Evolution of texture and skid resistance change of high-friction surface due to differential-polishing undergoing simulated traffic wear

To enhance the understanding of the pavement texture evolution and improve the skid-resistance durability of the pavement, the differential-polishing design of aggregates was introduced and applied to High-Friction Surface Treatment (HFST). Five HFSTs, prepared with 88# calcined bauxite and limestone blended in different ratios, were polished using the rubber tires of the three-wheel polishing apparatus. The texture evolution and skid resistance of HFST undergoing simulated traffic wear were analyzed via bearing area ratio, 2D Power Spectral Density and dynamic friction coefficients (μ40 and μ60). Furthermore, the generation mechanism of differential-polishing was also investigated from the micro-view. The results show that the differential polishing generated by the large difference between the wear resistance of two aggregates can effectively improve the skid-resistance durability of HFST through reducing the wear loss and maintaining excellent surface roughness by continuously constructing new texture structure, particularly for HFST in which the blending proportion of limestone accounts for 25∼50% of the used aggregates. It is also found the textures with wavelengths above 0.7 mm and 1.1 mm are well correlated with μ40 and μ60, respectively.