Skid Resistance of Concrete Pavement Surfaces – Practical Experience in Germany

Skid resistance of a pavement surface is important for safety. Therefore the surface of a concrete pavement must have a roughness suitable for a high skid resistance but also for a low noise emission. These surface properties must be as durable as possible. In Germany there are various possible ways for producing surface textures in fresh and hardened concrete surfaces with high skid resistance. For noise-sensitive areas good results can be achieved by dragging a burlap or an artificial turf over the fresh concrete in the longitudinal direction. Also, good and durable skid resistance and low noise emission can be achieved on an exposed concrete surface. Surface grinding a hardened concrete can provide high skid resistance. The practical experiences in Germany for producing a concrete pavement surface with high skid resistance are described in the paper.