PAVEMENT ROUGHNESS: MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

VERTICAL ACCELERATIONS OF A PASSENGER TRAVELING IN AN AUTOMOBILE ON A SECTION OF ROAD AT 51.5 MPH (23.0 M/S) ARE AUTOMATICALLY SUMMED. A ROUGHNESS INDEX IS OBTAINED BY DIVIDING THIS SUM BY THE TIME ELAPSED DURING THE TEST. CONTINUITY IN MEASUREMENTS SINCE 1957 HAS BEEN PRESERVED THROUGH CORRELATIONS AMONG SUCCESSIVE VEHICLES INVOLVED AND REFERENCE PAVEMENTS. IN GENERAL, BITUMINOUS CONSTRUCTION HAS SMOOTHER RIDING SURFACES THAN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION. THE SMOOTHNESS OF CONCRETE PAVEMENTS, HOWEVER, HAS IMPROVED ON THOSE PROJECTS WHERE SLIP-FORM PAVING WAS USED. INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND PARKWAY CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES TO YIELD SMOOTHER PAVEMENTS THAN OTHER MAJOR CONSTRUCTION. THE RATE OF INCREASE IN ROUGHNESS WAS FOUND TO BE DIFFERENT FOR EACH PAVEMENT TYPE AND VARIED ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL OR AS-CONSTRUCTED ROUGHNESS OF THE PAVEMENT, STRUCTURAL NUMBER, AND TYPE OF HIGHWAY FACILITY INVOLVED.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1973/471/471-005.pdf
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309022568
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Surface Properties Vehicle Interaction. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Rizenbergs, Rolands L
  • Burchett, James L
  • Davis, Larry E
• Conference:
  • 52nd Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1973-1-22 to 1973-1-26
• Publication Date: 1973

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 46-61
• Monograph Title: Evaluation of pavement surface properties and vehicle interaction
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 471
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bituminous pavements; Concrete pavements; Parkways; Pavements; Roughness; Slip form paving; Smoothness
• Identifier Terms: Interstate Highway System
• Old TRIS Terms: Pavement smoothness
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207639
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309022568
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 27 1974 12:00AM