Study of Profile Measurements Using Six Different Devices

One of the top priorities for transportation authorities is to build a smooth pavement. A smoother pavement provides a better ride and reduces damage from dynamic traffic loading. Many different profilers have been selected by various transportation agencies to measure roughness. Roughness has been used in many specifications to determine if the contractor should obtain a bonus or penalty. Thus, a reliable device is needed to collect repeatable and defendable roughness values. The purpose of this study is to review, evaluate, and analyze six existing devices. Repetitive tests were conducted on both flexible and rigid pavements to determine the repeatability, correlation and limitations of these devices.