Three Approaches to Winter Traction Testing Using Instrumented Vehicles

Traction on winter surfaces was measured using three test vehicles, each designed to measure traction for a different purpose: vehicle mobility research (CRREL instrumented vehicle), commercial tire testing (Uniroyal-Goodrich traction tester) and airport runway safety (SAAB friction tester). The traction measured with each method is comparable, but there are systematic differences due to the effects of the surface materials and test and analysis techniques. This comparison serves as the basis for collaboration between the various traction and data analyses for traction testing and evaluation.