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Feasibility of Using Friction Indicators to Improve Winter Maintenance Operations and Mobility Prepared for: National Cooperative Highway Research Program Transportation Research Board of the National Academies

This project evaluated the feasibility of using friction indicators as tools for improving winter maintenance operations and mobility. It was found that the use of friction measurements for this purpose is feasible (especially when deceleration devices are used), but devices with an extra wheel may not represent a practical solution to friction measurement. The use of such devices works well for runways, where one vehicle is sufficient for an airport, but would not work well for highways where many vehicles equipped with an extra wheel would be needed for successful operational use in winter highway maintenance. Therefore, direct friction measurements may not be a viable operational tool in winter maintenance (although they will and should be used as research tools). Since traction control systems appear to be the only way to eliminate the extra wheel used in current devices, and since their use to predict road surface condition has a great potential for enhancing winter maintenance operations, they should be further investigated. However, if such technology is considered, it has to be automated to ensure that traction applied is beyond the point of slip, thereby eliminating the effect of the traction applied by the driver. Another feasible approach, used by Japan, is to develop models based on climate, traffic, and pavement related data to predict road surface condition. Such indirect measurements have a strong potential for being an operational tool. Two proposed scenarios appear to be promising and practical for improving winter maintenance operations, safety, and mobility. One scenario suggests the use of friction measurements or indices to provide information to support winter maintenance decision-making qualitatively and in a simple way. It is recommended for operational trial by state departments of transportation at one or more sites. The other scenario relies on the transmittal of friction measurements or indices and locations in near-real-time from the winter maintenance patrol or snowplow/spreader vehicles to a central office where the information is processed and transmitted to users. This scenario requires technology development and integration prior to use. A two-phase follow-up study is recommended to validate both scenarios.