ABSTRACT
Both high-speed and low-speed skid resistance testing are required to analyze the skid resistance performance of a pavement. This study examines the merits of different methods of low-speed skid resistance testing. British Pendulum Tester (BPT) and Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) are two main devices commonly used to measure the low-speed skid resistance of pavement. The shortcoming of these two devices are first reviewed and analyzed. To overcome these shortcomings, a new low-speed skid resistance device known as Walking Friction Tester (WFT) has been developed at the Chang’an University. Laboratory test and field test were conducted to compare the stability, accuracy and efficiency of BPT, DFT and WFT. The study showed that the test measurement reliability of WFT was comparable with those of BPT and DFT. However, compared with WFT, the reliability performances of both BPT and DFT are known to be affected when rough-textured surfaces are tested. WFT was also the most efficient for field testing in terms of time duration. The study suggested that WFT could serve as a useful practical alternative to BPT and DFT in measuring the low-speed skid resistance properties of pavement materials.
