INTERNATIONAL ROUGHNESS INDEX: RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER MEASURES OF ROUGHNESS AND RIDING QUALITY

Different measures of road roughness with varying degrees of reproducibility and repeatability have been applied by various agencies in the world, but the exchange of roughness information has been hampered by a lack of an acceptable reference and a quantitative basis for relating the different measures. Presented in this paper is such a basis developed from an analysis of data from the International Road Roughness Experiment (IRRE) and other sources. The International Roughness Index (IRI), developed from the IRRE as a suitable calibration standard for all response-type and profilometric instruments, is the transferable reference scale. It is the metric equivalent of a reference inches/mile index. Two-way conversion relationships and confidence intervals are presented for the Quarter-car Index (QI), British Bump Integrator trailer index (BI), and various profile numerics of the French Analyseur de Profil en Long (APL) (longitudinal profile analyzer) profilometer from the IRRE, and for the Serviceability Index from other sources. The characteristics of each scale, and the sources of variation and range of application of the conversions are discussed.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1986/1084/1084-007.pdf
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication of this paper sponsored by Committee on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Data Storage. 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

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• Authors:
  • Paterson, William D O
• Conference:
  • 65th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
  • Location: Washington District of Columbia, United States
  • Date: 1986-1-13 to 1986-1-16
• Publication Date: 1986

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 49-59
• Monograph Title: PAVEMENT ROUGHNESS AND SKID RESISTANCE
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1084
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Measurement; Riding qualities; Roughness
• Identifier Terms: International Roughness Index
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00474379
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 030904104X
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 31 1987 12:00AM