PAVEMENT TEXTURE MEASUREMENT BY LASER: A FEASIBILITY STUDY

The objective was to investigate whether laser light depolarization can serve as a unique descriptor of pavement textural characteristics. Measurements were made on 20 pavement samples. Test results were compared with skid numbers. British Pendulum Numbers, and data obtained by three other texture measurement methods. Additional tests were conducted to study the dependence of light depolarization on fine and coarse texture, color, and material properties. The effects of simulated vehicle dynamics on the detected signal characteristics were also investigated. The test results show that light depolarization responds effectively to different surface characteristics and compares well with both textural and frictional data. A rank correlation was performed among the different data sets. Correlation between coarse texture and friction was found to be weak, as expected, since texture is only one of many factors affecting friction. Depolarization data on the other hand correlated comparatively well with all three sets of coarse texture data and also with the frictional data. The influence of simulated vehicle bounce on test results was found to be negligible.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at a symposium in Philadelphia on Surface Texture Versus Skidding: Measurements, Frictional Aspects, and Safety Features Tire-Pavement Interactions.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society for Testing and Materials

  100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700
  West Conshohocken, PA  United States  19428-2957
• Authors:
  • Gee, S
  • King Jr, W L
  • Hegmon, R R
• Publication Date: 1975-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Friction; Lasers; Measurement; Methodology; Pavements; Surface course (Pavements); Texture
• Old TRIS Terms: Depolarization; Laser applications
• Subject Areas: Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00126538
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Highway Safety Research Institute
• Report/Paper Numbers: Conf Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 18 1975 12:00AM