Citation

Kim IJ, Smith R. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 2000; 26(6): 581-601.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study is concerned with the changes of the floor surface topography in the early stage of repetitive wear rubbings and the relationships between slip resistance properties and operationally defined geometric characteristics of the floor surfaces. It was assumed that: (1) alterations in surface topography will be associated with changes in the DFC; and (2) wear process will be accompanied by changes in surface topography. For the analysis of initial characterization on the surface topography, specially prepared, dry and clean metal and perspex specimens were chosen. The surface profiles of the fresh and rubbed flooring specimens were recorded using a laser scanning confocal microscope. From the profile ordinate data read at 1 [mu]m intervals, a number of surface roughness parameters - centre line average, root-mean-square roughness, maximum height, maximum mean peak height, maximum mean depth, and absolute average asperity slope were calculated using a computer program. The skew and the kurtosis of the statistical distribution of each surface profile were also computed. The results indicate that the asperity height and the maximum mean depth were significantly reduced after the friction tests. The average slope of asperities was the parameter that most highly correlated with the dynamic friction coefficient. The analyses also showed that the surface parameters underwent large variations initially, but subsequently these changes were less marked, which was explained by the transition from unsteady-state friction to steady-state friction. These results found that slip resistance properties between the shoes and the floor counterfaces were greatly influenced by the manner in which the geometry of the floor surface was modified. It was suggested that measurement of changes in the surface geometry provides additional information on the analysis of slip resistance and could usefully be reported with friction measurements.Relevance to industrySlipping and falling accidents are a major ergonomic and safety concern in the workplace and the general community. Prevention of slip hazard has focused on designing "slip resistant" footwear and floor surfaces. This study is primarily concerned with the understanding of friction and wear mechanisms from a tribological point of view. A tribological approach may provide additional useful information about slip resistance performance.