Transverse pavement grooving against hydroplaning. I: Simulation model

Abstract

Hydroplaning on a pavement surface with a film of water occurs when a vehicle reaches a critical speed and results in a loss of contact between its tires and the pavement surface. Pavement groovings, especially transverse pavement groovings, have been used in practice to reduce the occurrences of hydroplaning. This paper presents the development of a three-dimensional finite-volume model to simulate the hydroplaning phenomenon on pavements with and without transverse groovings. The theoretical considerations involved in the flow simulation model are described. The flow simulation makes use of fluid dynamics theories, utilizing the continuity equation, the Navier-Stokes equations, and the standard κ-ε turbulence model to model hydroplaning. The simulation results for the case of a smooth plane pavement surface are found to be in good agreement with experimental results in the literature and the well-known National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hydroplaning equation. The tire pressure-hydroplaning speed relationship predicted by the model is found to match very well with the empirical NASA hydroplaning equation. The model is applied to analyze pavement surfaces with three different transverse pavement groovings and verified against experimental results reported in the literature. The analysis also highlights the effectiveness of transverse pavement grooving in delaying hydroplaning occurrence (i.e., raising the speed at which hydroplaning occurs) and improving braking control during incipient hydroplaning. The analytical design of transverse pavement grooving to reduce the risk of hydroplaning is found in a companion paper. © 2006 ASCE.