Resources on Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics

Surface characteristics represent a critical issue facing pavement owners and the concrete paving industry. The traveling public expects smoother, quieter, and better drained pavements without compromised safety. The surface characteristics issue is complex because all pavement surface characteristics, including texture, noise, friction, splash/spray, rolling resistance, reflectivity/illuminance, and smoothness, are interrelated. The objectives of this multi-part project include

• developing a strategic plan for improving concrete pavement surface characteristics,
• measuring the relationship of conventional concrete pavement surface textures to tire-pavement noise and friction in the field, and
• field evaluating conventional practices and innovative solutions for concrete pavement surface characteristics.
  

Manuals and guidelines

How to Reduce Tire-Pavement Noise: Interim Better Practices for Constructing and Texturing Concrete Pavement Surfaces 5.1 mb (*pdf)

Reports

• July 2006, Evaluation of U.S. and European Concrete Pavement Noise Reduction Methods 2.5 mb (*pdf)
• August 2007, ISU-FHWA-ACPA Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics Program Part 2: Preliminary Field Data Collection 16.4 mb (*pdf)
• July 2008, Site 349-1 - July 1, 2008 Surface Characteristics Site Report (Kansas Demonstration Project) 852 kb (*pdf), Rob Rasmussen, Transtec
• November 2008, Sites 211-1, 2 - Nov. 1, 2008 Surface Characteristics Site Report (Kansas Demonstration Project) 4.7 mb (*pdf), Rob Rasmussen, Transtec

Tech briefs

• Variability and Visualization of Tire-Pavement Noise Measurements (638 kb *pdf, September 2011)
• Concrete Pavement Specifications for Reducing Tire-Pavement Noise (2.3 mb *pdf, May 2011)
• Measuring and Reporting Tire-Pavement Noise Using On-Board Sound Intensity (3.7 mb *pdf, May 2011)
• Measuring and Analyzing Pavement Texture (1.2 mb *pdf, January 2011)
• The Language of Noise (3.2 mb *pdf, November 2010)
• What Makes a Quieter Concrete Pavement? (548 kb *pdf, October 2010)
• Diamond Grinding to Reduce Tire-Pavement Noise in Concrete Pavements (CP Road Map MAP Brief 4-1, October 2009)
• Concrete Solutions for Quieter Pavements on Existing Roadways 548 kb (*pdf), October 2006

Specifications

• Recommended Practice for Accepting New Concrete Pavement Surfaces for Tire-Pavement Noise (93 kb *pdf, June 2011)
• Guide Specification for Highway Construction: Texturing Concrete Pavement for Reduced Tire-Pavement Noise Using Diamond Grinding (68 kb *pdf, June 2011)
• Guide Specification for Highway Construction: Texturing Concrete Pavement for Reduced Tire-Pavement Noise Using Artificial Turf Drag (62 kb *pdf, June 2011)
• Guide Specification for Highway Construction: Texturing Concrete Pavement for Reduced Tire-Pavement Noise Using Longitudinal Tining (64 kb *pdf, June 2011)
• Guide Specification for Highway Construction: Texturing Concrete Pavement for Reduced Tire-Pavement Noise Using Transverse Tining (64 kb *pdf, June 2011)

Presentations

Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics 101 (3 mb *pdf)

Other resources

• CP Road Map Track 4: Surface Characteristics
• Strategic Plan for Improved Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics 1.5 mb (*pdf) July 2006
• Strategic Plan for Improved Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics, Executive Summary 1.2 mb (*pdf) July 2006

For more information

For more information on the Concrete Pavement Surface Characteristics Program, contact Program Manager Paul Wiegand, 515-294-7082, pwiegand@iastate.edu.

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