Improved Techniques for Assessing Ride Quality on Concrete Pavements

Under current procedures used in Australia for testing and interpretation of road profiles it is difficult to identify and isolate pavement sections responsible for unpleasant ride vibration. For the construction of new concrete pavements, in particular, where subsequent correction of profiles is very expensive, there is a need for improved procedures to give early feedback of the ultimate ride quality. To help identify and treat pavement problem areas, numerical models were developed to simulate ride vibration and pavement grinding. The ride and grind simulation models cover four generic vehicle classes - passenger cars, heavy commercial vehicles, off-road recreational and sports utility vehicles and motorcycles - and conventional pavement grinding equipment. A number of vibration response presentation formats were developed to help quantify ride vibration severity, intrinsic unevenness and grind treatment effectiveness. The models and key findings of the study are presented in this paper through contrasting examples of responses from the models to a selection of road profiles before and after virtual (theoretical) remedial grind treatment.