The Most Desired Criteria of Pavement Marking Systems
Despite the fact that on dark driving conditions a large portion of driving is done during the day, statistical evidence shows on dark driving conditions that the majority of fatal accidents resulting from driving, occur during the night time.
<-NIGHT TIME VISIBILITY
Pavement Marking: MARK-55 Series
One of the key causes of the fatal accidents is poor or a lacking visibility of pavement markings. It is only recently that a great amount of emphasis is being placed where it belongs, and that is…
Options Available to obtain Night Time Visibility
Lighted Roadways (electrical or solar lamps)
Not financially feasible given there are more than 2.5 million paved road miles
Not cost effective considering the 1 to 3 years of effective retroreflectivity and relatively high initial and maintenance cost
Preformed Tapes
Not cost effective compared to liquid binders.
Liquid Applied Binder Rich in Reflective Media (glass beads)
Most cost effective – provided that the appropriate “binder” is utilized.
The Most Desirable Properties of the “Binder” System From a chemical property standpoint, the pavement striping material capable of performing on a long-term basis must have the following characteristics:
It must be manufactured from a chemically stable polymer, which will not undergo degradation when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, weathering, oxidation, alkalinity of wet concrete and other field conditions.
It must form a permanent chemical bond to the substrate; therefore, the polymerization process must take place in the field, rather than using pre-polymerized materials, such as thermoplastics.
The polymerization process must be predictable so that consistent performance can be expected as long as control of the application tools is tightly maintained.
It must have high strength and produce a permanent chemical bond to hold glass beads under very heavy traffic, severe weather and snow plowing conditions.
The polymer structure must have a three dimensional cross-linked network of chains to provide internal rigidity to tolerate shocks under low temperature conditions, as well as high temperature conditions.
The molecular system must be capable of curing relatively rapidly and reaching fast track-free periods when applied in a thin film on the pavement.
The material must be applicable on the pavement under very tightly application conditions, so as to provide consistent field quality and application control.
And last, but not least, it must be economical on the basis of overall life cycle and cost effectiveness
THE CLOSEST TO SUCH AN IDEAL MATERIAL IS POLY-CARB, INC’s HYBRIDIZED POLYMER SYSTEM
