USING A MODIFIED BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS ROUGHOMETER TO MEASURE PAVEMENT ROUGHNESS SPECTRA

A PROCEDURE IS DESCRIBED BY WHICH A BPR ROUGHOMETER IS USED TO MEASURE PAVEMENT ROUGHNESS SPECTRA. THE ROUGHOMETER IS MODIFIED BY LOCKING THE FRAME RIGIDLY TO THE AXLE. A SPRING-MASS SYSTEM IN THE FORM OF A CANTILEVER BEAM IS ATTACHED TO THE ROUGHOMETER. STRAIN GAGES MOUNTED ON THE BEAM DETECT THE MOTION INDUCED IN THE BEAM WHEN THE ROUGHOMETER IS TOWED OVER THE PAVEMENT. THE SIGNAL FROM THE STRAIN GAGES PROVIDES THE INPUT TO A SPECIAL ELECTRONIC CIRCUIT THAT GIVES A VOLTAGE PROPORTIONAL TO THE ORDINATE OF THE PAVEMENT ROUGHNESS SPECTRUM CURVE AFTER A FIXED INTERVAL OF TIME. THE FREQUENCY (OR WAVELENGTH) ASSOCIATED WITH THIS ORDINATE IS COMPUTED FROM THE NATURAL FREQUENCY OF THE CANTILEVER BEAM AND THE TOWING VELOCITY OF THE ROUGHOMETER. DIFFERENT ORDINATES ARE OBTAINED BY REPEATING THE TEST AT DIFFERENT VELOCITIES. THE IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE DISCUSSED. THE ROUGHNESS SPECTRA OF FOUR PAVEMENTS ARE INCLUDED THAT WERE MEASURED USING THIS PROCEDURE TOGETHER WITH THE CORRESPONDING BPR ROUGHOMETER RATINGS. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1970/311/311-003.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Surface Properties--Vehicle Interaction and presented at the 49th Annual Meeting. 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:
  • Quinn, B E
  • Engja, H
  • Zable, J L
• Publication Date: 1970

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 26-35
• Monograph Title: Pavement slipperiness, roughness, and condition evaluation
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 311
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Measurement; Pavements; Road meters; Roughness; Smoothness; Strain gages; Surface course (Pavements); Texture
• Old TRIS Terms: Pavement smoothness
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207189
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 28 1970 12:00AM