DIGITAL FILTERING METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING PAVEMENT PROFILES

Obtaining suitable descriptor variables for pavement characterization is a major problem for today's pavement design engineer. Ideally, a set of such variables would provide a way to measure pavement performance and to relate it to pavement distress. With the surface dynamics (SD) profilometer, it is possible to accurately and rapidly obtain road profile information. Pavement serviceability, or performance, and distress are interrelated with pavement profile and, thus, the SD profilometer provides useful data from which various statistics can be obtained for possible use as pavement descriptor variables. One set of such variables is road profile quantities such as amplitude measurements for specific wave length bands. If it is possible to obtain an adequate model that relates performance to various road profile characteristics as measured by specific descriptors and if various distress manifestations can be related to the same set of descriptors, then pavement performance and distress can be related by means of distress-performance models. This paper discusses possible uses of digital filtering techniques on road profile data in an effort to find a set of ideal pavement descriptors. Included are discussions of current descriptors; digital filtering techniques, including basic definitions; and ways such techniques can be used to obtain better pavement descriptors. The discussions are intended primarily to prompt further investigations into these methods and their trial use in road profile analysis.

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1974/521/521-006.pdf
• Summary URL:
  • http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=DIGITAL+FILTERING+METHODS+FOR+CHARACTERIZING+PAVEMENT+PROFILES&author=R.+Walker&author=W.+Hudson&publication_year=1974
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/03611981
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Pavement Condition Evaluation. 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:
  • Walker, Roger S
  • Hudson, W Ronald
• Conference:
  • 53rd Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1974-1-21 to 1974-1-25
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 73-82
• Monograph Title: Asphalt concrete pavement design and evaluation
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 521
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Defects; Digital computers; Mathematical models; Pavement design; Pavement distress; Pavement performance; Pavements; Roads; Roughness; Serviceability
• Uncontrolled Terms: Digital techniques; Models; Road profile; Serviceability Index
• Old TRIS Terms: Pavement serviceability ratings
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00095733
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309023661
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 2 1975 12:00AM