Laboratory testing of road-marking materials

In the UK, road-marking materials are assessed using road trials, as is the case in most other countries. A programme of laboratory wear tests was carried out to try to replicate the performance achieved in road trials for a set of typical materials; the conditions of the test were adjusted to allow the maximum data to be derived in the minimum time. The tests have shown that the wear regime could be used to differentiate between materials, but the results do not replicate those obtained on the same materials from the standard road trials. However, part of this may be due to the relative harshness of the laboratory regime: little or no erosion was observed at the road trials, whilst all materials were eroded in the laboratory regime with some being almost totally removed. A standardised procedure has been derived from the tests, but further correlation with the performance on the road will be required to validate it fully. (A)