Study on skid resistance of road pavements contaminated by soil fine particles

The functional performance of a road pavement is highly related to the safety of vehicles and therefore represents a major priority in the development of maintenance programs. Although several indicators can be used to characterize safety on pavements, the skid resistance is one of the most employed. This study focuses on the skid resistance of road surfaces covered by fine-grained soil contaminants. Such condition is not rare in rural areas where tractors are allowed to operate on both paved surfaces and farming fields. In pursuing the aim of the research, three different asphalt concrete slabs were prepared in the laboratory and tested using the British Pendulum Tester. Two soils were used as contaminants, which were spread on the slab surfaces to analyze the effect of both water content and amount of particles. Results testified a significant effect of soil consistency on the skid resistance of asphalt pavement.