ACRYLIC MAKES A MORE DURABLE HIGHWAY REFLECTOR

A NEW LANE REFLECTOR, CONSISTING OF TWO INJECTION MOLDED ACRYLIC LENSES MOUNTED BACK-TO-BACK IN A STEEL FRAME, IS SAID TO BE CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING THE FORCE EXERTED BY SNOWPLOWS AND TO BE IMMUNE TO DAMAGE BY TIRE CHAINS AND STUDS. ITS PREDECESSORS, BASED ON REFLECTIVE GLASS BEADS MOLDED INTO POLYESTER, HAS A RELATIVELY SHORT WEAR LIFE AND TENDED TO BREAK DOWN. AN ADDED DIVIDEND OF THE NEW ACRYLIC REFLECTORS IS THAT THEY FUNCTION AS A WARNING SIGNAL TO MOTORISTS ENTERING A LANE AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THE TWO LENSES FACE IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS; ONE IS CLEAR AND THE OTHER IS RED. A MOTORIST GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SEES THE ROAD OUTLINED BY THE WHITE REFLECTION OF HIS HEADLIGHTS RETURNED BY THE CLEAR LENS. IF HE IS IN THE WRONG LANE, HE SEES RED REFLECTIONS. THE ACRYLIC LENSES ARE 4 IN. LONG BY 1 IN. HIGH AND ABOUT 1 IN. THICK. THE REFLECTING SURFACE IS MADE UP OF PARALLEL ROWS OF MOLDED CUBES THAT FORM OPTICAL PRISMS TO CONCENTRATE THE REFLECTED LIGHT INTO A NARROW BEAM. THE LENSES ARE MOUNTED IN A 4.5 BY 8 IN. CAST STEEL FRAME THAT HAS SLOPING SIDES TO HOLD THEM AT THE PROPER REFLECTING ANGLE. THE REFLECTORS ARE EMBEDDED IN THE ROAD SURFACE AND ANCHORED WITH EPOXY; THEY PROJECT ONLY 1 1/2 IN. ABOVE THE SURFACE. THE REFLECTOR IS MANUFACTURED BY STIMSONITE DIVISION, AMERACE ESNA CORPORATION, ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY. PLEXIGLAS ACRYLIC MATERIAL IS SUPPLIED BY ROHM & HAAS COMPANY. /MP/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 47, No 6, P 56, 1 PHOT
• Publication Date: 1970-6

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Modern Plastics
  • Publisher: McGraw-Hill, Incorporated

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Acrylic resins; Plastics; Reflectorized materials; Road marking materials; Visibility; Wrong way driving
• Old TRIS Terms: Traffic marking materials
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221379
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 8 1971 12:00AM