Methodology for Detection of Defect Locations in Pavement Profile

Abstract

Pavement smoothness has become a standard measure of pavement quality. Transportation agencies strive to build and maintain smoother pavements. Road users generally perceive the quality of a pavement on the basis of how well it rides, which is severely affected by the presence of defects (bumps or dips) in the pavement profile. Defects are corrected according to the smoothness specifications prescribed by respective agencies. The effectiveness of any method used to identify defect locations depends on the decrease in roughness obtained on correction of the defects. Following this line of thought, this paper presents a method for the detection of defects based on a comparison of the original profile with a target or a desired profile. The proposed methodology is based on the international roughness index (IRI) gain function for the identification of defect locations to improve smoothness in pavements. This method uses the discrete Fourier transform to help identify defect locations on the basis of deviations of the original profile from the target or the smoothened profile. Areas with defects have a higher deviation from the smoothened profile than areas without defects. This method also estimates the contribution of each defect to roughness. Roughness statistics, such as the IRI and the present serviceability index, are used in the proposed approach to determine the severity of each defect. In addition, the use of a quarter-truck transfer function instead of the IRI gain function is demonstrated to illustrate consideration of dynamic load criteria for the detection of defects. The approach is illustrated through the use of profile data collected for in-service pavement sections.