FIRST PROGRESS REPORT ON CONCRETE EXPERIMENTAL TEST SECTIONS IN BRAZOS COUNTY, TEXAS

SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF PORTLAND CEMENT CONCRETE PAVEMENT HAVE RECEIVED MUCH ATTENTION IN RECENT YEARS ESPECIALLY AS THEY RELATE TO SKID RESISTANCE. SEVEN EXPERIMENTAL TEST SECTIONS WERE CONSTRUCTED IN ORDER TO QUANTIFY THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF THE SURFACE TEXTURES. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS REACHED, AFTER THE FIRST YEAR'S OBSERVATION, WERE: 1. THE OVERALL CONTROL OF CONCRETE QUALITY AND UNIFORMITY DURING CONSTRUCTION WAS GOOD TO EXCELLENT, AND THERE WERE NO APPRECIABLE DIFFERENCES IN ANY OF THE CONCRETE PROPERTIES AS A FUNCTION OF SURFACE FINISH. 2. DURING THE FIRST YEAR IN SERVICE, SKID VALUES FOR ALL EXPERIMENTAL TEXTURES WERE HIGHER THAN THE BURLAP DRAG TEXTURE NOW GENERALLY USED BY THE TEXAS HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT (THD). 3. THE CHANGE IN THD SKID TRAILER VALUES AT 40 MPH WITH TIME AS THE PAVEMENT IS SUBJECTED TO WEAR IS INCONSISTENT AND CANNOT BE EXPLAINED AT THIS TIME. 4. UNDER SIMULATED RAINFALL THE SKID RESISTANCE VALUES FOR DEEP-TEXTURED PAVEMENTS ARE MARKEDLY DIFFERENT FROM VALUES USING THD TRAILER WATER. 5. UNDER "LIGHT" RAINFALL, ALL OF THE EXPERIMENTAL TEXTURES EXHIBITED HIGHER SKID RESISTANCES THAN THE BURLAP DRAG TEXTURE. UNDER "HEAVY" RAINFALL, SOME OF THE BENEFICIAL SKID RESISTANCE EFFECTS OF THE DEEPER EXPERIMENTAL TEXTURES WERE MASKED, WHILE THE TRANSVERSE TINES EXHIBITED THE BEST OVERALL SKID RESISTANCE. 6. IN GENERAL, THE GREATER THE TEXTURE DEPTH OF A CONCRETE SURFACE, THE GREATER THER ASSOCIATED SKID NUMBERV AS MEASURED USING THD TRAILER WATER. HOWEVER, THIS TREND WAS NOT AS CLEAR WHEN SIMULATED RAINFALL WAS USED. 7. WITH AN INCREASE IN TEXTURE DEPTH, THERE IS AN ASSOCIATED INCREASE IN SOUND, AS MEASURED BY SOUND PRESSURE LEVEL. /FHWA/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract 2-6-70-141 Rept No 141-2
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System, 1600 E Lamar Boulevard
  Arlington, TX  United States  76011
• Authors:
  • Davis, J L
  • Ledbetter, W B
  • Meyer, A H
• Publication Date: 1973-8

Media Info

• Pagination: 73 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Concrete; Concrete construction; Concrete finishing; Concrete pavements; Physical properties; Portland cement concrete; Rainfall; Surveying; Surveying; Test sections; Texture
• Uncontrolled Terms: Concrete properties
• Subject Areas: Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00206543
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: Intrm Rpt
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 16 1974 12:00AM