SERVICE LIFE OF BUTTON SIGN COPY

Both prismatic-button and reflective-sheeting legend materials are used for copy on New York's signs. Enclused-lens sheeting ("engineer" grade), used in the past, is shorter-lived and less bright than buttons; recently introduced encapsulated-lens sheeting ("high-intensity" grade) is a serious contender to buttons in this application. This study was undertaken to determine button copy service life on New York's highways. The findings showed 1) that button copy provides acceptable brightness for about 12 years, 2) by 12 years nearly all buttons have cracked to some degree, resulting in reduced brightness, 3) clearcoating, found on 10 percent of the buttons, causes an unacceptable loss of brightness, 4) deterioration of copy frames was usually slight and did not impair daytime legibility (those damaged to the extent that buttons were lost did lose nighttime legibility), 5) sign directional orientation did not appear to affect service life, 6) dirt accumulation and its effects on brightness were negligibile, and 7) at high angularity )large divergence and incidence angles) button reflectivity was less sensitive to age.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by DOT, Federal Highway Administration.
• Corporate Authors:

  New York State Department of Transportation

  Engineering Research and Development Bureau, 1220 Washington Avenue
  Albany, NY  United States  12232
• Authors:
  • O'Connor, L J
  • McNaught, E D
• Publication Date: 1977-4

Media Info

• Pagination: 30 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Brightness; Cracking; Deterioration; Legibility; Reflective signs; Reflectorized materials; Service life; Signs; Soils; Symbols
• Uncontrolled Terms: Dirt; Sign legend
• Old TRIS Terms: Buttons; Encapsulated lens; Prismatic reflector
• Subject Areas: Design; Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Operations and Traffic Management;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00158077
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-NY-RR 43, ZCP 50 T1042
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Oct 13 2003 12:00AM