Standard Practice for
Determining Pavement
Deformation Parameters
and Cross Slope from
Collected Transverse Profiles
AASHTO Designation: R 87-181
Technically Revised: 2018
Technical Subcommittee 5a: Pavement Measurement
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
555 12th Street NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20004
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Standard Practice for
Determining Pavement Deformation
Parameters and Cross Slope from
Collected Transverse Profiles
AASHTO Designation: R 87-18 1
Technically Revised: 2018
Technical Subcommittee 5a: Pavement Measurement
1. SCOPE
1.1. This practice outlines a method for deriving pavement deformation parameters such as rut depth
and cross slope in pavement surfaces utilizing a transverse profile. Detailed specifications are not
included for equipment or software used to make the calculations. According to this standard, any
approach that can be adequately validated to meet the functionality stipulated herein is considered
acceptable. The goal is to achieve a significant level of standardization that will contribute to the
production of consistent pavement condition estimates without unduly restricting innovative
methods.
1.2. The data will typically be processed utilizing a collection of algorithms in a computer.
1.3. This practice does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use.
It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations related to and prior to its use.
2. REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
2.1. AASHTO Standard:
R 88, Collecting the Transverse Pavement Profile
3. TERMINOLOGY
3.1. Definitions:
3.1.1. cross slope—the average transverse slope of the pavement surface expressed in percent.
3.1.2. inside wheel path—a longitudinal strip of pavement 1.0 m (39 in.) wide and centered 0.875 m
(35 in.) to the left of the centerline of the lane in the direction of travel.
3.1.3. lane—the traveled surface between the inside edge of the left pavement marking and the outside
lane edge or, in the absence of markings, an equivalent portion of the pavement surface.
TS-5a R 87-1 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
3.1.4. outside lane edge—a line 100 mm (4 in.) beyond the outside limit of the edge pavement marking.
In the absence of an edge pavement marking, it is a user-defined distance from the left edge
marking or pavement centerline.
3.1.5. outside wheel path—a longitudinal strip of pavement 1.0 m (39 in.) wide and centered 0.875 m
(35 in.) to the right of the centerline of the lane in the direction of travel.
3.1.6. percent deformation—the difference between the straight-line length and the profile length of a
section of pavement divided by the straight-line length multiplied by 100.
3.1.7. rut—a broad longitudinal depression in the wheel path of the pavement surface with a depth of at
least 2 mm (0.080 in.), a width of at least 0.3 m (1.0 ft), and with a longitudinal length of at least
30 m (100 ft).
3.1.8. summary section—a longitudinal length of a pavement lane over which the data are summarized.
3.1.9. transverse profile—the vertical deviations of the pavement surface from a horizontal reference
perpendicular to the lane direction.
3.1.10. lane center—a location halfway between the inside edges of the pavement edge markings. If no
markings are present, a location 22 percent of the total pavement width from the pavement middle
on two-lane roads and a location at the middle of the road on one-lane roads.
4. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
4.1. The method outlines a set of procedures to calculate several measures of pavement deformation
related to the transverse profile. The adoption of these procedures will help produce consistent
data for pavement analysis.
4.2. This method reflects a balance between extreme calculation complexity and resultant accuracy. It
is not expected to give the correct values for each individual deformation condition but to provide
data that, taken in aggregate, will provide an accurate picture of the deformation involved.
Likewise, there will be unusual transverse contours that will not calculate correctly. It is expected,
however, that their occurrence will be minimal.
5. DATA COLLECTION
5.1. Typically, the transverse profile is to be collected according to R 88. Other collection protocols
may be followed if the data requirements of R 88 are met or exceeded.
6. DATA REDUCTION
6.1. All calculations are made for each transverse profile reported. For network-level data, the
processed profiles should not be more than 3 m (10 ft) apart and for project level, no farther apart
than 0.5 m (1.5 ft).
6.2. The raw transverse profile data should be processed to first remove outlier values, and then to
smooth the data. An example of smoothing involves the application of an approximately 50-mm
(2-in.) moving average filter. The resultant profile is used for all subsequent calculations.
6.3. A system should be established to determine the lane location and width within each profile and
correlate this information with the profile data.
TS-5a R 87-2 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
6.4. Establish the Cross Slope:
6.4.1. Utilizing the lane width and location from Section 6.3, determine the middle of the lane and locate
the associated middle data point in the profile.
6.4.2. Determine the average elevation for each half lane.
6.4.3. The percent cross slope is the difference in the average elevations divided by one-half the lane
width multiplied by 100.
6.5. Calculate Percent Deformations:
6.5.1. Establish end points for the portion of the profile under consideration (see Section 3.3) by
averaging the three closest elevation points to the selected end point location and calculate the
straight-line distance between the two end points.
6.5.2. Add the section length of all the segments between the two end points to approximate the actual
profile length.
6.5.3. Subtract the straight-line length from the profile length and divide the result by the straight-line
length and multiply by 100.
6.5.4. Potentially useful portions of the profile for deformation reporting would be: total lane, inside
half, outside half, and middle third.
6.5.5. Deformation criteria can be used to select profiles for more detailed analysis, such as water
entrapment or depression cross-sectional area.
6.6. Determine Five Key Data Zones in the Lane:
6.6.1. Define the lane edges utilizing lane pavement marks, construction history, or other means, if not
already defined during collection.
6.6.2. Locate and determine values at five spots across the lane.
[Link]. Spot 1 is the lane center elevation—Its elevation is the average of the elevation data points
measured in the center 75 mm (3 in.) of the pavement lane. Its location is the center of the lane.
[Link]. Spot 2 is the inside wheel path elevation—Its elevation is the average of the elevation data points
in the lowest 10 percent of the inside wheel path. Its location is the midpoint of the selected points.
[Link]. Spot 3 is the inside edge elevation—Its elevation is the average of the elevation data points within
100 mm (4 in.) of the inside pavement edge. Its location is 50 mm (2 in.) from the inside
lane edge.
[Link]. Spot 4 is the outside wheel path elevation—Its elevation is the average of the elevation data points
in the lowest 10 percent of the wheel path. Its location is the midpoint of the selected points.
[Link]. Spot 5 is the shoulder elevation—Its elevation is the average of the elevation data points within
100 mm (4 in.) of the outside pavement edge. Its location is 50 mm (2 in.) from the outside
pavement edge.
6.7. Calculate Rut Depth:
6.7.1. Convert the percent cross slope to an angle.
TS-5a R 87-3 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
6.7.2. Rotate the profile about spot 3 by the angle above, thus leveling the profile.
6.7.3. Shift the profile so that the value of spot 3 is zero.
6.7.4. Proceed to center depression rut depth calculation if the value of spot 1 is more than 5 mm
(0.2 in.) below the average of spots 2 and 4.
6.7.5. Normal Rut Depth Calculation:
[Link]. Rotate the profile about spot 3 until spot 1 is 0. The revised absolute value of spot 2 is the depth of
the inside rut.
[Link]. Rotate the lane half between spots 1 and 5 about spot 1 until spot 5 is zero. The revised absolute
value of spot 4 is the depth of the outside rut.
6.7.6. Center Depression Rut Depth Calculation:
[Link]. Rotate the profile about spot 3 until spot 5 is zero. The revised absolute value of spot 1 is the depth
of the center depression.
6.8. Calculate Rut Cross-Sectional Area:
6.8.1. After completing the step in Section [Link], scan the profile in both directions from spot 2 until
three values equal to or greater than zero are reached, and record the location of the first one
encountered in each direction. These locations are the rut edges.
6.8.2. The area can be approximated by adding all the elevation values between the edges and
multiplying the sum by the data point interval.
6.8.3. Repeat the same process around spot 4 after completing the step in Section [Link].
6.8.4. For center-depressed pavements, the same process can be applied around spot 1.
6.9. Calculate Potential Water Entrapment Depth:
6.9.1. Further smooth the profile with a 200-mm (8-in.) moving average filter.
6.9.2. For positive cross slope (spot 5 filtered elevation less than spot 3) and zero cross slopes, scan the
profile from spot 3 toward spot 5 for locations in which a filtered elevation is not equal to or at a
lower filtered elevation than any previous filtered elevation plus 2 mm (0.08 in.).
6.9.3. Should such a point be encountered, continue scanning until three sequential filtered elevations
that are lower than their predecessor are encountered. Take the filtered elevation at the highest
point of the three (the lip) and subtract the lowest filtered elevation previously encountered. The
difference is the water entrapment depth of the discovered depression. The location of the lowest
point should also be recorded.
6.9.4. Beginning at the lip found in Section 6.9.3, continue scanning until the profile is completed. (It is
quite likely to have multiple water entrapment depths encountered.) They can be sorted by
location to determine their relationship to the wheel paths.
6.9.5. For negative cross slopes (spot 3 filtered elevation less than spot 5), the profiles are scanned from
spot 5 toward spot 3 in a similar fashion.
TS-5a R 87-4 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
7. DATA REPORTING
7.1. For network collection, each summary section shall be 10 m (33 ft) and have reported:
7.1.1. The average cross slope percentage;
7.1.2. The average rut depth for each wheel path (normal or center) in millimeters (inches); and
7.1.3. The maximum rut depth for each wheel path in millimeters (inches).
7.2. For project level activity, each summary section shall be 2 m (7 ft) and have reported:
7.2.1. The items in Section 7.1 over the shorter summary section of the project level collection;
7.2.2. The water entrapment depth for each third of the lane width averaged over the profiles in
the section; and
7.2.3. Average rut cross-sectional area in square meters (square feet).
8. DATA INTERPRETATION
8.1. The agency is free to utilize the reported data as best fits its pavement management needs.
8.2. Agencies are alerted that dividing the scalar depth and percentage indexes into level categories or
bins can result in erratic results. When values are near the bin limits, natural variation in the data
will cause dramatic shifts in results. Such converting can be useful, however, for general
comparison to previously collected data in which bin limits were used.
9. SYSTEM VALIDATION
9.1. The process of checking the performance of the analysis process is left to the agency. Generally,
the agency should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for verifying its performance. The
following considerations should be included in any program.
9.1.1. Multiple transverse profiles that reflect the conditions encountered in the real data collection
world. These should include the profiles collected as part of the equipment verification process.
9.1.2. It is planned that a standard set of profiles will eventually be developed to verify the performance
and highlight the limitations of the processing method.
10. KEYWORDS
10.1. Asphalt pavement surface; automated data collection; concrete pavement surface; cross slope;
pavement management; rut.
11. REFERENCES
11.1. ASTM E1656/E1656M, Standard Guide for Classification of Automated Pavement Condition
Survey Equipment.
TS-5a R 87-5 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
11.2. FHWA. Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program.
FHWA-RD-03-031. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation,
Washington, DC, June 2003.
1
Formerly AASHTO Provisional Standard PP 69. First published as a full standard in 2018.
TS-5a R 87-6 AASHTO
© 2021 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.