Macro and micro-texture data can be used to evaluation roadway friction at the road network level. Both micro and macrotexture data of pavements are crucial for adequate assessment of pavement surface friction, which is a primary indicator of pavement safety sufficiency during inclement weather. The current practice of data collection of pavement macro-texture at network level is based decades-old principle of Mean Profile Depth (MPD) and is well established nationally. However, while micro-texture has been identified as a critical function of available friction, it has not been fully developed because the collection of micro-texture data at highway speed is currently not available due to lack of standards and limitation of sensor technology to achieve sub-0.5-mm data accuracy. The new Safety Sensor at the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at 0.1-mm 3D resolution is a potential solution to applying a highway speed data collection technology for implementation at MDT for both micro and macro-texture in one pass data collection.
The proposed research The proposed research includes (1) the network level data collection for MDT using the new WTI data vehicle equipped with the Safety Sensor at 0.1-mm 3D resolution; (2) development of technical solutions in data processing and computation using various tribology principles to better represent safety properties of pavement surface than the traditional methods, such as MPD; (3) development of PMS based safety index for network level survey that would pinpoint potential pavement sections with safety concerns; (4) development of evaluation method on pavement section with chip seal treatments for texture & friction properties; (5) development of safety evaluation procedures on bridge approaches and bridge decks based on data collected with the 0.1-mm Safety Sensor.
Proposed: Research Problem Statement
Project Overview
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