Quantification of the slip resistance of floor surfaces at industrial sites. Part I. Implementation of a portable device

The Institut National de Recherche et de Securite has acquired a portable device in order to carry out a study of the mapping of the slip resistance of industrial surfaces. This first part of the article presents the reasons for choosing the PFT (Portable Friction Tester). This device permits the measurement of a dynamic friction coefficient between a braked wheel, covered with smooth elastomer and the floor surface to be tested. The phenomena which are observed at the interface between a slipping elastomer and a rigid, polluted surface are very complex. As a result, precautions must be taken in order to control the distorting factors. So, we studied the influence of the composition and the state of wear of the test elastomer, as well as the degree to which it is impregnated by the pollutants on the measurement of the dynamic friction. We explain the influences of these different factors on the two basic components of the friction coefficient: the adhesion component and the hysteresis component. From these experiments, we deduced some precautions that must be taken in order that the measurements made at several dozens of industrial locations could be directly compared. That is to say, the only item allowed to vary from one measurement to the next is the slipperiness of the site.