Analysis of the impact of desert highway sand accumulation on the skid resistance performance of asphalt pavement

Abstract To ensure driving safety on desert highways, this study investigated variations in the skid resistance of asphalt pavements under different conditions using the SHN-SF Continuous Side Force Coefficient Tester. Experiments were conducted with varying road alignments, sand layer thicknesses, sand moisture levels, and single/dual wheel configurations. The side force coefficient was measured during uniform-speed traversal of sand-covered sections, with patterns of variation analysed. Simulation models were constructed and validated through real-vehicle testing. Findings indicate that: across varying sand layer thicknesses, the side friction coefficient progressively decreases as texture depth increases from 0% to 100%; As the sand layer thickness continued to increase, the SFC gradually rose and levelled off. When comprehensively considering sand moisture content and single/dual-wheel configurations, the lowest SFC value—indicating the worst road safty—occurred when the sand layer thickness increased from zero to 100% texture depth coverage, with dual-wheel vehicles and a water spray volume of 1 mm. When the sand layer thickness increases from 100% texture depth coverage to 10 mm, with dual wheels and no water spray, the SFC value is lowest, indicating the poorest driving safety. This study provides a theoretical basis for driving safety on desert highways and offers reference for optimising pavement skid resistance design.