Traditional pavement friction studies often focus on full-depth textures, although only the top texture directly contributes to skid resistance. This study introduces the novel concept of the skid-resistance contribution zone (SRCZ) and investigates the friction degradation patterns of three types of pavement surfaces based on this concept. An accelerated pavement testing device was employed to simulate surface texture wear, and both the pavement friction and the SRCZ area were measured at regular intervals. A total of 69 three-dimensional surface textures were collected, and four categories of texture parameters were analyzed. The results indicate that pavement friction decreased by 20.83% to 47.17% after 500k wear cycles. On average, the gray correlation values between the friction and the SRCZ-related height and volume parameters were 12.53% higher than those derived from the full-depth texture. Furthermore, a pavement friction prediction model based on six SRCZ-related parameters was developed, achieving an R-squared value of 0.86.

To explore the research status on mechanism of the skid-resistance for asphalt pavement, the related achievements of the rubber friction, the tire–road contact, and the influence factors were reviewed. The rubber friction was reviewed from the mechanism and rubber friction model. The tire–road contact was studied from the modeling methods, the evaluation methods, and the skid-resistance mechanisms at different conditions. The influence factors of skid-resistance were summarized from different designing processes. This review showed that the appropriate contact or evaluation model should be selected according to the required parameters. Although the finite element method is widely used, the accuracy of the model, the boundary conditions, and the load cases need to be further improved. The optimized aggregates and asphalt binders, reasonable gradation, reasonable geometric design, and strict construction quality control are necessary for good initial skid-resistance. Pavement texture as an important factor affecting skid-resistance should be considered in pavement gradation design, especially for wearing layer technology.