Saturday, April 16, 2016

Fundamentals Of High Friction Surface Treatment

By Virginia Walker


A lot of damage is usually caused by friction on surfaces such as roads. That makes its necessary to develop methods that help in reducing the effects of this force while maintaining aesthetic beauty. High friction surface treatment, often abbreviated a HFST is a technique that involves applying a thin layer durable, high-friction aggregates as topping on surfaces. The topping serves to protect surfaces it is applied on against polishing and wear.

The engineering topping adheres very strongly to the surface it is applied to as a result of good engineering. This results into a rough, hard, and long lasting surface, which can effectively withstand abrasion from applications such as snowplowing and heavy braking. High abrasion surface treatment as a process is usually done on paved surfaces to makes driving safer by introducing certain characteristics.

When applied on roads, HFST serves to offer the tarmac the necessary friction that vehicles need in critical braking and cornering maneuvers. It is important that the appropriate amount of pavement abrasion be maintained for safe driving. Without the necessary abrasive force, vehicles can skid when they brake excessively, turn abruptly, or speed. Roads lose their abrasive force when they are used for a long time.

The ability of HFST technology in addressing site-specific issues on roads is very unique. It should be installed on roads at point where vehicles start braking. The point where installation should start can be determined by observing brake lights on horizontal curves. The intention here is to ensure that drivers slow down when entering into curves. In most states, the HFST treatment is ended at the point of tangent on the road.

HFST treatments offer drivers going around curves a lot of advantages. Over-speeding drivers have the chance to effectively brake down on curves without crashing. Research indicates that most crashes that occur result from drivers speeding and being unable to brake down effectively. Even under wet conditions, HFST remains polish-resistant. As such, HFST is one of the most important safety measures that governments can ever install on the roads.

HFST can also be applied in double layers. Bridge deck applications are the ones double layers are most suitable on. Double layers are applied to increase life expectancy and prevent penetration of water. There is still ongoing testing and experimentation with double layers. That is partly why large scale adoptions have not occurred yet.

The life expectancy of HFST is dictated by several factors. Some of them include type, nature, and volume of traffic, type of roadway, and geometry of the road. Generalization is hard, but should also be avoided. On average, doing the installation properly can lead to this technology lasting for 7 to 12 years.

In the US, bridge deck applications have been reported to last for more than 15 years. Different locations and states give different statistics. Either way, it is worth installing HFST because it has more benefits than the amount it costs to install and maintain it.




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