GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING AND CALIBRATING ROAD ROUGHNESS MEASUREMENTS

Road roughness is gaining increasing importance as an indicator of road condition, both in terms of pavement performance, and as a major determinant of road user costs. This paper defines roughness measurement systems hierachically into four groups, ranging from profilometric methods (2 groups), through response type road roughness measuring systems (RTRRMS's), and, subjective evaluation. The International Roughness Index (IRI) is defined, and the programs for it's calculation are provided. The IRI is based on simulation of the roughness response of a car travelling at 80 km/h. The report explains how all roughness measurements can be related to this scale, also when travelling at lower speeds than 80 km/h. The IRI emerges as a scale that can be used both for calibration and for comparative purposes.