Thursday, May 26, 2016

Use High Friction Surfacing To Make Your Pavements Skid Resistant

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 ability to cut down on the braking distance has the potential of lowering accidents. The anti-skid material can be applied at different points on the pavements. These points may include pedestrian crossing, road junctions, approaches to traffic lights, roundabouts as well as road stretches where accidents are prevalent. On the other hand, development of various resins which are used in binding the aggregate on the pavement has increased performance and durability. The anti-skid material, however, saves lives and money.

Other than to enhance skid resistance on pavement services, it can be used for lane delineation, traffic calming, bike paths and for decorative reasons. The surfacing is done through either hot or cold application. The hot applied adheres to the surface by adhesion due to heat application while the cold applied adheres to the road surface 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.

Prior to applying the abrasion resistant material, some precautions should be met so as to achieve the desired adhesion. First, the surfaces should be in good condition free from cracks and scaling. When performed on open graded surfaces after installation, the surface no longer works as open graded. Again, a double layer may require to be applied so as to achieve the desired thickness for binding.

Some other requirements are that the pavement surfaces be clean and dry for the application. Surfaces that are made of concrete have to be shot-blasted before applying in order to achieve a better adhesion. Also, the surfaces have to be free of grease, oils, and the likes.

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.

Installing the anti-skidding material offers several benefits other than skid resistance. It is not expensive compared to removing and replacing existing pavement. At the same time, it can be done on virtually any kind of pavement.




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