Catalogue description Department of Scientific and Industrial Research: Road Research Board

Largely arranged by committee and subcommittee. Within each committee, the papers are arranged by original document number. Where records are described at item level, these document numbers have been used as item numbers; a single sequence of item numbers may cut across several pieces.

A Road Research Board was appointed in 1930 for the purpose of advising generally on the conduct of road research by the department, in particular to prepare and submit an initial programme of research and thereafter annually a programme of work. This work continued to be limited mainly to the consideration of engineering problems of road construction and materials. In addition to research at Harmondsworth substantial sections of the board's programme was carried out at the National Physical Laboratory and the Building Research Station. In 1936 the board's title was changed to the Road (Materials and Construction) Research Board, and its terms of reference were amended. Its function was now to advise generally on the conduct of research on road materials and methods of construction undertaken by the department, and in particular to submit annually a programme of work and a report.

In 1945 the terms of reference of the board were amended to include road and vehicle safety among its research activities, and its title reverted to Road Research Board.