ABSTRACT
The effect of surface texture on rolling resistance and fuel consumption has only been investigated in a few studies. This paper evaluates three existing models for this effect, namely the NCHRP 1–45 project’s report 720, the MIRIAM project, and a study by Boere. The same conditions of 80 km/h speed, and zero IRI and deflection are used in the comparison. An adjustment rolling resistance factor with a baseline condition of MPD = 0.5 mm is used. The results from the NCHRP 720 model match the independent experimental results reported by Boere very well, and are in good agreement with Boere’s numerical model. On the other hand, the MIRIAM model gives a significantly higher texture effect than the NCHRP 720 model. Therefore, NCHRP 720 and Boere models appear to be more reliable than the MIRIAM model, which seems to overestimate the effect of texture on rolling resistance.
