Analytical Evaluation of Ride Comfort on Asphalt Concrete Pavements

Abstract Ride comfort is very important in the performance evaluation of highway concrete pavements. In this paper, three indices were integrated and used for the evaluation of ride comfort on asphalt concrete pavements: (1) weighted root mean square of the acceleration, (2) root mean square of the squared differences (a measure of heart rate variability), and (3) weighted value of subjective ride comfort. The study involved collection of comprehensive experimental data for 89 highway sections in China that included pavement roughness, ride speed, acceleration, dynamic friction, psychological and physiological data, pavement condition, and questionnaires. Indices and thresholds for acceleration, heart rate variability, and subjective evaluation of ride comfort were developed. In addition, quantitative relations between ride comfort and both pavement roughness and ride speed were established for two specific ranges of dynamic friction. Graphical relations among ride comfort, pavement roughness, and ride speed were established. These relations provide useful guidelines for ride comfort evaluation and highway maintenance management.