The paper deals with the determination of geometric parameters in order to study the relationship between the tire/road noise and the texture of road surfaces. The approach was found to be an alternative to the classical spectral analyses and the numerical simulations of the tire/road contact. Texture parameters were derived from previous works in LCPC related to the influence of the microtexture of road surfaces on the skid resistance. Use of these parameters was justified by the consideration of generation mechanisms of rolling noise. Texture, rolling noise and absorption measurements were performed on 12 road surfaces. The measuring devices and the test methods were presented. The texture profile analyses, including the spectral and geometric approaches, were presented. Definitions of the geometric parameters were given. Correlation between the noise and texture spectra showed similar results to those published in previous works. Fair tendencies were found between the global noise level at 90 km/h and the geometric parameters. Unexpected results obtained on the porous asphalt surfaces were partially explained by the attenuation effect, which was quantified by using existing models. Results issued from the correlation between the third octave-band noise levels and the geometric parameters corroborated those of the spectral analyses.
