Published: 2003 | Category: Safety, security and public health , Research programme , Research & reports | Audience: General
The effects of frost and ice on the skid resistance of a range of road surface types used in New Zealand were examined in a laboratory-based study, carried out in 2001-02.
Frost and ice were formed on samples in controlled climate test rooms. In addition the same range of road samples was exposed to natural frost.
Road surface types tested included dense and open-graded asphalts, and both fine and coarse textured chipseals.
Comparisons were made with actual roads in frost conditions. Fine textured road surfaces were found to be very vulnerable to loss of skid resistance in frost and ice conditions. Coarse textured surfaces appeared to retain more of their skid resistance in frost and ice although the increase in skid resistance is small. The implications for road management are examined.
Additional work examined the corrections that should be made to skid resistance results to allow for the effects of very low temperatures (<5°C) on the methods of measurement.
Keywords: asphalt, chipseal, frost, ice, macrotexture, microtexture, New Zealand, pavement, road, road surface, safety, skid resistance, surface, surface texture, texture, traffic
