2019 NCAT Performance Report for Skidabrader

In December 2019, Skidabrader had the opportunity to texture eight sections of the National Center for Asphalt Technology Test Track (NCAT). The NCAT Test Track is a full-scale accelerated performance testing facility in Auburn, Alabama. Forty-six asphalt test sections with a typical length of 61 meters are built around the 2.7-kilometer oval. Five trucks, each pulling three heavily loaded trailers, run approximately 400 laps around the track daily. These trucks accelerated wear and pavement distress. The NCAT team periodically tests the pavement performance and records data points to help improve the surface’s performance in the real world.

Typical issues agencies face within their roadway network include maintaining adequate surface friction characteristics of pavement. The main attribute of the frictional properties of a pavement surface is the quality of aggregate used in the pavement. It can be costly for the agency to use higher-quality aggregates in areas with less-than-desirable aggregates. So, these agencies are faced with a bit of a balancing act with pavement mix designs specifying the correct percentage of lower and higher quality aggregates to yield the best results from a

Frictional and cost standpoint. This study focuses on pavement surfaces with a higher percentage of lower-quality aggregates and the utilization of The Skidabrader Texturing process to restore the frictional properties of these pavements.