ROAD ROUGHNESS: ITS EVALUATION AND EFFECT ON RIDING COMFORT AND PAVEMENT LIFE

This paper describes the evaluation of road roughness and its influence on driving comfort and pavement deterioration. Distinction is made between an inventory and a diagnostic survey. The equipment used for both surveys is described. They are a ridemeter for the inventory survey and a high-speed profilometer for the diagnostic survey. Since the ride index, which is given by the ridemeter, is dependent on the measuring vehicle, relations are established between the ride index and fundamental indicators of road roughness as determined with the high-speed profilometer. Based on measurements with the high-speed profilometer, the impact of road roughness on the structural deterioration of the pavement and on the riding comfort is calculated. Also, the impact of road roughness on the safety of the road user is described. By using the results of these calculations and the relation that exists between ride index and fundamental indicators of road roughness, acceptance levels for the ride index were established. These acceptance levels can be used as a guide in the evaluation of the results of the inventory survey. (Authors)

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1981/836/836-007.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=ROAD+ROUGHNESS%3A+ITS+EVALUATION+AND+EFFECT+ON+RIDING+COMFORT+AND+PAVEMENT+LIFE&author=A.+Molenaar&author=G.+Sweere&publication_year=1981
• Availability:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Theory of Pavement Systems. 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:
  • Molenaar, A A A
  • Sweere, G T
• Conference:
  • 60th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1981-1-12 to 1981-1-16
• Publication Date: 1981

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 41-49
• Monograph Title: Pavement roughness and skid properties
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 836
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Deterioration; Diagnosis; Diagnostic tests; Evaluation; Highway safety; Inventory; Pavements; Profilometers; Riding qualities; Road meters; Roughness; Service life; Surface course (Pavements)
• Old TRIS Terms: Pavement life
• Subject Areas: Design; Freight Transportation; Highways; Pavements; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00349905
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309033136
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 30 1982 12:00AM