Evaluating wet weather driving benefits of grooved pavements

Abstract

Under wet conditions, vehicles running on wet roads may experience low skid resistance and hydroplaning. Past research has shown that grooving of pavement reduces the risk of hydroplaning and increases tire-pavement skid resistance. A number of locked-wheel skid resistance models are available for hydroplaning speed and skid resistance evaluation and prediction. However, today, most automobiles are equipped with antilock braking systems (ABS) to prevent wheel locking. This paper presents an evaluation of wet weather driving benefits of pavement grooving utilizing an improved skid resistance simulation model for automobiles with ABS.The mechanism by which pavement grooving improves the skid resistance of pavements for both locked and rolling wheels are examined. Based on an analytical study, it is found that the use of ABS with pavement grooving improves wet pavement skid resistance values by 54% to 366% and reduces braking distances by 26.9% to 71.8% as compared to locked wheels braking on smooth pavement surface under various operational condition. © Chinese Society of Pavement Engineering.