Use of the Pavement Surface Cracking Metric to Quantify Distresses from Digital Images

Abstract

The development of new laser technologies in recent years has changed pavement data collection, opening the door to a fully automated approach. In this paper the application of the Pavement Surface Cracking Metric (PSCM), inspired by the Universal Cracking Indicator proposed by William Paterson in 1994, and developed by the ASTM E17 group is presented. The method uses quantitative definitions to ensure consistency of the results and eliminate the subjectivity associated with human ratings of pavement distresses. Multiple runs of pavement data have been collected on three asphalt sections to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the method. The application of the Pavement Surface Cracking Index to convert the PSCM value, which is a physical property of the pavement, into a 100-0 score of the pavement section is also presented. Finally, the use of the PSCM to classify pavement distress and the inclusion of potholes and patching in the metrics are discussed.

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