Evaluation of Adhesion and Hysteresis Friction of Rubber-Pavement System

Tire-pavement friction is a key component in road safety. Adhesion and hysteresis are the two main mechanisms that affect the friction between rubber tires and pavements. This study experimentally examined the relationship between rubber-pavement adhesion and friction. The adhesive bond energy between rubber and pavement surfaces was calculated by measuring the surface energy components of rubber and aggregates. The friction was measured in the laboratory using a dynamic friction tester. The results revealed that there is a fair correlation between the adhesive bond energy and measured coefficient of friction. A rubber-pavement system with higher adhesion provided higher friction at low speed. In addition, the results demonstrated that there is a strong correlation between rubber-pavement friction and rubber properties. Softer rubber provided higher friction and vice versa. The results of this study provide an experimental verification of the relationship between adhesion and pavement surface friction. The adhesive bond energy and rubber rheological properties could be incorporated in computational models to study tire-pavement friction in different conditions (e.g., speed and temperature).