Characteristics in Densities and Shapes of Various Particles Produced by Friction between Tire Tread and Road Surface

A large amount of particles on the roads is produced by friction between the vehicles and the road surface and by inflow from outside. The type of these particles affects the abrasion behavior of tire tread. In this study, road dust collected at a bus stop was separated by size, and the particles with sizes of 106-212 mm were analyzed. The particles were separated by density using NaI and NaBr aqueous solutions with densities in the range of 1.10-1.80 g/cm³ with the 0.10 g/cm³ interval. In the road dust sample, the following particle types were found: tire-road wear particles (TRWPs), asphalt pavement wear particles (APWPs), plant-related particles (PRPs), road paint wear particles (RPWPs), and plastic particles (PPs). The densities of TRWPs, APWPs, PRPs, and RPWPs were 1.20-1.80, >1.60, >1.10, and >1.40 g/cm³, respectively, while PPs were found in all density ranges. Additionally, many small mineral particles were observed on the particles. Order of the relative content of the particles was PRP > TRWP > APWP ~ RPWP > PP. APWPs that were stuck to TRWP could be removed by chloroform treatment. The shapes of the particles were characterized using their magnified images.