Wet-Pavement Hydroplaning Risk and Skid Resistance: Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical simulation of the wet-pavement skid resistance reduction process as the sliding speed of a locked wheel increases. The development of the three-dimensional finite-element model used for the simulation is presented in a companion paper. The proposed model is able to simulate tire-fluid-pavement interaction of a sliding locked wheel on a wet pavement for hydroplaning and skid resistance analysis. The verification of its ability to predict hydroplaning speed is found in the companion paper. In this paper, the validation of the predicted wet pavement skid resistance at different sliding wheel speeds is made by comparing it with measured values from six different experiments conducted by past researchers. A very good match is found between the computed values by the proposed numerical model and the measured data. The analytical model offers a useful tool to predict the magnitude of wet-pavement skid resistance at any given locked-wheel sliding speed. As an analytical model, it also produces valuable information on the deterioration mechanism of skid resistance. It shows quantitatively the following changes as the sliding speed of a locked wheel increases: a progressively reduced contact area; a progressively increased fluid uplift force under the tire; and the corresponding decreases in the normal contact force at the tire-pavement interface.