AASHTO T 242-96 (2013)

This method covers the measurement of the frictional properties of paved surfaces with a specified full-scale automotive tire.

This method utilizes a measurement representing the steady-state friction force on a locked test wheel as it is dragged over a wetted-pavement surface under constant load and at a constant speed while its major plane is parallel to its direction of motion and perpendicular to the pavement.

The values measured represent the frictional properties obtained with the equipment and procedures stated herein and do not necessarily agree or correlate directly with those obtained by other pavement friction measuring methods. The values are intended for use in comparing certain frictional properties of a pavement relative to those of other pavements or for evaluating changes in these frictional properties of a pavement with the passage of time. The values are insufficient to determine the distance required to stop a vehicle on either a wet or a dry pavement. They are also insufficient for determining the speed at which control of a vehicle would be lost, because peak and side-force friction are also required for these determinations.

Except for a subsection on steel grated bridge decks and terminology, this test method is the same as ASTM E 274/E 274M-11.