Citation

Chang WR. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1999; 24(3): 299-313.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Friction coefficient is widely used to measure slipperiness. It is also known that surface roughness affects friction. Surface roughness on quarry tiles was systematically varied by sand blasting. The relationship among slip resistance, tile surface roughness, surface conditions and slipmeters used was investigated. The results indicated that the effect of surface roughness on friction index depends on the slipmeter used, due to the different characteristics among these slipmeters. It was also shown that tile surface roughness could be correlated with the measured friction index. For dry surfaces, surface parameters Ra and R3z (see Table 1 for definitions) had the highest correlation with the measured friction indices among 21 surface parameters evaluated in the study. Surface parameters Rpk and Rpm had the highest correlation with the measured friction indices for wet surfaces. A rougher surface generally led to a higher friction index. For wet surfaces, moreover, sharper and higher peaks with an optimal high peak density on tile surfaces could increase friction index further.Relevance to industrySlips and falls are a serious problem in occupational injuries. A higher slip resistance could potentially reduce the number of falls. This study could help identify the surface features that could increase the slip resistance of a floor.