KANSAS EXPERIENCE WITH SMOOTHNESS SPECIFICATIONS FOR CONCRETE PAVEMENTS

Because it affects road users directly, smoothness, or riding comfort, determines the quality of newly constructed pavements. There is a growing interest in the industry in attaining increasingly smoother pavement surfaces. Smoothness specifications for portland cement concrete pavements (PCCP) now in effect in Kansas have evolved through applications over the last 8 years. Pavement profiles of short wavelengths and smaller amplitudes than the industry-accepted 5.1 mm (0.2 in.) can decrease the ride quality of pavements. This experience has led the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to eliminate the blanking band width in the profilograph trace reduction process. The implementation of this zero or null blanking band was successful and has resulted in better-quality pavements. The latest proposed specifications will increase the amount of bonus that can be achieved but might result in more grinding unless the PCCP pavers were able to improve the pavement smoothness in the middle (full-pay/grind) ranges. An analysis of effect of as-constructed smoothness on the roughness history of pavements has shown that the ride quality over the service life of pavements is highly dependent on the smoothness achieved during construction. Limited cost analysis has shown an increasing amount of bonus achieved in PCCP construction over the last few years, indicating quality paving.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/trr/1994/1435/1435-015.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=KANSAS+EXPERIENCE+WITH+SMOOTHNESS+SPECIFICATIONS+FOR+CONCRETE+PAVEMENTS&author=W.+Parcells+Jr&author=M.+Hossain&publication_year=1994
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/0309055121
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1435, Pavement and Traffic Monitoring and Evaluation. 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
• Authors:
  • Parcells Jr, William H
  • Hossain, Mustaque
• Publication Date: 1994-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 115-123
• Monograph Title: Pavement and traffic monitoring and evaluation
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Record
  • Issue Number: 1435
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board
  • ISSN: 0361-1981

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Analysis; Concrete pavements; Construction; Costs; Pavements; Ride quality; Roughness; Smoothness; Specifications
• Uncontrolled Terms: Construction specifications; Cost analysis
• Geographic Terms: Kansas
• Old TRIS Terms: Pavement smoothness
• Subject Areas: Construction; Finance; Highways; Pavements; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00667672
• Record Type: Publication
• ISBN: 0309055121
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Oct 13 1994 12:00AM