ISSN: 1945-7553
CODEN: JTEVAB
Published Online: 5 April 2010
Page Count: 8

Evaluation of Slip Resistant Plates for Roadway Applications

Chehab, Ghassan R.
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, American Univ. of Beirut, Beirut,

Kale, Vishal
Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, American Univ. of Beirut, Beirut,

(Received 18 September 2008; accepted 24 February 2010)

Abstract

The presented study aims at evaluating the performance of slip resistant plates used in roadway construction to cover trenches, ditches, and potholes. Characteristics of the plate, including the surface friction, corrosion susceptibility, and resistance to abrasion are evaluated. Comparisons based on those attributes among various types of plates are conducted. The merit of the presented study mainly lies in the methodology and techniques adopted in evaluating the plates rather than ranking their performance. A customized corrosion tank built according to ASTM standards is used to apply salt fog spray on all the plates to induce corrosion. Surface friction is measured using the British Pendulum Tester for both uncorroded plates and corroded plates. To evaluate the abrasion resistance, the surfaces are subjected to wear and abrasion induced by repetitive wheel trafficking applied using the one third-scale Model Mobile Load Simulator. The drop in surface friction as a function of degree of corrosion and loading cycles is measured at regular intervals to evaluate the resistance to abrasion for each plate. Recommendations for improving the durability of the plates with welded deposits are suggested.

Keywords:
roadway plates, MMLS3, accelerated testing, corrosion, abrasion

Paper ID: JTE102126
DOI: 10.1520/JTE102126
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