THERMOPLASTIC STRIPING COMPOUNDS

IN 1949, THE TEXAS ENGINEERING EXPERIMENT STATION INAUGURATED A RESEARCH PROJECT TO DEVELOP A COMPOUND FOR STRIPING PAVEMENTS WHICH WOULD PRODUCE STRIPES WITH LONGER SERVICE LIFE THAN THOSE NOW IN GENERAL USE. THE ROAD RESEARCH LABORATORY IN ENGLAND DURING WORLD WAR II DEVELOPED A SATISFACTORY STRIPING COMPOUND OF A MIXTURE OF ROSIN, MINERAL OIL (A PLASTICIZER FOR THE ROSIN), PIGMENT, FILLER, AND SAND. THE MIXTURE IS HEATED TO 135C AND PLACED, WHILE HOT, TO A THICKNESS OF ABOUT 1/8 IN. STRIPES LAID IN TEXAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BRITISH FORMULATION PROVED TO BE TOO SOFT, WERE SUBJECT TO RATHER SEVERE DISCOLORATION BY THE ADHESION OF ROAD DUST AND TIRE FILM TO THE SURFACE OF THE STRIPE, AND SHOWED POOR ADHESION TO PORTLAND-CEMENT CONCRETE. BUT THE RESULTS WERE SUFFICIENTLY ENCOURAGING TO WARRANT A DECISION TO STUDY MODIFICATION OF THE BRITISH FORMULATION. THE STRIPING COMPOUND PRODUCED BY ADDING ALKYD RESIN TO THE ROSIN-PLASTICIZER MIXTURE HAS SHOWN EXCELLENT CHARACTERISTICS. THE STRIPE DOES SHOW DISCOLORATION UNDER TRAFFIC, AND STUDIES ARE CURRENTLY UNDER WAY IN AN ATTEMPT TO IMPROVE THIS CHARACTERISTIC. THE ROSIN STRIPING COMPOUND HAS BEEN RATED FOR SERVICE LIFE BY LAYING TRANSVERSE STRIPES ON ASPHALTIC-CONCRETE AND PORTLAND-CEMENT-CONCRETE PAVEMENTS. GLASS BEADS HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED IN PARTS OF THE STRIPES. FOUR OF THE ROSIN-BASE STRIPES HAVE BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 12 TO 14 MONTHS. EIGHT ROSIN-ALKYD RESIN STRIPES HAVE BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 6 TO 8 MONTHS. AND A LARGE NUMBER OF OTHERS HAVE BEEN IN SERVICE FOR LESSER PERIODS OF TIME. RESULTS TO DATE INDICATE THAT THE ROSIN-BASE STRIPES WILL HAVE A SERVICE LIFE OF TWO TO THREE TIMES THAT OF THE COMPARATIVE PAINT STRIPES. INGREDIENTS IN THE ROSIN-BASE STRIPE ARE SUCH THAT THE COST OF THE MATERIALS COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH THE COST OF PAINT. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/57/57-005.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 57, pp 49-59, 3 FIG, 9 TAB Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Keese, C J
  • Benson, Fred J
• Publication Date: 1952

Media Info

• Monograph Title: Pavement-marking materials
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 57
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Adhesion; Alkyd resins; Economics; Glass; Pavements; Plasticizers; Road marking materials; Serviceability; Striping; Striping materials; Thermoplastic materials
• Old TRIS Terms: Beading; Traffic marking materials
• Subject Areas: Design; Economics; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00216670
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Apr 28 1994 12:00AM