Simulation of Real Pavement Texture Profiles Using the Discrete Element Method

Abstract

The simulation of pavement texture in the wearing layer helps to evaluate the texture characteristics, which is crucial for enhancing skid resistance and ensuring road safety. To investigate the simulation methodology for real pavement texture profiles, the actual pavement surface was scanned and adopted as the target texture. Simulated textures were generated based on the profiles of real aggregates, with key design parameters including aggregate angularity as well as the ratio of coarse to fine aggregates at 2.36 mm and 4.75 mm sieve size. The Hilbert-Huang transform (HHT) method was employed to analyze the target textures and simulated textures, followed by statistical analysis and comparison of the texture parameters. The primary findings are as follows: for real pavement texture, its texture parameters show a higher correlation with the British Pendulum Number compared to the texture depth. Amplitude-related parameters display a strong correlation with skid resistance, whereas shape-related parameters exhibit a relatively weaker correlation. In the simulated textures, wearing layers with better angularity have larger repose angles. Although variations in aggregate angularity and the ratio at 2.36 mm sieve size have minimal impacts on texture parameters, adjustments in the ratio at 4.75 mm sieve size effectively replicate target texture characteristics. The ratio of density to sharpness shows a relatively high correlation with skid resistance, the current model employed in this study has limitations in accurately simulating this ratio of the target texture, primarily because of the exclusion of factors such as aggregate wear and the effects of asphalt. Nonetheless, the model successfully simulates amplitude-related texture parameters of the two-dimensional texture in the wearing layer, achieving a simulation error margin within 10%.