PROPOSED DESIGN GUIDELINES FOR REDUCING HYDROPLANING ON NEW AND REHABILITATED PAVEMENTS

This digest summarizes proposed design guidelines for reducing hydroplaning on new and rehabilitated pavements developed in NCHRP Project 1-29, "Improved Surface Drainage of Pavements." In this study, and in the PAVDRN computer program, tread depth was assumed to be 3/32 in. (2.38 mm) and tire pressure was assumed to be 24.0 psi (16.75 kPa). These values were selected because the data that were available to the authors for extending the range of the hydroplaning algorithm used in PAVDRN were also based on these assumptions. Four key areas need to be considered in order to analyze and eventually minimize the potential for hydroplaning. These areas are environmental conditions, properties of the pavement surface, geometry of the roadway surface, and the use of drainage appurtenances. Each of these areas and its influence on the resulting hydroplaning speed of the designed section is discussed in detail in this digest. Five geometric design sections, one for each of the basic geometric configurations used in highway design, are considered in the proposed design guidelines: tangent, curve, transition, crest vertical curve, and sag vertical curve. Finally, the use of drainage appurtenances is reviewed. Drainage appurtenances considered include longitudinal edge drains, slotted drains located between travel lanes, and transverse drains.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rrd_243.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 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.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Huebner, R S
  • Anderson, D A
  • Warner, J C
• Publication Date: 1999-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 25 p.
• Serial:
  • NCHRP Research Results Digest
  • Issue Number: 243
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Computer programs; Edge drains; Environmental impacts; Geometric design; Hydroplaning; Pavement design; Surface course (Pavements); Surface drainage
• Uncontrolled Terms: Slotted drains; Transverse drains
• Subject Areas: Design; Environment; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00778915
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Nov 22 1999 12:00AM