Pavement Evaluation 1

PAVEMENT EVALUATION

MSc. Transportation Engineering

Teacher Incharge; Dr. Sajjad Maqbool

Presented by; Saadia Tabassum

Pavement Evaluation 2
 “Pavement evaluation is a technique of assessing
the condition of a pavement, both structurally
and from the point of view of surface
characteristics”
 Objectives;
 To research on the performance of pavements of different
specifications over a period of time
 To assess maintenance needs such as patch repairs,
renewals and resealing
 To assess the need for structural overlay on distressed
pavements

Pavement Evaluation 3
 Pavement Evaluation is a Measure of Pavement
Performance

 Pavement Performance is a function of its relative

ability to serve traffic over a period of time (Highway
Research Board, 1962).
 Evaluation Categories
 Roughness (often called “smoothness”)
 Surface Distress

 Skid Resistance

 Structural Evaluation

Pavement Evaluation 4
 Objective of various system of measurement
(roughness meter, deflection, skid resistance
equipment, visual distress survey....etc.)

 Establish maintenance priorities

 Determine maintenance and rehabilitation
strategies
 Predict pavement performance

Pavement Evaluation 5
 Pavement Roughness
“is an expression of irregularities in the
pavement surface that adversely affect the ride
quality of vehicle (and thus the user).”

Rough Pavements

Pavement Evaluation 6
 Pavement Roughness
 Roughness Measurement
 Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)
 International Roughness Index (IRI)

 Measurement Techniques

Rod & Level Survey
 Dipstick Profiler

 Profilographs

 Response Type Road Roughness Meter

(RTRRM)
 Profiling Devices

Pavement Evaluation 7
 Roughness Measurement
Present Serviceability Rating (PSR)

"The judgment of an observer as to the current ability of a

pavement to serve the traffic it is meant to serve" (Highway
Research Board, 1962).

Individual Present Serviceability Rating Form

Pavement Evaluation 8
 Roughness Measurement
International Roughness Index (IRI)
"IRI is used to define a characteristic of the longitudinal profile of a
traveled wheel track and constitutes a standardized roughness
measurement. The commonly recommended units are meters per
kilometer (m/km) or millimeters per meter (mm/m).”

IRI Roughness Scale

Pavement Evaluation 9
 Measurement Techniques
Categories of Equipments for roughness survey data
collection

Roughness Measuring Equipment

Pavement Evaluation 10
 Measurement Techniques
Categories of Equipments for roughness survey data
collection
• Rod and Level survey
• Dipstick Profiler (for small quantity of pavement profile measurement)

Pavement Evaluation Dipstick Profiler 11

 Measurement Techniques
Categories of Equipments for roughness survey data
collection
• Profilographs
…..for rigid pavement construction inspection,
quality control, and acceptance.
…..not practical for network condition survey.

Profilograph Profilograph Output

Pavement Evaluation 12
 Measurement Techniques
Categories of Equipments for roughness survey data
collection
• Response Type Road Roughness Meter (RTRRM)

….. RTRRM systems are adequate for routine

monitoring of a pavement network and
providing an overall picture of the condition
of the network
….. RTRRMs measure the vertical movements
of the rear axle of an automobile or the axle of
a trailer relative to the vehicle frame.

Pavement Evaluation 13
 Measurement Techniques
Categories of Equipments for roughness survey data
collection
• Profiling Devices

….. Profiling devices are used to provide

accurate, scaled, and complete reproductions
of the pavement profile within a certain range.

Van mounted road profiler Distress data collection van

Pavement Evaluation 14
 Surface Distress
“Any indication of poor or unfavorable
pavement performance or signs of impending
failure; any unsatisfactory performance of a
pavement short of failure" (Highway Research Board,
1970).
 Distress modes
 Fracture (cracking or spalling)
 Distortion (rutting, corrugation & shoving)
 Disintegration (striping, raveling or spalling)

Pavement Evaluation 15
 Surface Distress

Water bleeding
Alligator & Pumping
Raveling
Cracking Stripping
Rutting
Bleeding

JointSlippage
reflection cracking
Cracking
Pavement Evaluation Corrugation & Shoving 16
 Distress Measurement
….either Subjective or Objective
 Measurement Techniques
 Visual method – old
 High speed imaging van –advance technology
 Equipped with high resolution cameras
 Specifically designed workstations

 Advantages

 Safety

 Accurate and complete distress data

 Effective quality control system

 More efficient data collection

 Video and digital images are available for other

Pavement Evaluation users 17

 Measurement Techniques

Pavement Evaluation 18
Visual Method
 Measurement Techniques

Pavement Condition Rating Van

Screen Shot from a Computer-Based Automatic Crack Detection

System Inside A Pavement Condition
Pavement Evaluation Rating Van 19
 Skid Resistance
“Skid resistance is the force developed when a
tire that is prevented from rotating, slides along
the pavement surface (Highway Research Board,
1972).”
 Important Pavement Evaluation Parameter
owing to;
 Inadequate skid resistance leads to higher accidents
 Obligation of agencies to provide user with reasonably
safe roadway
 Skid resistance measurements can be used to evaluate
various type of material and construction particles

Pavement Evaluation 20
 Skid Resistance Measurement
 Quantified by;
 Friction Factor or Skid Number
Friction factor (like a coefficient of friction): f = F/L

Skid number: SN = 100(f)

where: F = frictional resistance to motion in plane of

interface
L = load perpendicular to interface

Pavement Evaluation 21
 Skid Resistance Measurement

Typical Skid Number

Pavement Evaluation 22
 Measurement Techniques
 Common Methods
 The locked wheel tester
….this method uses a locked wheel
skidding along the tested surface to measure
friction resistance. 

Lock Wheeled Skid Tester

Pavement Evaluation 23
 Measurement Techniques
 The spin up tester
…. same basic setup as a locked
wheel tester but operates in an opposite
manner
 Surface texture measurement
…. seeks to measure a pavement's
macro texture then correlate it with skid
resistance as measured by some other, more
traditional method

Pavement Evaluation 24
 Pavement Surface Deflection
“pavement deflection is a function of traffic
(type and volume), pavement structural section,
temperature affecting the pavement structure and
moisture affecting the pavement structure.”

Pavement Evaluation 25
 Pavement Deflection Measurement

…measured as a pavement surface's vertical
deflected distance as a result of an applied
(either static or dynamic) load.
 …advanced measurement devices record
this vertical deflection in multiple locations

 Measurement Techniques
 Static deflections (static load)
 Steady state deflections (oscillating load)

 Impact load deflections (impulse load)

Pavement Evaluation 26
 Measurement Techniques
 Static Deflection Equipment
 Benkelman Beam
 …operates on lever arm principle
 …measurement is made by placing the tip of the beam

between the dual tires and measuring the pavement

surface rebound as the truck is moved away

Benkelman Beam Schematic

Pavement Evaluation Benkelman Beam in use 27

 Measurement Techniques
 Steady State Deflection Equipment
 DynaFlect & Road Rater

…consists of
 a dynamic force generator (that produces the
oscillating load),
 a motion measuring instrument (to measure the
oscillating load),
 a calibration unit and several deflection measuring
Dynaflect
devices (transducers, accelerometers, seismometers,
etc.).

Road Rater
Pavement Evaluation 28
 Measurement Techniques
 Impact (Impulse) Load Response
 Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD)
 …measures pavement response (deflection basin) by a
series of sensors
 ... quicker and it more accurately simulates the transient

loading of traffic

Sensors
Loading Plate
(weight)
FWD Impulse Loading
Mechanism and Sensors
Pavement Evaluation 29
 Pavement Condition Rating Systems
 Based on measurements of roughness,
surface distress, skid resistance and deflection,
pavements can be assigned a score that
evaluates it and thus reflects their overall
condition.
 This score, sometimes called a pavement
condition rating, quantifies a pavement's
overall performance and can be used to help
manage pavement networks.
Pavement Evaluation 30
 Pavement Condition Rating Systems
 pavement condition scores can be used to;
 Trigger treatment
 Determine the extent and cost of repair.
 Determine a network condition index.
 Allow equal comparison of different pavements

Pavement Evaluation 31
 Thank you

Questions?

Pavement Evaluation 32