Citation

Agrawal SK, Henry JJ. Transp. Res. Rec. 1977; 633: 1-7.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1977, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Hydroplaning potential of pavement is defined as the inability of the accumulated water to escape from the tire-pavement contact area. The potential is measured in terms of the speed above which hydroplaning occurs; that is, the vehicle tires are lifted off the pavement and supported by a water wedge formed between tire surface and pavement. For the standardization of the measurement system, various test conditions and tires were investigated. An inflation pressure of 165 kPa (24 lb/sq in) and a vertical tire load of 2891 N (650 lbf) were chosen as the optimum parameters. The test results in a stationary trough show that the combination of the above test parameters and the ASTM designation E524 tire gives very low values of friction force at 80.5 km/h (50 mph) when the water-film thickness is 1.27 mm (0.05 in). We also found that water films as thick as 1.3 mm (0.05 in) were obtained from the tester water when the water jet was delivered approximately 2 m (6.5 ft) ahead of the tire. Also, the tests on different pavements show that the hydroplaning potential of a pavement is determined by measuring the water-film thickness and the average texture depth.