Synthesis of Current Research on Permeable Friction Courses: Performance, Design, Construction, and Maintenance (0-5836-1)

Over the past several years, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) adopted the use of porous or permeable friction course (PFC) mixtures as a thin asphalt pavement surface layer to provide safety and environmental benefits. This type of mixture is defined in TxDOT Specification Item 342 as a surface course of a compacted permeable mixture of aggregate, asphalt binder, and additives mixed hot in a mixing plant. Recent research addressed important design, construction, and maintenance issues associated with PFC, which has been increasingly employed by TxDOT. In order to complete the evaluation of this relatively new hot mix asphalt (HMA) concrete mixture type as a possible solution for improving pavement safety and reduction of pavement noise, performance will be tracked over time in this research project to assess benefits, cost, and changes in benefits. The main objective of this research project is to develop a database of PFC performance in terms of functionality (noise reduction effectiveness and permeability), durability (resistance to raveling and possibly rutting and cracking), and safety (skid resistance and accident history), in order to produce guidelines for design, construction, and maintenance of PFC mixtures. This report includes a comprehensive and focused review of research conducted since 2004 related to the mix design, performance (i.e., functionality, durability, and safety), construction, and maintenance of surface courses using PFC.