Trafficking in Safety
The Standards of ASTM Committee E17
By Cicely Enright
ASTM International Committee E17's
compare and archive data about traffic
The Road-Tire Connection
standards impact vehicle safety from
movement and has started to address
The critical connection between vehi-
the car you drive to the space shuttle
the noise that is generated at the vehi-
cle tires and the road can be tested
through standards for the vehicle-
cle tire / pavement interface.
and better understood with the use of
pavement interface, traffic monitoring
E17 standards. About this attribute,
data and more.
A good pavement-vehicle interface
current E17 Chairman Kevin McGhee
has great significance, according to
says, "The ability to characterize resis-
Where the rubber meets the road -- or
E17 members. "It gives the traveling
tance to skidding in any direction is the
runway -- that's where the work of an
public, whether they be on highways
most essential thing E17 does for
ASTM International technical commit-
or in airplanes operating on runways,
safety." McGhee is an associate prin-
tee makes the difference in safety. It's
a better margin of safety, particularly
cipal scientist for the Virginia
an interface critical to the safety of
under adverse weather conditions,"
Department of Transportation,
people traveling highways. It's an
says Thomas Yager, retired senior
Charlottesville, Va., and an ASTM
interface critical to an airplane's safe
research engineer, National Aeron-
member since 1997.
takeoff and landing. And it's an inter-
autics and Space Administration,
face that has been the focus of an
Hampton, Va., and longtime ASTM
ASTM International committee for 50
member.
years.
ASTM Committee E17
on Vehicle-Pavement
Systems has developed
standards to determine
how smooth pavement
surfaces are and how
much grip a vehicle can
capture on a curve or
when stopping. Among
t h e
g r o u p ' s
t i m e -
honored and commonly
used standards are
methods to measure the
skid resistance and the
profile ride quality of a
car on a road or a plane
on a runway. More
recently, Committee
E17 has considered the
n e e d
t o
c o l l e c t ,
08
Issue 70 September 2013 2013 70

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