accepted 11 June 2007)

Abstract

Aggregate properties are one of the important factors that influence the asphalt pavement skid resistance. This paper presents a detailed analysis of aggregate texture and its relationship to pavement skid resistance. A new method is developed for the evaluation of aggregate resistance to polishing. This method relies on the Micro-Deval test as the mechanism for polishing aggregates and the Aggregate Imaging System (AIMS) for quantifying the change in texture due to polishing. The results show that the Micro-Deval test is an effective method for polishing aggregates within a short time. Also, the AIMS texture analysis is able to rapidly and accurately quantify the influence of polishing on texture. The verification of the new method was achieved through measuring the skid resistance of pavements constructed using three different aggregate sources and three different aggregate gradations. The skid resistance was found to be related not only to average aggregate texture, but also to the texture distribution within an aggregate sample. The developed method can be used in models for predicting the change in asphalt pavement skid resistance as a function of aggregate texture, mixture properties, and environmental conditions.

Keywords:
skid resistance, aggregate, texture, Micro-Deval, imaging, polishing

Paper ID: JTE101080
DOI: 10.1520/JTE101080
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