Skid resistance demands of asphalt pavement during the braking process of autonomous vehicles

As the main operationality of AVs, the braking property is directly related to traffic safety. Major traffic accidents are often related to the braking distance, the side slip and hydroplaning during the emergency braking, which depends on the pavement skid resistance. Therefore, the estimation to relate AVs braking distance requirements with pavement peak friction coefficient to ensure a safe driving condition on expressway is of high practical significance. In this paper, the effect of AVs on braking performance parameters and dynamic friction on tire-pavement interaction are investigated. Based on the field test of the Coastal highway in Jiangsu province of China, this paper proposes an algorithm to determine time-dependent braking distance of AVs considering pavement frictional properties. According to the algorithm, an AVs braking system is provided to reach the maximum braking force for improving the AVs traffic safety. Furthermore, it revises the braking distance formula of Design Specification for Highway Alignment and the skid resistance threshold adopted by Technical Specifications for Maintenance of Highway Asphalt Pavement.