A Methodology for Bump Detection Using Inertial Profile Measurements

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) started implementing its new ride quality specification in 2002. This specification requires the use of inertial profilers in lieu of profilographs for quality assurance testing of surface smoothness on new construction and rehabilitation projects. The profilograph-based ride specification that it replaced includes criteria on both section-wide and localized roughness. Although a method is currently used to evaluate localized roughness, its assessment and that of section-wide roughness are based on different criteria. The new ride specification identifies defects based on an allowable difference between the average measured profile and its moving average, and assesses section-wide roughness using the International Roughness Index (IRI). While both criteria are correlated to user perception of ride quality as measured by the Present Serviceability Index (PSI), this index is not presently used to establish the need for corrections. Also, the improvements in PSI resulting from corrections are neither evaluated nor predicted in the new ride specification. The new equation has been found to be more sensitive to the occurrence of localized roughness than IRI or the current ride equation. Thus, TxDOT initiated Project 4479 to investigate the application of the new equation for detecting defects in a smoothness specification. Its objectives are to determine methods for defining localized roughness characteristics that are objectionable to ride; and establish how these characteristics can be measured in an effective way for construction quality control and assurance using inertial reference profile data. The results of this project are discussed in the report.

• Corporate Authors:

  University of Texas, Arlington

  Transportation Instrumentation Laboratory
  Arlington, TX  United States  76010

  Texas Department of Transportation

  Research and Technology Implementation Office, P.O. Box 5080
  Austin, TX  United States  78763-5080

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Walker, Roger S
  • Fernando, Emmanuel
  • Sho, Yoshitaka
• Publication Date: 2005-4

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Edition: Technical Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 86p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Defects; Equations; Quality assurance; Quality control; Ride quality; Roughness; Smoothness; Specifications
• Identifier Terms: International Roughness Index; Texas Department of Transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Inertial profilers; Present serviceability index
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01019130
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/TX-05/0-4479-1, 0-4479-1
• Contract Numbers: 0-4479
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Feb 27 2006 11:34AM