Saturday, May 28, 2016

High Friction Surfacing Gives Your Pavements The Skid Resistance You Need

By Margaret Murphy


A form of surface treatment can be performed on pavements using a type that is usually tough, abrasion and polish resistant aggregates. The material is bonded to the pavement surfaces using resin. This kind of surface treatment is applied either hot or cold and has found its usage across the globe. The anti-skid surfaces are achieved through high friction surfacing. Usually, it is used to create skid resistance and reduce braking distance.

The ability to reduce braking distance has the potential to lower accidents. This anti-skid treatment can be put at various points on the road such as road junctions, pedestrian crossings, and roundabouts, near traffic lights and on road stretches with higher accident rates. Development in various resins used to bind the aggregate to the surface has improved durability and performance. By adding this kind of treatment on the road services saves lives as well as money.

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 material is installed, the excess should be taken away from the new surface way before opening the road to the traffic. It can be done effectively by a power bloom, then compressed with air. Additional sweeping can also be done over the next few days to get rid of the loose stones.

Installation of the anti-skidding material has many advantages other than being skid resistant. Unlike removing and replacing the existing pavement, installing the aggregate material is not an expensive undertaking. On the other hand, it can be performed virtually over any type of pavement and can be done during short closures such as 4 to 6 hours.




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