Publication Detail

Comparative OBSI Testing in Northern California: The Davis Rodeo

UCD-ITS-RR-14-28

Research Report

UC Pavement Research Center

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Suggested Citation:
Donovan, Paul (2014) Comparative OBSI Testing in Northern California: The Davis Rodeo. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-14-28

This is a reprint of a report written for Caltrans and the University of California Pavement Research Center as part of Partnered Pavement Research Program Strategic Plan Number 4.39, the continued monitoring of selected quieter pavement test sections. The goal of this program is to identify quieter, smoother, safer, and more durable pavement surfaces. The report describes a series of comparative OBSI tests in a so-called “rodeo” performed on 19 different pavement sections by three different teams and vehicles using five different tires to determine variations among them for noise testing, following the AASHTO TP 76 procedure. The testing considered the tires’ rubber durometer hardness, tread depth, and accumulated mileage, and measured sound levels using the on-board sound intensity method. The resultsof these measurements are compared with similar testing performed earlier, and showed that the average differences measured by the teams were smaller and the maximum OBSI ranges were larger than those made in earlier testing.
UCPRC-RP-2014-01