Profile analysis of the LTPP SPS-1 site in Arizona

Abstract

This report characterizes the longitudinal profiles of sixteen pavement sections within the Arizona Specific Pavement Studies 1 project throughout their service life. This project was built and monitored as part of the Long-Term Pavement Performance Study. Road profile measurements were collected on this site about once per year since the winter after it was opened to traffic. This study analyzed the profiles in detail by calculating their roughness values, examining the spatial distribution of roughness within them, viewing them with post-processing filters, and examining their spectral properties. These analyses provided details about the roughness characteristics of the road and provided a basis for quantifying and explaining the changes in roughness with time, as well as linking profile properties to each section’s maintenance history and observations of surface distress.