The purpose of this study was to evaluate the accuracy and usefulness of pavement distress data derived from a laser road surface tester (RST) operating on Virginia's interstate highway system. The evaluation was conducted by comparing rut depth, roughness, cracking, and macrotexture measurements generated by the Laser RST with those obtained using conventional methods. The study concluded that the laser RST was not adequate as a crack pattern recognition tool. The device was not capable of generating surface macrotexture or rut depth measurements that would be of use to the Virginia Department of Transportation. Roughness information collected by the laser RST correlated well with the May's ridemeter and the K.J. Law 8300 roughness surveyor. It should be noted, however, that several years have passed since the data used in this study were collected, during which time the laser technology changed significantly.
A study of the KJ. Law Model 8300 Roughness Surveyor was begun in 1985 to determine the feasibility of replacing Mays Meter roughness testing equipmen...
South Dakota Road Profiling (SDRP) systems have been widely sanctioned for use in assessing road roughness and rutting at highway speeds. Traditionall...
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving a Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS)/National Transportation Library (NTL)
Web-based service.
Thank you for visiting.
You are about to access a non-government link outside of
the U.S. Department of Transportation's National
Transportation Library.
Please note: While links to Web sites outside of DOT are
offered for your convenience, when you exit DOT Web sites,
Federal privacy policy and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act (accessibility requirements) no longer apply. In
addition, DOT does not attest to the accuracy, relevance,
timeliness or completeness of information provided by linked
sites. Linking to a Web site does not constitute an
endorsement by DOT of the sponsors of the site or the
products presented on the site. For more information, please
view DOT's Web site linking policy.
To get back to the page you were previously viewing, click
your Cancel button.
United States Department of Transportation
[PDF-1.30 MB]
