Wednesday, May 25, 2016

High Friction Surfacing Gives Your Pavements The Skid Resistance You Need

By Margaret Murphy


Pavements can be accorded a surface treatment system composed of a material that is tough, polish and abrasion resistant aggregates and they are bonded to the surface using a resin. This form of surface treatment can either be hot or cold applied and has been used across the globe. These anti-skid surfaces can be achieved through treatment systems known as high friction surfacing. Basically, it is used so as to add skid resistance and lower the braking distance.

The power of reducing braking distance can potential lower accidents. The anti-skid treatment may be placed at various stages on the road, like pedestrian crossing, roundabout and road junction, on road stretch with high accident rates and near traffic lights. Various types of resins are used to bind the aggregate material have improved performance and durability. By adding this type of treatment, this surfaces saves money as well as lives on the road.

Not only does the material increase skid resistance, on road surfaces, it can as well be used for other purposes such as traffic calming, on bike paths, lane delineation as well as for decoration purposes. Surfacing can either be hot or cold applied. When hot applied it adheres to the pavement by adhesion because of heat application and while it is cold applied, it adheres to the surfaces through chemical bond.

The ant-skidding properties make this form of treatment on road surfaces desirable in certain areas. Some of the areas commonly used are such as ramps and horizontal curves, steep grades, intersection approaches, bus stop points, bridge decks and pavement surfaces prone to icing. These areas often demand higher friction, making anti-skidding treatment ideal for such areas thereby reducing accident rates significantly. This is because the aggregate material used is made in such a way that it can attain high resistance to abrasion by vehicle tires. It is also resistant to polishing or becoming smooth.

Before applying the coating of these abrasive resistant materials, different precautions should be observed in order to attain quality adhesion. First, pavements need to be in perfect condition without scaling and cracking. Open graded surfaces can no more act as open rated after installation. Double layer application might be required in order to attain enough thickness for binding.

Another requirement is that the surfaces need to be clean and dry during the application. Concrete surfaces should be shot-blast prior to the application in order to get the best adhesion. Also, the surfaces should not have impurities such as grease, oil and such.

Once the aggregate has been installed, the excess should be removed from the now new surface before opening it to the traffic. This is effectively done using a power bloom and then compressed by air. Additional sweeping may be done over the next several days to remove the loose stones.

Installations of the anti-skidding materials have many advantages not only being skid resistance. Unlike placing and removing the existing pavement, installation of aggregated materials are not expensive undertakings. They can also be performed on nearly any type of pavements and they can be done on short road closures say 4 and 6 hours.




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