Correlating Laboratory Test Methodologies to Measure Skid Resistance of Pavement Surfaces (original) (raw)

An analysis of the seasonal and short-term variation of road pavement skid resistance

PhD Thesis-University of Auckland, 2006

It has been well proven that as the skid resistance of a road surfacing decreases, the number of loss of control type crashes increases, causing road death and injuries. However, the management of skid resistance of road surfacings continues to be difficult due to the inherent and sometimes random variation in skid resistance levels over time. This study is an investigation and analysis of seasonal and short term variation of measured skid resistance in two phases. Phase 1: Regular field monitoring was undertaken using the GripTester and the Dynamic Friction Tester measurement devices on seven sites in the Auckland and Northland Regions of New Zealand was undertaken over a three year period. The effects of temperature, rainfall, contaminants, new surfacings, geometric elements and aggregate properties were analysed to investigate factors that initiate changes in the measured skid resistance of pavement surfacings. Phase 2: Laboratory prepared samples were constructed for accelerated polishing and skid resistance testing of four different aggregates (two greywackes, a basalt and an artificial iron-making melter slag aggregate). The samples were polished in an accelerated polishing machine to an 'equilibrium skid resistance' level (Stage 1 polishing). Contaminants were then added to the accelerated polishing process to determine the effect of varying additive, particle size and hardness in an attempt to simulate seasonal and/or short-term variations that occur in the field. The results have demonstrated that significant and previously unpredictable variations (greater than 30%) in measured skid resistance can occur over short time periods. These variations cannot be explained by any one factor. They are the result of a number of interrelated factors, including the geological properties of the aggregates and the contaminants themselves, the previous rainfall history, the road geometry, the calendar month of the year and (depending upon the measurement device), the temperature during testing. The laboratory tests demonstrate that accelerated polishing tests of aggregate samples could be prepared for testing by the Dynamic Friction Tester and that significant variations in measured skid resistance could be simulated on various aggregates in the laboratory by the addition of contaminants. The results of the testing and addition of contaminants on various aggregates resulted in significant behavioural differences which were related to the geological properties of the aggregates themselves, as well as the contaminants used in the accelerated polishing process. The findings of the research have specific relevance to three areas of industry; Road Controlling Authorities who are primarily interested in skid resistance policy, standards and management, Road Asset Managers who operate, maintain and manage condition level and the safety aspects of the road network and Crash Investigators who collect and analyse crash data primarily for legal proceedings. All three of these industry organisations need to clearly understand the inherent variability of skid resistance, the factors involved and the effects that geological and environmental variations have on skid resistance measurement.

A laboratory procedure for predicting skid and polishing resistance of road surfaces

International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2017

Skid resistance of road surfaces is an important safety parameter. Decreasing skid resistance correlates with increasing number of accidents. The presented study aims for a correlation between lab-based polishing simulation and skid resistance measurement and evolution of the skid resistance under traffic in the field. A prediction model for skid and polishing resistance based on the Wehner/Schulze device was developed. The lab procedure as a basis for the model works on the hypothesis that a maximum level of skid resistance exists that can be regenerated even from a highly polished state by sandblasting of the surface. This hypothesis was verified for an asphalt and concrete surface material. The prediction model was set up by correlating field data on skid resistance and traffic volume from 14 test sections to cores taken from these test sections and tested in the lab. A linear regression links the cumulated traffic volume in the field with the number of polishing passes in the Wehner/Schulze device. Thus, it is possible to simulate millions of wheel passes within a couple of hours in the lab to generate equal skid resistance level and predict the skid resistance level of a road surface after years under traffic. 1.1. Motivation and objectives The present situation in many road design guidelines, e.g. (FSV 2015), is to set requirements regarding the skid and polishing resistance of the coarse and/or fine aggregate fraction of a surface

Polishing aggregates to equilibrium skid resistance

Road & Transport Research, 2005

Recent research undertaken by the University of Auckland has clearly shown that the �approximately sinusoidal� effect of the variation in measured skid resistance is neither a repeatable, nor a predictable, phenomenon. If the causal effects are known, this will enable better decision making by road managers which will lead to more appropriate road management in terms of surfacing techniques and practices. The paper reports on Stage 1 of the project that developed a controlled laboratory experiment using the Dynamic Friction Tester, and an accelerated polishing machine to simulate in-field variation of measured skid resistance. The paper discusses the development of testing procedures, methodologies and laboratory equipment and presents results to date in simulating the in-field polishing of road surface aggregates to equilibrium skid resistance levels for a range of high to low PSV aggregates. The experiments were undertaken on prepared chip sealed surface samples that were subjecte...

Prediction of Pavement Surface Skid Resistance and the Effect of Smaller Chip Size

2010

Research has demonstrated that many New Zealand natural aggregates do not perform well over an economic asset life in areas of high demand for friction. These areas require better and less variable skid resistant aggregates especially in terms of long term performance. This paper discusses and compares the skid resistance performance of two natural aggregates and the effect of varying chip size (South Auckland Greywacke 2 Grade 4 and Grade 6, South Auckland Basalt Grade 4 and Grade 6) and one artificial aggregate (Electric Arc Furnace Grade 4) used in New Zealand as road surfacing chip. The comparison includes surface friction test results of the accelerated polishing of laboratory prepared samples and the coefficient of friction as measured by the Dynamic Friction Tester. Furthermore, the paper shows what occurs to the microtexture of the aggregate surface by the use of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) photographs and how the performance in terms of ‘polishing’ and measured skid ...

Effect of Pavement Surface Characteristics on Skid Resistance

IRJET, 2022

A crucial component of highway safety is skid resistance, which is a result of the frictional force produced at the interface between the tyre and the road surface. Surface texture is one of the many aspects of a pavement's skid resistance that engineers may control. Microtexture of the pavement surface is a result of aggregate asperities, whereas macrotexture is a result of aggregate placement and inclination at the pavement surface. Macrotexture is often assessed using a variety of volumetric and optical methods, with the findings represented as texture or profile depths. Numerous research revealed that the pavement's macrotexture and the aggregate's polished stone value had an impact on skid resistance. The macrotexture values in terms of mean texture depth and skid resistance values in terms of british pendulum number have been computed in this study using the sand patch test and the British pendulum tester respectively. IFI parameters were then calculated using the MTD and BPN values. Finally, a number of findings on the impact of macro- and microtexture on skid resistance have been presented

Skid resistance and the potential use of alternative materials for pavement wearing course: A review

INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS: A STEP TOWARDS SMARTER ELECTRICAL, ELECTRONIC AND MECHANICAL ENGINEERING: Proceedings of 2nd International Conference on Industrial Electronics, Mechatronics, Electrical and Mechanical Power (IEMPOWER), 2021.

One of the criteria for a well-designed road is the ability of the road to provide high initial skid resistance and to maintain it for the entire service life of the pavement. The ability of the pavement surface to provide an adequate friction when a moving rubber tire of vehicle passing through it is called skid resistance. Local readily available construction materials often do not comply with conventional pavement specifications, with a tendency to polish under traffic and to provide inadequate friction. The performance of the skid resistance of the road surface alters based on the shape, size, and gradation of the aggregate in the pavement mixture of the surface to be worn, as well as environmental and traffic conditions. The aim of this study is to address these drawbacks by reviewing prominent alternative materials that have the potential to replace standard aggregate such as granite for pavement wearing course.

Factors Influencing the In-Service Skid Resistance Performance of Aggregates

2008

This paper presents the results of statistical modelling undertaken to identify factors that significantly influence the in-service skid resistance performance of surface dressing (i.e. chipseal) road surfaces, their range of values and simple relationships between them. Previous attempts to model in-service skid resistance performance of roading aggregates have employed aggregate polished stone value (PSV), which is a numerical parameter typically taking values in New Zealand from 43 to 65, to characterise the roading aggregate but with little success. For this study, a categorical parameter, the name of the quarry from which the aggregate is sourced, has been used. This categorical parameter encompasses not only PSV but all other important influencing factors such as chip shape, chip hardness, mineralogical properties and crusher type. The availability of annual road condition and road geometry data measured by a truck based multifunctional road monitoring device (SCRIM) for every...

Laboratory test methods for polishing asphalt surfaces and predicting their skid resistance

In this paper, laboratory test methods tempting at reproducing phenomena affecting pavement skid resistance evolution are presented. Polishing tests using Wehner/Schulze machine can simulate polishing induced by traffic as well as the binder removal phase (typical for bituminous asphalt concrete). Binder ageing effect, responsible for friction increase at early age, can be reproduced by weatherometer; equivalence between accelerated (in day) and natural (in month) ageing times is established. With respect to seasonal variations, simple test was developed to asses the effect of pollutant presence, in addition to temperature effect. Physical model was developed. The most innovative point of this model is that it incorporates the binder-removal phase and mainly the climate effect, both responsible for the friction increase at early age, existing models reproducing only polishing effect. The model can be calibrated my means of developed laboratory tests and used as prediction tool. Comp...

Pavement Friction and Skid Resistance Measurement Methods: A Literature Review

Open Journal of Civil Engineering, 2016

Driving safety is of significance in the automobile industry and transportation systems. Pavement skid resistance has long been recognized as the most important parameter in reducing traffic accidents especially in wet conditions. The knowledge of the friction coefficient and skid resistance is very valuable information for safety enhancement of roads. Thus, it is important to find proper methods for measuring skid resistance and frictional properties of the pavement surface. There is a wide range of measurement methods and devices for measuring skid resistance. This paper presents a review on the research studies that have been done on characterization of the frictional properties of the pavement surface and discussed methods used for measurement and evaluation of texture characteristics and the strengths and weaknesses of these methods. Finally, some ideas have been suggested to develop new methods for better and proper measurement of skid resistance.

Pavement polishing—Development of a dedicated laboratory test and its correlation with road results

Wear, 2007

Skid-resistance of trafficked roads decreases due to polishing and can have a drastic consequence on the driver safety. There is a need to dispose of a laboratory test to forecast such variations on asphalt-mix specimens before the road construction. This paper is focused on the development of a polishing methodology using the so-called Wehner/Schulze machine. Three trafficked roads have been monitored since their construction to provide data on actual friction evolutions. Specimens are taken from the pavements just after the road construction and subjected to polishing tests. The comparison between laboratory evolution curves and road data shows that, after two years of traffic, the polishing procedure is relevant. Tests on aggregates show that the friction variation of the asphalt mix is controlled by the aggregates, once the binder layer is removed by the traffic. Analyses of surface profiles show that the aggregate friction-variation due to polishing action can be explained by a modification of the aggregate microtexture.