Review on effect of pavement characteristics on fuel consumption

Abstract

Effect of pavement on vehicle fuel consumption in the literature represents the interest of the engineering community in making pavements, more fuel efficient through which sustainability could be maintained in the environment. The literature reviewed in this article covered the effect of pavement characteristics such as Smoothness, Texture, and type of pavement on rolling resistance. Methods used by the authors in the previous studies includes literature review, Field experiments, Lab experiments and modeling and the scopes of the studies extended from smoothness and texture to pavement characteristics. Existing literature establish a relationship between pavement properties and fuel economy. Smoothness and texture affect the rolling resistance most, the effect of smoothness is positive and that of texture is negative. But in most of the studies the effect of structural property such as stiffness or pavement type does not provide a significant difference in fuel consumption between flexible and rigid pavement and require more rigorous work in the area.