Laboratory test to evaluate the effect of contaminants on road skid resistance

The effect of contaminants has been overlooked and yet plays a significant role in driver safety and road maintenance. A laboratory test method is developed to reproduce the deposit of contaminant particles on the road surface and measure the friction coefficient on dry and wet-contaminated surfaces. It simulates in this way the variation of skid resistance of the road surface due to contaminants during a dry period–precipitation event and the washoff effect of the rain. Protocols are described with respect to the contaminant collection on site and the subsequent preparation in the laboratory, the spreading of contaminant particles on the road specimen and their compaction to simulate the effect of the traffic, the wetting of the test surface to simulate precipitations, and the friction measurement. Values of friction coefficient on clean and dirty dry surfaces as well as during the surface wetting (simulation of precipitations) are plotted. Comparison with the literature shows that the developed test method reproduces remarkably well qualitative graphs used to highlight the loss of skid resistance with time during a rain preceded by a long dry period. The effect of contaminant concentrations and traffic is shown. Explanations are given in terms of the masking of the road surface microtexture; they are supported by visual observation of the road surface before and after the contaminant deposit.