Standardization News

The profilograph has become one of the most popular devices used for quality control in the construction of pavements, with many airfield and highway agencies adopting roughness indexes computed from profilographs as a measure of construction quality. Collecting pavement profiles at walking speed can be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but emerging high speed inertial profilers can simulate profilograph responses in less time, making roads and runways more accessible.

A new ASTM International standard presents procedures for profilograph simulation programs currently in use by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. E2955, Practice for Simulating Profilograph Response to Longitudinal Profiles of Traveled Surfaces, was developed by Subcommittee E17.33 on Methodology for Analyzing Pavement Roughness, part of ASTM International Committee E17 on Vehicle-Pavement Systems.

Injun Song, research engineer, SRA International Inc., and E17.33 chairman, says that E2955 will provide an easy and practical way to evaluate smoothness and rideability issues. "Any computer programmer or engineer who wants to add or create the simulation procedures to a program will follow this standard to expect the same simulation results," says Song.

Song says that the practice will provide information for the simulations, including details on wheel spacing, recording wheel size and sample spacing. E2955 also includes links for available simulation programs, in addition to background information for a simulation.

The following will be the primary users of E2955:

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CONTACT Technical Information: Injun Song, SRA International Inc. • Linwood, N.J. • Phone: 703-803-1500 | ASTM Staff: Rick Lake • Phone: 610-832-9689 | Upcoming Meeting: June 15-16 • State College, Pa.