Validation and Correlation of Pavement Profiling Devices for Quality Control/Quality Assurance
Funding Source: Massachusetts Highway Department
ATMC Materials Lab Involvement: Principle Investigator
Start Date: October 2003
End Date: December 2005
Summary:
American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) defines pavement roughness as, “The deviations of a surface from a true planar surface with characteristic dimensions that affect vehicle dynamics, ride quality, dynamic loads, and quality.” Most State Highway Agencies have used pavement roughness data as a measure of construction quality control and as an indicator of the need for rehabilitation. MassHighway is in the process of implementing Quality Assurance (QA) specifications on their construction projects that use ride quality as an integral element. In order to determine the ride quality (smoothness) of a pavement, the profile of the pavement needs to be measured.
A wide variety of equipment is available for measuring the profile of pavements. These devices provide data to measure pavement smoothness and to calculate ride quality indices. The indices are used to determine whether a contractor receives a bonus or penalty on completed pavement work. According to MassHighway’s QA specifications, the contractor has to measure the pavement smoothness and then MassHighway verifies these results.
As determined from a recent research study entitled “Correlation Study of Ride Quality Assessment Using Pavement Profiling Devices”, the pavement profile-measuring devices in use produce varying results when measuring the pavement profile and ride indices on the same roadway section. As a result, the contractor-generated indices can be inconsistent with the ones generated using MassHighway equipment. This project seeks to identify and test correlation of contractor equipment with MassHighway equipment using the results of previous research, the latest American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) practices and a test site, in order to reduce this variability between equipment to an acceptable level.
The objectives of this study are to verify the methodology from the existing research and modify it to include the latest AASHTO standard procedures and to conduct testing and acceptance of new MassHighway roadway survey equipment. To do this, one task in the research project will be to establish a certification/correlation test site and a procedure suitable for use by the Pavement Management Section at MassHighway in implementing the Ride Quality Specifications for QA projects. In order to meet these objectives, the University will conduct road surveys using the new road survey equipment and establish a site for correlating profile-measuring devices. The sites for correlating profile-measuring devices would consist of 5 to 9 pavement sections approximately 1000 feet in length. The University would lay these sections out and determine the pavement profile by rod and level survey. By using the correlation procedures established in previous research and AASHTO Standard Practice for Certification of Profiling Systems-PP 51-02, MassHighway along with any contractor will correlate their equipment to a standard. The University, with approval of MassHighway shall establish the test sites, oversee the certification and correlation, obtain copies of raw data from each contractors profiling equipment, analyze the data, certify and correlate the contractor‘s equipment to MassHighway standard, and present MassHighway with the results to be used in QA specifications.
