HIGHWAY ENGINEERING LABORATORY

ECG344
OPEN-ENDED LAB
OCTOBER 2021 - FEBRUARY 2022

TITLE OF EXPERIMENT: Skid Resistance Test

DATE OF EXPERIMENT: 28/1/2022
GROUP : EC1105I
GROUP MEMBERS:

1. MUHAMMAD DZAKIRIN HANNAN BIN NORASHID

(2019254462)
2. MUHAMMAD FAIZ BIN JAAFAR SIDEK
(2019435374)
3. SYED MUHAMMAD IKRAM BIN SYED
SHAHARUDDIN (2019434752)
4. FIKRI NAJIB BIN ISMAIL (2019432126)
LECTURER: MOHD MAWARDI MOHD KAMAL
LEVEL OF OPENESS : 2
INTRODUCTION
The friction created to keep the tyre from sliding down the pavement surface is known as
skid resistance. It allows for increased traction between the tyres and the road surface with
skid resistance. When opposed to when it's wet, most road surfaces have appropriate skid
resistance when it's dry. When there is water between the tyres and the road surface, the
contact area required to provide grip is reduced.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the skid resistance value of the road pavement surface.

APPARATUS
(a) Parts
 Slider – Slider assembly consists of an aluminium backing plate to which a
rubber strip is bonded.
 Levelling screws
 Scale
 Drag pointer
 Locking and control knobs
 Frictional rings
(b) Accessories
 Contact path gauge – shall consist of a thin ruler suitably marked for
measuring contact path length.
 Water container
 Surface thermometer and
 Brush
PREPARATION OF APPARATUS

1. Levelling – apparatus is levelled using 3 levelling screws until the bubble is

cantered in the spirit level.
2. Zero adjustment – raise the pendulum mechanism by loosening locking
knob, till it swings free of test surface. Tighten the knob. Place pendulum
in release position and drag pointer in horizontal position and drag pointer
in horizontal position. Execute a free swing and note the pointer reading.
If reading is not zero; make adjustment by friction ring until pendulum
swing carries the pointer to zero.
3. Slide length adjustment – with pendulum hanging free, place spacer
under adjusting screw of lifting handle and allow pendulum to move slowly
to the left until the edge of the slider touches the surface. Place gauge
beside slider and parallel to the direction of swing to verify the length of
contact path which should be between (10 – 12 cm) on flat surfaces as
measured from trailing edge to trailing edge of the rubber slider.
PROCEDURE
1. Place pendulum in release position and rotate drag pointer counter
clockwise until it comes to original position.
2. Inspect the road and choose the section to be tested. Set the apparatus
so that the slider swings in the direction of traffic.
3. Execute one trial swing.
4. Make three swings and record the results. The readings should not differ
by more than 3 units.
5. Wet the test area. Make three more swings at the wetted test area and
record the results. The readings should not differ by more than 3 units.
6. Find another two more locations and repeat procedure 1 to 5 at each
location.
7. Report the individual values and also note down the condition, texture and
location of test areas.

DATA ANALYSIS
Locatio Surface Texture Reading of Skid Resistance Average Temperatur
n and Condition Tester Reading e
(°C)
Wet Dry Wet Dry Wet Dry
1 Smooth 77 68 80 7 89 76 75 80.33 26.5 27.2
6
2 Drought 80 90 87 9 11 11 85.67 108.3 29.4 30.1
8 2 5 3

DISCUSSION
Based on the experiment, we have obtained three values of skid resistance at two
different surface pavement which are rough and smooth. The average reading of skid
resistance at location 1 are 75 for wet surface and 80.33 for dry surface. This location is
classified as smooth pavement surface due to low value of skid number. The second
experiment had been done on a rough surface. The average data determined for wet
surface and dry surface are 85.67 and 108.33 respectively. Based on appendix 1 below
Since the value for the first and second trial is higher than 35 so the location is acceptable
for heavily travelled roads.
Several factors can influence skid resistance, including road surface texture, aggregate
types and sizes, surface roughness, and road structure type. To avoid early failure, the
skid resistance of a road surface can be improved by overlaying the current surface and
ensuring that there are few fractures. Retexturing the surface with high-pressure water jets
or sand blasting might help. Using slurry seal, or micro surfacing are some of the other
options.

Appendix 1 : Typical Skid Numbers

CONCLUSION
We may conclude from this experiment that pavement at the location is appropriate for
heavily travelled roads. The friction between the tyre and the macrotexture is shown by
the skid resistance readings. The experiment's purpose has been accomplished.
REFERENCES
Moon, A. (2021). TITLE SKID RESISTANCE 1.0 INTRODUCTION. Retrieved
December 7, 2021, from Academia.edu website:
https://www.academia.edu/37853342/TITLE_SKID_RESISTANCE_1_0_INTRODUCTI
ON