Relating concrete pavement noise and friction to three-dimensional texture parameters

The objectives of this research were to characterise concrete pavement surface texture using three-dimensional (3D) surface texture indicators, to explore the relationship between pavement noise/friction and texture parameters. A newly constructed Portland cement concrete pavement with 13 types of textures was selected as test site. Pavement texture heights were recovered using photometric stereo technique. A comparative study was conducted between proposed 3D texture parameters and other established two-dimensional texture measurements, i.e. the circular track meter and the high-speed texture profiler. Correlation analysis between 3D texture parameters and noise/friction data were also carried out to explore relationship between pavement texture and noise/friction. In addition to texture amplitude, the direction and distribution of pavement texture have strong impacts on pavement noise and friction. It is possible to have a better understanding of surface texture and pavement noise/friction using combinations of the proposed 3D texture parameters.