Bicycle tire friction coefficient variance in wet and dry conditions across multiple surfaces

More information

Main author

Melcher, D.

Co-Authors

Sax, C.; Keller, R.

Type of media

PDF

Publication type

Lecture

Publication year

2013

Publisher

22. EVU Conference, Florence

Citation

Melcher, D.: Bicycle tire friction coefficient variance in wet and dry conditions across multiple surface pavement types

EVU 2013 Florence MelcherBicycle incidents occur in dry and wet conditions, and in a wide variety of locations, including public roadways, dedicated bicycle paths, and private parking lots or driveways. The capabilities for bicycle acceleration, braking, and lateral movement depend on the available friction between the bicycle tire and the roadway surface. When analyzing the sequence of collision events, bicycle speeds, bicycle handling, and potential bicyclist avoidance capabilities, it is important to understand the available coefficient of friction at the time and place of the incident. A literature search revealed useful information regarding engineering design values for the minimum safe pavement friction characteristics for bicycle operations, but little published data for accident reconstruction purposes regarding the typical values of available peak bicycle tire-roadway friction coefficients for a variety of surface types in real world situations. This research collected coefficient of friction data in wet and dry conditions on multiple pavement types, including asphalt and concrete public roadways, concrete sidewalks, dedicated bicycle paths, and private property sealed parking lots and driveways.