Evaluation of Pavement Treatment Strategies for Friction-Deficient Horizontal Curves

Abstract

In friction management of horizontal-curve pavements, highway agencies develop treatment strategies for friction-deficient pavements mainly based on past experience or industry recommended practices. In the absence of an engineering procedure to evaluate the effectiveness of friction treatments, there is no sound basis for comparing the effectiveness of different treatment strategies. To overcome this limitation, this study explored a mechanistic approach to analyze friction treatments for a horizontal curve and compare the magnitudes of skid resistance improvement, reductions of skidding potential, and terminal polished skid resistance. This was achieved by applying the finite element simulation technique to calculate the tire–pavement skid resistance available and the safe vehicle speeds under a given set of design operating conditions. For illustration, five friction treatments for pavement curves were analyzed: resurfacing/overlay, high-friction resurfacing, longitudinal grooving, transverse grooving, and resurfacing/overlay plus raising of superelevation. The skid resistance, safe vehicle speed, and terminal skid resistance were determined for different wet-weather operating conditions. The operating conditions were defined by horizontal-curve geometric parameters, pavement surface properties, wheel load, geometric and structural properties of tire, and water film thickness. The effectiveness of an improvement treatment is evaluated by skid resistance improvement, skidding potential reduction, and terminal polished skid resistance. Two quantitative indicators were introduced for effectiveness evaluation: safe skid resistance margin ΔSN and safe vehicle speed margin ΔV. The proposed approach presents a quantitative engineering assessment procedure for highway agencies in the selection of a suitable treatment, and maintenance planning in their friction management of horizontal-curve pavements.

Keywords

infrastructure infrastructure management and system preservation pavement management systems decision making: pavement management

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Lord

Brewer

M. A.

Fitzpatrick

Geedipally

S. R.

Peng

Analysis of Roadway Departure Crashes on Two Lane Rural Roads in Texas. No. FHWA/TX-11/0-6031-1. Texas Transportation Institute, College Station, 2011.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Fatality Analysis Reporting System. http://www.nhtsa.gov/FARS. Accessed July 3, 2021.

Torbic

D. J.

Harwood

D. W.

Gilmore

D. K.

Pfefer

Neuman

T. R.

Slack

K. L.

Hardy

K. K.

A Guide for Reducing Collisions on Horizontal Curves. NCHRP Report 550. Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 2004.

Neuman

T. R.

Pfefer

Slack

K. L.

Hardy

K. K.

Council

McGee

Prothe

Eccles

Guidance for Implementation of the AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Volume 6: A Guide for Addressing Run-Off-Road Collisions. Project G17-18 (3). Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2003.

McGee

H. W.

Hanscom

F. R.

Low-Cost Treatments for Horizontal Curve Safety. Report No. FHWA-SA-07-002. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., 2006.

Brimley

Carlson

Using High Friction Surface Treatments to Improve Safety at Horizontal Curves. Texas Transportation Institute, The Texas A&M University System, College Station, 2012, pp. 15–16.

Hall

J. W.

Smith

K. L.

Titus-Glover

Wambold

J. C.

Yager

T. J.

Rado

Guide for Pavement Friction. NCHRP. Web-only document 108. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2009.

Pratt

M. P.

Geedipally

S. R.

Pike

A. M.

Carlson

P. J.

Celoza

A. M.

Lord

Evaluating the Need for Surface Treatments to Reduce Crash Frequency on Horizontal Curves. No. FHWA/TX-14/0-6714-1. Texas Department of Transportation, 2013.

Yang

Wang

Xie

Yang

Modeling Crash Risk of Horizontal Curves Using Large-Scale Auto-Extracted Roadway Geometry Data. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 144, 2020, p. 105669.

10.

Geedipally

S. R.

Pratt

M. P.

Lord

Effects of Geometry and Pavement Friction on Horizontal Curve Crash Frequency. Journal of Transportation Safety & Security, Vol. 11, No. 2, 2019, pp. 167–188.

11.

Peng

Chu

Wang

Fwa

T. F.

Analysis of Vehicle Skidding Potential on Horizontal Curves. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 152, 2021, p. 105960.

12.

Hauer

Cause, Effect and Regression in Road Safety: A Case Study. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 42, No. 4, 2010, pp. 1128–1135.

13.

Musey

Park

Pavement Skid Number and Horizontal Curve Safety. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 145, 2016, pp. 828–835.

14.

ADINA. ADINA Theory and Modeling Guide Volume I: ADINA Solids and Structures. ADINA R&D Inc., Watertown, MA, 2005.

15.

ANSYS. ANSYS CFX-Solver Theory Guide. ANSYS, Inc., Canonsburg, PA15317, 2009.

16.

Ong

G. P.

Fwa

T. F.

Wet-Pavement Hydroplaning Risk and Skid Resistance: Modeling. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 133, No. 10, 2007, pp. 590–598.

17.

Ong

G. P.

Fwa

T. F.

Modeling Commercial Truck Skid Resistance on Highways. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 136, No. 6, 2010, pp. 510–517.

18.

ABAQUS. ABAQUS User’s Manual. Pawtucket, RI, 2010.

19.

Anupam

Santosh Kumar

Kasbergen

Scarpas

Kane

Finite Element Framework for the Computation of Runway Friction of Aircraft Tires. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2017. 2641: 126–138.

20.

Liu

Cao

Wang

Chen

Huang

Evaluation of Vehicle Braking Performance on Wet Pavement Surface Using an Integrated Tire-Vehicle Modeling Approach. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2019. 2673: 295–307.

21.

Zhu

Pang

Yang

Zhao

Numerical Analysis of Hydroplaning Behaviour by Using a Tire–Water-Film–Runway Model. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2020, pp. 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2020.1774587.

22.

AASHTO. A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 7th ed. American Association of State Highway and Transportation, Washington, D.C., 2018.

23.

Leu

M. C.

Henry

J. J.

Prediction of skid resistance as a function of speed from pavement texture measurements. Transportation Research Record: Journal of Transportation Research Board, 1978. 666: 7–13.

24.

Chu

Guo

Fwa

T. F.

Theoretical and Practical Engineering Significance of British Pendulum Test. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, Vol. 23, 2022, pp. 1–8.

25.

Fwa

T. F.

Chu

The Concept of Pavement Skid Resistance State. Road Materials and Pavement Design, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2021, pp. 101–120. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680629.2019.1618366.

26.

Peng

Chu

Fwa

T. F.

Determination of Safe Vehicle Speeds on Wet Horizontal Pavement Curves. Road Materials and Pavement Design, Vol. 22, 2021, pp. 2641–2653.

27.

Liu

Fwa

T. F.

Choo

Y. S.

Effect of Surface Macrotexture on Skid Resistance Measurements by the British Pendulum Test. Journal of Testing and Evaluation, Vol. 32, 2004, pp. 304–309.

28.

Wong

J. Y.

Theory of Ground Vehicles, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 2001.

29.

Singh

K. B.

Vehicle Sideslip Angle Estimation Based on Tire Model Adaptation. Electronics, Vol. 8, No. 2, 2019, p. 199.

30.

Izeppi

E. D. L.

Flintsch

G. W.

McGhee

K. K.

Field Performance of High Friction Surfaces. Report No. FHWA/VTRC 10-CR6. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., 2010.

31.

Leden

Hämäläinen

Manninen

The Effect of Resurfacing on Friction, Speeds and Safety on Main Roads in Finland. Accident Analysis & Prevention, Vol. 30, No. 1, 1998, pp. 75–85.

32.

Yager

T. J.

Comparative Braking Performance of Various Aircraft on Grooved and Ungrooved Pavements at the Landing Research Runway, NASA Wallops Station. Report NASA SP-5073. NASA, Washington, D.C., 1969, pp. 35–65.

33.

Horne

W. B.

Results from Studies of Highway Grooving and Texturing at NASA Wallops Station. Report NASA SP-5073. NASA, Washington, D.C., 1969, pp. 425–464.

34.

Kang

H. W.

Zhang

Z. W.

Comparison of Skid Resistance and Noise Between Transverse and Longitudinal Grooving Pavements in Newly Constructed Concrete Pavement. Advanced Materials Research, Vol. 446, 2012, pp. 2637–2640.

35.

Martinez

J. E.

Young

R. D.

Faatz

W. C.

Effects of Pavement Grooving on Friction, Braking, and Vehicle Control. Report No. FHWA-RD-76-166. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., 1976.

36.

Farnsworth

E. E.

Pavement Grooving on Highways. Pavement Grooving and Traction Studies, Report No. NASA-SP-5073. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C., 1969, p. 411.

37.

Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Concrete Pavement Texturing. Report No. FHWA-HIF-17-011. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C., 2019.

38.

Chu

Fwa

T. F.

Incorporating Pavement Skid Resistance and Hydroplaning Risk Considerations in Asphalt Mix Design. Journal of Transportation Engineering, Vol. 142, No. 10, 2016, p. 04016039-1-10.

39.

Vollor

T. W.

Hanson

D. I.

Development of Laboratory Procedure for Measuring Friction of HMA Mixtures—Phase I. Final Report No. 06-06. National Center for Asphalt Technology, Auburn, AL, 2006.

40.

Pomoni

Plati

Loizos

Yannis

Investigation of Pavement Skid Resistance and Macrotexture on a Long-Term Basis. International Journal of Pavement Engineering, 2020, pp. 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/10298436.2020.1788029.