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Abstract for presentation (Poster or Podium) with a Paper in the Conference Proceedings

Highway Pavements

Evaluation of Skid Resistance of New Mexico Pavements

Monday, June 17, 2024
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM ET
Room: Galleria
Abstract:

Improper skid resistance can lead to road accidents and driving discomfort. To ensure an adequate skid resistance, a 0.75-inch-thick open graded friction course (OGFC) is used on top of the asphalt surface course of pavements in New Mexico. However, it is not known whether and/or how many skid resistance values are added by the OGFCs. To that end, we have selected a total of nine OGFC surfaced roads in three categories: (i) interstate roads I-10, I-25, I-40 (ii) US national roads:US-60, US-70, US-180, and (iii) New Mexico roads: NM-04, NM-38, NM-80. Field friction/skid testing were conducted monthly on one-mile sections of each road.  Data were analyzed for skid resistance or skid number (SN) values. Overall, a poor correlation between the peak SN and SN value at 100% slip was observed. The peak SN value for I-10, I-25 and I-40 are found to be 77.44, 77.725 and 56.04 respectively. The peak SN value for US-60, US-70 and US-180 are 89.95, 31.32 and 87.93 respectively. The peak SN values for NM-04, NM-38 and NM-80 are 56.04, 16.17, 84.77 respectively. No significant pattern in SN value can be observed among these three groups. In general, an SN value of more than 35 is considered adequate. The SN values at 100% slip are 82.95, 69.52, and 42.5 for I-10, I-25, I-40; 39.92, 32.99, 47.78 for US-60, US-70, US-180, and 29.3, 56.9 and 59.42 for NM-04, NM-38 and NM-80respectively. Average SN values of Interstate roads are slightly higher than the US and NM road, however the difference is statistically insignificant. From this study, it can be said that being surfaced with OGFCs, the interstate, US, NM roads are not designed for different SN values in New Mexico. Given the fact that these roads are designed for different traffic speeds and volumes, they should be designed with different SN values (comfort level and safety).

Keywords: Skid Resistance, Open-Graded Friction Course (OGFC), Slip, Skid Number, pavement.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees can expect to learn the following from this session:
  • Participants should be proficient in conducting field friction/skid testing, collecting relevant data, and using statistical analysis tools to interpret the collected data, such as mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficients.
  • Participants should be able to describe and differentiate key skid resistance metrics, such as skid number (SN) and the 100% slip SN value, and explain their significance in road safety.
  • Be able to identify, apply relevant skid resistance standards and guidelines, such as an SN value of 35 as a benchmark for adequacy, in the context of road safety assessment.
  • Participants should understand the implications of different road surface types, such as OGFC, on skid resistance and be able to interpret how these choices impact road safety and performance.
  • Be able to assess the safety, design implications of the study's findings, including skid resistance values based on factors like traffic speeds, volumes, propose recommendations for road design, maintenance.