Feasibility study of asphalt pavement pothole properties measurement using 3D line laser technology

Potholes are bowl-shaped distresses that negatively influence driving safety. Using 3D line laser technology, a high-resolution pavement profile can be acquired to derive pothole properties. This paper presents a novel method to measure pothole properties comprehensively and precisely by using 3D line laser data. A laboratory test was performed on a simulated pothole to validate the reliability of proposed method. The test results indicate that the relative error of pothole properties measurement ranges from 3.66% to 4.78%. And the small standard deviation shows good repeatability. In addition, this paper proposes that the longitudinal spacing between two adjacent transverse profiles is sensitive to pothole property measurements, and the optimum spacing should be less than 2 mm to accurately measure pothole properties. Using the optimum spacing, 2 field potholes data were collected on interstate way 107, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. The field test results have shown that the relative error of pothole properties measurement can be less than 8%, which is sufficiently accurate for practical applications. This paper demonstrated that 3D line laser is very promising to provide a reliable measurement results for pothole properties.