PAVEMENT RIDE SPECIFICATION : WHAT CAN BE ACHIEVED?

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation introduced End Product Specifications (EPS) with a ride or smoothness specification in the summer of 1990. Ride specifications are enforced using measurements obtained from a Cox Profilograph. Questions raised about the ride specification limits resulted in a field study of the ride that could be achieved under normal paving conditions for a range of lift thicknesses and number of lifts. This paper documents the results from the 1990 field trials and paving projects as well as a number of 1991 paving projects. The paper identifies if the smoothness of the final pavement is related to the following factors: a) ride of the original pavement; b) milling of old pavement; c) number of new pavement lifts; d) thickness of new pavement lifts; e) contractor; f) bumps on the original pavement. Conclusions are drawn about the suitability of the ride specification and the above factor. For the covering abstract of this conference, see IRRD number 853909. (A)