Anti-skid surfaces play a vital part in road safety, especially around the Winter season.
Anti-skids surfaces are either painted on with a specialized paint that contains a ‘gritty’ texture (achieved either by an additive or chemical enhancement) or applied with resin and aggregate scattered over to increase the friction of a surface. Often, on roads, anti-skid surfacing is used in areas where skidding or slipping is likely to happen, such as on sharp bends, near traffic lights, junctions, and on bike lanes.
Anti-skid is most vital in Winter, as rainy and windy weather can make roads much more susceptible to slipping or skidding. In fact, rain doubles the stopping distance on roads, and snow increases it by ten times. However, the harsh weathers can also take a toll on the anti-skid surfacing, causing it to lose effectiveness.
In order to increase efficiency and minimize downtime, it is important that the repair job is as quick and effective as possible, so the road is kept safe throughout Winter. Many repair jobs require attending the site twice – firstly to repair the surface, then secondly to relay the anti-skid. This not only reduces efficiency on the roads due to maximised downtime, but it is not a cost-effective solution.
There is a way to reduce two visits to just one with the use of the correct materials.
Firstly, the use of a cold-lay repair mortar is required, as this can be opened to traffic immediately, meaning the anti-skid can be placed on top within minutes of installation. Then, a base primer is recommended, to seal off the freshly laid tarmac and increase the durability of the anti-skid, reducing the risk of future damage.
Once the surface is prepped as above, the anti-skid repair can be applied. Meon supplies a two-pack polyurethane (PU) resin system for anti-skid surface dressing called SkidGrip, which has proven to be a favourite for repairing anti-skid surfaces.
To find out more information on this subject, email mail@meonuk.com
or call 023 9220 0606.
