Evaluation of Pavement Rutting Based on Driving Safety of Vehicles

To evaluate rutting based on driving quality of vehicles, three pavement models were established in view of the morphological characteristic of pavement ruts and friction coefficients, and the control models of vehicles conducting the braking were established according to different driving conditions. Lateral acceleration, roll angle, yaw angle, and lateral offset were adopted to describe the driving quality and safety of vehicles. The effects of different rut depths and width-height ratios on driving quality of vehicles under different driving conditions were analyzed. Results show that when a vehicle drives across a rut on a dry pavement at a speed of 100 km/h, the rut depth should be less than 20 mm to ensure the driving stability of vehicle. Road engineers and researchers should pay attention to this situation that width-height ratios of sidewall are 1 or smaller. When one wheel of a vehicle is braked in a rut groove with water, the driving speed of vehicles should be strictly controlled within 120 km/h, and the rut depth for road with a high driving speed should be less than 10 mm to ensure the driving stability and safety. The presented findings may make a contribution to maintenance decision-making.