An earlier report by Spong (PR 95, IRRD 867218, see C 4492 S) reviewed existing profile monitoring equipment and identified two machines which were most suited for monitoring footway profiles. Trials conducted with these two machines on in-service footways confirmed that they satisfied most of the requirements of the provisional profilometer specification. In the report of these trials, by Spong and Cooper (PR 96, IRRD 867219, see C 4475 S), practical problems of footway measurement were highlighted and alternative strategies for footway assessment were suggested where machines could be used most effectively; for example on heavy duty and high amenity footways. In this report, the experiences of the in-service footway trials were used to refine and modify the requirements of the provisional profilometer specification into a generic end product / performance specification for a footway profilometer. Future work into the relationship between subjective impressions of footway serviceability and the absolute measurement of footway profile may, however, reveal additional performance requirements which should be considered before a production version of a footway profilometer can be fully developed.
Abstract