SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 November 2012
STP104426

Pavement Surface Microtexture: Testing, Characterization, and Frictional Interpretation

Source

Some researchers have investigated the evaluation of pavement friction using macrotexture measurements and found that the relationship between friction and macrotexture is extremely weak. Textures that affect surface friction include both macrotexture and microtexture. While macrotexture can be readily measured at highway speeds currently, micro-texture is evaluated by the friction from a surrogate device at low speeds. Microtexture depends mainly on the surface properties of the aggregates and plays an important role in developing friction force. The evaluation of pavement friction solely from texture measurements will be undermined without considering microtexture. This paper presents a study conducted to examine the use of laser-based sensors in measuring microtexture. The requirement of frequency was first established for choosing lasers for measuring pavement textures. Three variables, including the mean profile depth the slope variance and the root-mean-square were evaluated and utilized to characterize the microtexture profiles. These three variables varied with the baseline length and produced useful information for evaluating pavement friction. The correlation between surface friction and macrotexture and microtexture was also examined.

Author Information

Li, Shuo
Division of Research and Development, Indiana Dept. of Transportation, West Lafayette, IN, US
Noureldin, Samy
Division of Research and Development, Indiana Dept. of Transportation, West Lafayette, IN, US
Zhu, Karen
Division of Research and Development, Indiana Dept. of Transportation, West Lafayette, IN, US
Jiang, Yi
Dept. of Building and Construction Management, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN, US
Price: $25.00
Contact Sales
Related
Reprints and Permissions
Reprints and copyright permissions can be requested through the
Copyright Clearance Center
Details
Developed by Committee: E17
Pages: 59–76
DOI: 10.1520/STP104426
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-7565-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7541-9