Introduction to the
International Roughness Index
Bituminous Smoothness Training Workshop
April 11, 2007
ITS A FACT:
Many customer surveys, on both a
national and local level, have shown us
that Pavement Smoothness is one of the
main factors when it comes to rating the
nations highways.
Pavement Smoothness = Ride Comfort
Q: How comfortable is this road to drive on?
Ride Comfort Depends on:
Human Response to Vibration
Vehicle Response to the Road
Road Roughness
Human Response to Vibration
Vital organs in the abdominal cavity resonate at
about 5 Hz
A human head resonates at about 25 Hz
Human eyes resonate at 30-80 Hz
It is tough to grip a steering wheel if it is moving
at 50-200 Hz
Human Response to Vibration
Body
Bounce
(1-2 Hz)
Axle
Hop
(10-12 Hz)
True of False?
The California Profilograph doesnt accurately
determine the riding comfort of a roadway.
Who Said This?
No claim is made that the roughness or riding quality
of a pavement is directly or completely reflected by the
profile index.
It should again be emphasized that strictly speaking,
the devices reported herein do not furnish a direct
index to riding qualities.
Francis N. Hveem, 1960
(inventor of the California Profilograph)
Why doesnt the Profilograph measure and P.I.
reflect the Riding Comfort of a roadway?
The California Profilograph
Because its front and rear wheels are in contact with the
pavement surface, the profilograph cannot accurately measure
the pavement profile
Actual Profile
Device Length
Profilograph
Trace
The California Profilograph
Some of the roughness that hides inside the 0.2 blanking band causes
drivers to experience roughness
Result:
Ride Incentives have been paid on new
pavement surfaces that the public does
not consider to be smooth.
Huh?
A smoothness index should be...
Time Stable
z
Does not change with time
Transportable
z
Compatible with different profiling methods
Valid
z
Same result regardless of hardware
Relevant
z
Reflect what road users experience
Response Type Road Roughness Measurement Systems
1941
1960s
Similar to PCA Roadmeter
Average Rectified Slope (ARS)
ARS
le
i
m
/
s
he
c
n
i
0
=6
1 mile
60 inches
Average Rectified Slope = The ratio of the accumulated
suspension motion of a vehicle (in, mm, etc) divided by
the distance traveled by the vehicle during the test (mi,
km, etc.).
1 mile
=
S
R
1 mile
c
n
i
50
ile
m
/
hes
1/10 mile
100 inches
RS
10
le
i
/m
s
e
h
nc
i
0
5 inches
AR
5
=
S
es
h
c
0 in
e
l
i
m
/
50 inches
Average Rectified Slope (ARS)
Problems with
Response Type devices
Hard to get the same results twice
Tire Size, Type, and Pressure
Shocks/Springs (change over time)
Driver
Mechanical
Measuring Pavement Profiles
Inertial Profiler
Inertial Profilers
in Minnesota
These devices do not measure the IRI.
They measure the pavement profile.
Inertial Profiler Components
Accelerometer (reference elevation)
Laser Height Sensor (height relative to reference)
Distance Measuring Instrument (longitudinal distance)
Accelerometers
Accelerometers are used in a wide variety of machines, specialized
equipment and personal electronics including seismology equipment,
car alarm systems, and crash detection/air bag deployment sensors.
In profilers, they measure the movement of the vehicle body which is
then removed from the height sensor readings to yield the pavement
profile.
Laser Height Sensor
The laser height sensors measure the distance from the reference plane
to the pavement surface. They operate around 16KHz. At 60 mph
they can take about 15 readings per inch of vehicle travel.
Close-up of Laser Height Sensors
Lasers take a reading
about every 1/16-inch
as the van drives down
the road at highway
speeds
Triods Laser
RoLine Laser
Typical Profile Measured
with an Inertial Profiler
inertial device
static device
Profiles from inertial devices and
static devices do not look the same.
After filtering out the long wavelengths
(> 300 ft) from the static device
The IRI was first
recommended as a
standard for roughness
measurements at the
International Road
Roughness Experiment
conducted in 1982.
International Road Roughness
Experiment
z
z
z
z
Sponsored by the World Bank
Held in Brasilia, Brazil, in 1982.
Researchers from Brazil, England, France, and the US
Reference Average Rectified Slope (RARS)
Their recommendation was that the RARS80 (RARS @
80 km/hr) was the best numerical index and came to be
know as the International Roughness Index, or IRI
Definition of IRI
The International Roughness Index (IRI) is a scale for
roughness based on the simulated response of a generic
motor vehicle to the roughness in a single wheel path of the
road surface.
Its true value is determined by obtaining a suitably accurate
measurement of the profile of the road, processing it through
an algorithm that simulates the way a reference vehicle
would respond to the roughness inputs, and accumulating the
suspension travel.
It is normally reported in inches/mile or meters/kilometer
RARS80 = IRI
When the ARS is calculated using the Quarter-Car
Simulation @ 80 km/hr, it is known as the RARS80, or
International Roughness Index.
50 inches/mile
The computer code for
calculating IRI from a
measured profile is
contained in a subsequent
report published in 1986.
IRI Particulars
The IRI is the property of a single wheel track
IRI Particulars
1.
Calculated at 80 km/hr (49.7 mph) to cover the
same wavelengths that affect road using vehicles.
Fast speeds are effected most by long wavelengths
Slow speeds are effected most by short wavelengths
2.
Sensitive to the range of wavelengths detectable
by most road users (4 to 100 feet).
3.
Maximum sensitivity to the most objectionable
wavelengths, body bounce (~50 ft) and axle hop
(~7 ft)
IRI Filtering
The IRI filters the raw profile in two ways:
1.
2.
250mm (9.8) moving average filter is applied
The Quarter-Car (Golden Car) filter is applied
A moving average filter (low-pass filter)
For IRI, B=250mm (9.8)
(represents the way a tire envelops the ground)
Quarter Car Filter
150 inches/mile
Justification for choosing the IRI
1.
Defined by a mathematical function of the longitudinal
profile rather than by a piece of equipment (time stable).
2.
Compatible with both manual profile measurement
methods and high speed methods of data collection
(transportable).
3.
Reflects the roughness that affects the driving public
(relevant).
4.
The same index is generated regardless of the hardware
when applied to the same road (valid).
FHWA IRI Categories
IRI Value
Roughness Category
inches/mile
m/km
Good
< 95
< 1.5
Acceptable
< 170
< 2.7
Average IRI on Minnesota Interstates = 87 in/mi
Average IRI on Minnesota Non-Interstates = 105 in/mi
About 8% of the state highway miles are >= 170 in/mi
IRI the year after Overlay
(3-4 Overlays done in 2004)
100%
80%
70%
Even pay for a
2-lift overlay
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
2005 IRI (inches/mile)
96-100
91-95
86-90
81-85
76-80
71-75
66-70
61-65
56-60
51-55
46-50
41-45
36-40
31-35
26-30
21-25
16-20
11-15
6-10
0%
0-5
Percent of Miles Overlaid
90%
Who uses IRI?
z
Mn/DOT has measured IRI on the state highway system
every year since 1993.
Nearly every state DOT measures IRI on their system.
FHWA has required states to measure IRI on the National
Highway System every year since 1993 (the results are
reported to Congress).
The use of IRI for construction acceptance is new.
Source: smoothpavements.com
Bumps
A roadway which is otherwise very smooth will generate complaints
if there is a single event that causes the driver to be be uncomfortable
BUMP
528 foot intervals
in
/m
i
53
in
/m
i
77
in
/m
i
63
65
in
/m
i
Reporting IRI by Segments
Reporting Continuous IRI
Slide this frame one data point at a time.
Calculate the resulting IRI in inches/mile.
BUMP
25 foot interval
Continuous IRI
25 feet
continued for an entire mile
e
l
i
m
s/
e
h
nc
i
1
1
AR
2
=
S
1 mile
211 inches
=
S
AR
/
h
c
n
1i
1 inch
If this
et
e
f
25
Gervais Avenue in front of Maplewood Lab
IRI = 200 in/mile
Manhole covers
961 inches/mile!
FHWAs
ProVal Profile Analysis Software
www.roadprofile.com
Summary
The California Profilograph & Profile Index do not
reflect the riding comfort of a roadway.
The IRI is tuned into the wavelengths that cause
humans to feel discomfort (body bounce & axle hop).
IRI can be calculated from any accurately measured
pavement profile. This means you cannot calculate
the IRI from a profilograph trace.
Continuous IRI can be used to locate isolated
roughness (i.e. bumps & dips) and will be used in
future Mn/DOT specifications.
