Citation

Martinez JE. Transp. Res. Rec. 1977; 633: 8-13.

Copyright

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

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Pavement grooving is a technique by which longitudinal or transverse cuts are introduced on a surface to increase skid resistance and reduce the number of wet-weather accidents. The objective of the research was to determine the effect of pavement grooving on motorist safety by studying the effects of grooving on friction, braking, and vehicle control by computer simulation and full-scale testing. Vehicles considered were automobiles, motorcycles, and automobile and towed-vehicle combinations. The computer simulation was developed by obtaining test data for a variety of conditions and performing a regression analysis of the data. The result was a set of equations that were incorporated into vehicle handling models that predicted vehicle response due to the grooves. The motorcycle rider detected a perceptible difference between worn and unworn grooving. The effect of grooving on motorcycle response could not be detected by electronic instruments that measured steering angle and torque. No significant difference was found for various grooving geometries. Electronic instrumentation could not detect the effects of grooving on a typical small automobile and towed-vehicle combination at different speeds for various trailer and tongue loads. Based on computer simulation, the effects of grooving is more beneficial for low-friction than for high-friction pavement; also, grooves provide a noticeable increase in the directional stability of a vehicle.