Study and Development of Prototype to Explore and Evaluate the Pavement Friction for Safety

Research Title : Study and Development of Prototype to Explore and Evaluate the Pavement Friction for Safety

Co-Researchers : Dr. Pawarotorn Chaipetch

The research presents the development of a Laser MPD: DRR prototype device for measuring Mean Profile Depth (MPD), a characteristic of pavement macro-texture that is related to pavement friction.

The prototype was developed based on ASTM E1845, and the study examined the relationship between MPD and the coefficient of pavement friction. The results indicated that when MPD was higher than 1.5 millimeters, the coefficients of pavement friction of the investigated pavement samples were higher than the investigative level of 0.35.

The study therefore proposed using MPD as a screening threshold for road sections to reduce the need for direct friction measurements across all pavement sections, particularly at the investigative level. This can help reduce the time and cost of data collection for pavement friction management and road safety planning.