Raveling is a surface distress that is characterised by the wearing away of the pavement surface as a result of the loss of aggregate materials and binder. Raveling can range from a subtle loss of fines, to the loss of some larger pieces of aggregate, to a significant loss of a large amount of aggregate resulting in a very rough and pitted surface. Raveling is often associated with pavement mixture-related deficiencies, and, if left unchecked, can require complete resurfacing.
The detection and quantification of raveling by traditional methods (visual assessment) is noted for being subjective and inconsistent. Pavemetrics® Laser Crack Measurement System (LCMS®-2) solves this problem by automatically detecting and objectively assessing the severity of raveling through 3D laser.
The raveling module analyzes the 3D surface of the road in order to detect and quantify the quantity of lost aggregate for each road section. An objective and repeatable Raveling Index is calculated which can be used to track the progression of raveling on a repeat basis.
Raveling index, affected percent of road section and location are reported in XML. A variety of image outputs are also available which denote the presence of raveling according to three levels of raveling index severity.