Pavement serviceability evaluation using whole body vibration techniques: a case study for urban roads

ABSTRACT

Quantification of the pavement serviceability is most often based on the international roughness index (IRI). However, in urban environments it can become challenging to drive at 80 km/h as vehicle operating speeds are much lower, among other limitations associated with the use of IRI as an indicator of ride quality in the urban context. This study was conducted to formulate an alternative pavement serviceability evaluation criteria for low-speed roads (30–60 km/h) in urban settings. Deterministic and probabilistic models were developed to predict the PSI based on the whole-body vibration (WBV) concepts, and thereafter, the results were compared with the ISO 2631 standard that addresses human exposure to multiple mechanical shocks. The ISO 2631 standard uses a WBV-based frequency-weighted root-mean-square acceleration parameter (a_w) for evaluating discomfort in a multi-axis environment. Based on the estimated models, an a_wz criterion of 0.98 m/s² at a probability acceptance of 85%, for a vehicle operating speed of 50 km/h, was proposed for urban roads in this study. Overall, the study demonstrated that for accurate estimation of ride quality and comfort (i.e. PSI) of low-speed urban roads, the evaluation criteria should be based on low vehicle speeds that are more representative of urban field conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Pavement serviceability index
• ride quality
• whole body vibration
• international roughness index

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge and thank all those who helped with field measurements, pavement profile data collection, and documentation. The City of Barranquilla (Colombia) is also duly acknowledged for facilitating the study and using their jurisdictional rigid (concrete) roads as the case study.

The contents of this paper reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein and do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of any agency or institute. This paper does not constitute a standard, specification, nor is it intended for design, construction, bidding, contracting, tendering, certification, or permit purposes. Trade names were used solely for information purposes and not for product endorsement, advertisement, promotions, or certification.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Luis Fuentes http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7811-8821

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación: [Grant Number 1215-745-59105].