FEATURE High Friction Surfacing

On a Slippery Slope? High PSV

Asphalt v High Friction Surfacing
High Friction Surfacing (HFS) refers to a surface treatment approximately 3-5mm thick
which provides very high skid resistance for drivers to brake under emergency conditions
at hazardous locations. Recently there have been moves to design this out of Irish road-
building projects and replace with an unproven alternative called High PSV Asphalt
(HPSVA). Council Journal is aware of at least two major projects completed where this has
occurred. John Cagney, Chartered Civil Engineer, explains.

T
ypical locations for HFS
installation are high risk
locations including
approaches to roundabouts,
pedestrian crossings, junctions, sites
with steep gradients and dangerous
bends.
HFS with Calcined Bauxite has been
in commercial use for over 50 years &
has a proven track record of
significant reductions in skid related
accidents.
HFS has been found to reduce wet
weather accidents in UK by 57% (TRL
Research – BRF Road fact 1997).
For the purposes of this article High
PSV Asphalt (HPSVA) refers to either a
Thin Surface Course with a +68 PSV
natural aggregate or a traditional HRA
with +68 PSV natural aggregate
pre-coated chips.
In recent years, there has been an
increasing trend in UK & Ireland to
use HPSVA at locations where HFS
would have been previously applied.
This practice has been common on
DBFO / PPP schemes, motorways,
trunk roads, national roads & local
authority schemes.
HPSVA is believed by many to offer a
more cost effective mechanism than
HFS of maintaining appropriate skid
resistance over the service life of the
road. The writer believes that this
practice is short term thinking with
long term adverse consequences, is
extremely dangerous and will most
likely result in multiple preventable
skidding accidents and loss of life.
Why HFS Works
Microtexture of an aggregate,
gauged by its Polished Stone Value
(PSV), is the dominant contributor to
skidding resistance at lower speeds,
less than 30 mph.
Macrotexture (texture depth)
created by the positive texture of the
surface offers rapid drainage routes
between tyre and pavement, and also
allows air trapped beneath the tyre to
escape. Macrotexture contributes best
in wet skidding resistance at higher
speeds.
Micro and Macrotexture (Nicholls,
2002). The hardness & strength of an
aggregate will be an important
component of its performance within
a bituminous surface course.
Although an aggregate may be strong,
it may not be resistant to the abrasive
action of vehicle tyres. The Aggregate
Abrasion Value (AAV) test provides an
estimation of surface wear of an
aggregate under traffic. Lower
numerical values indicate more
resistance to abrasion. The aggregate
used in HFS is 1-3mm Calcined
Bauxite (normally buff or grey), which
is usually imported from either China
or India. Calcined Bauxite has a high
PSV (>70) and low AAV, typically less
than 3. It has a typical relative density
>3 and is particularly hard having a
Moh’s hardness of 9, compared to
diamond being the hardest with a
Moh’s value of 10. Because Calcined
Bauxite is a very hard wearing and
abrasion resistant aggregate, it wears
away very slowly under traffic within
a robust HFS binder system, while
maintaining macrotexture,
microtexture and SCRIM values.
Calcined Bauxite retains its sharp
edges, thereby providing a bite at the
tyre interface.

Council Journal 39

Durable Micro-texture, reduced
contact points, high contact pressure
points and improved hydraulic
conductivity are all critical for high
skid resistance and reduced braking
distances ( Parry, TRL 1996 ).
In the UK, the service life of a HAPAS
accredited cold HFS system for asset
management purposes is considered
to be 12 years (ADEPT/RSTA 2017).
Aggregates for High PSV Asphalt
There is a very limited supply of
high PSV aggregates. A desktop study
has indicated that there are circa 8-10
quarries in UK & Ireland that supply
+68 PSV aggregates for surfacing.
Areas of supply include the south of
Scotland, Cumbria, mid & south
Wales, west Kerry and north east
Down. The predominant rock type for
these aggregates is the Sandstone/
Gritstone family. The reported &
typical AAV’s for these aggregates are
in the range of 6-9. When
incorporated in a Thin Surface Course,
the most common aggregate sizes are
10mm & 14mm. For HRA with
pre-coated chips, the chip size is
generally 20mm.
Management of Skid Resistance
In the UK & Ireland, management of
skid resistance on principal roads is
controlled by HD 28/15
(AM-PAV-06045), which determines
the Investigatory Level (IL) for
different Site categories and traffic
levels using the Mean Summer SCRIM
Coefficient (MSSC). The typical IL for a
high risk site with heavy traffic would
be 0.55. HD 36/06 (DN-PAV-03023)
provides guidance on the minimum
PSV requirements for specific site
categories and where HFS should be
installed. A typical application for HFS
would be on roundabout approaches
at motorway interchanges. This is
now frequently changed to HPSVA.
For non-principal, regional & local
roads, Local Authorities have a duty to
maintain them & ensure that they are
not dangerous for traffic. A Skid
Resistance Policy will be an important
component of this obligation.
The RSTA in the UK have recently
published guidance documents on
road skid resistance strategy, policy &
procedures.
Aggregate Properties & Skid
Resistance
PSV is typically the main property
used when selecting surface course
aggregate in the UK & Ireland. There
is a misconception that high PSV
equates to good skid resistance.
This is frequently not the case.
High PSV is gained at the expense of
other aggregate properties such as
strength, abrasion and durability.
(Woodward, WDH, Woodside, AR and
Jellie, J.H). Research by Woodward et
al suggests that standard PSV test is
simply a ranking tool that offers
limited prediction of the complex
development of skid resistance during
the life of modern asphalt materials.
This research has shown that the
standard PSV test should not be
considered as a measure of an
ultimate state of polish, nor should it
be the sole basis of surfacing
aggregate selection (Woodward,
WDH, Woodside, AR and Jellie, J.H).
Different aggregate sources with the
same PSV can perform differently
under traffic and deliver different
levels of skid resistance.
Individual aggregates can deliver a
range of skidding resistances, even at
the same traffic level.
In locations where additional
braking or deceleration can be
expected, for example on approaches
to slip roads, lower values of MSSC
can occur than on the remaining
mainline carriageway (TRL Report
322, 1998). HD 36, although a useful
guide to PSV requirements, does not
take account of the aggregate source.
Local knowledge of aggregates is
required to ensure that they will
provide the required skid resistance
performance over the service life.
AAV values range from 1 for hard
flints to over 15 for aggregates which
would normally be considered too
weak for use in road surfacing
(Hawkes & Hosking 1972).
Inadequate resistance to abrasion of
road surfacing aggregates causes a
loss of the texture depth that is
necessary to maintain high speed skid
resistance (Hawkes & Hosking 1972).
Typical Motorway Interchange With HFS
Shown in Red (Atkins). It has become
industry practice to install HPSVA in this
type of application.
FEATURE High Friction Surfacing
Skid Resistance of High PSV
Asphalt
In 2012 the London Skid Project
commissioned a review of the use of
HFS at pedestrian crossings in
London (Stephenson, Hodgson &
Premathilaka) .
One of the criteria was to assess the
performance of the alternatives to
HFS. SCRIM data was collated on a
range of HPSVA surface types as well
as HFS at 23 locations over a 3-4 year
period. It found that whereas some
HPSVA’s may initially provide
acceptable SCRIM values, these values
reduce after 2-3 years of traffic. The
report concluded that the probability
of a HPSVA exceeding the 0.55 IL
beyond 3 years of service is low,
whereas all the HFS surfaces
appeared to provide skid resistance
over 0.55 over the same period.
In late 2016, TRL in a study
commissioned by Highways England
released their project report PPR789.
This was a performance review of
the use of High PSV Asphalt (PSV ≥
68) to replace HFS.
The study examined the relative
performance of both material types
over a range of sites with different
traffic levels, road types etc. The
report found that, in line with other
studies, currently available HPSVA’s
are not able to consistently achieve
skid resistance levels similar to
traditional HFS with Calcined Bauxite.
The report recommended that the use
of traditional HFS should be
continued for high risk sites. The
findings of both reports are not
surprising.
A 1-3mm Calcined Bauxite with
high resistance to abrasion is far less
likely to polish & wear away than the
softer larger size Sandstone
aggregates, with lower abrasion
resistance used in HPSVA. As
previously stated good macrotexture
is important for high speed skid
resistance.
Various researchers have
demonstrated that there is a general
increase in skid resistance for smaller
surface aggregate sizes. The 1-3mm
aggregate used in HFS is smaller than
the aggregate used in the usual
HPSVA’s.
Product Approval
Under the UK HAPAS scheme, a HFS
must undergo a rigorous assessment
procedure before it can be certified
for use. There are six stages to the
procedure (BBA Guideline Document
March 2015).
Council Journal 41

Grey HFS at Dangerous Bend
Stage 1 – Assessment of applicant’s
data
Stage 2 – Assessment of factory
production control
Stage 3 – Laboratory testing (and
optional tests)
Stage 4 – System installation trial
Stage 5 – System performance trial
(if applicable)
Stage 6 – Certification
The criteria for laboratory
performance testing include wear,
scuffing & tensile adhesion. A two
year system performance trial must
be undertaken on site.
At the end of the two years, the
system must meet minimum criteria
including Skid Resistance Value (SRV),
texture depth, tensile adhesion,
erosion index & visual assessment. In
Ireland, Transport Infrastructure
Ireland (TII) introduced a new HFS
specification in 2015. This includes a
thorough approval procedure for HFS.
TII publication DN-PAV-03075 sets
out requirements for the approval of
specific products such as HFS, which
are not covered by a harmonised
technical specification. A proposed
Contractor system has its
performance evidenced by a prTAIT
(provisional Type Approval
Installation Trial). The prTAIT
consists of a defined section where
HFS has been installed using Factory
Production Control (FPC) and which
has been subjected to in-service
performance annually over a five year
period. Testing following installation
and one year later include SRV,
texture depth, Pull Off Test, Shear
Strength Test & visual assessment.
After this period, detailed information
is recorded to clearly identify the
product, its performance and the
intended uses.
Unlike HFS, there is currently no
product approval system in UK or
Ireland for the use of HPSVA in
situations where HFS would normally
be required.
Discussion
It has become industry practice in
many areas to use HPSVA at locations
where HFS would have been
previously applied. The principal
reasons are the perceived cost saving
and the mistaken belief the high PSV
equates to long term skid resistance.
There is no accreditation system for
HPSVA installed in lieu of HFS.
Notwithstanding this roads
authorities, PPP/DBFO companies,
motorway maintenance companies &
local authorities are sanctioning the
use of HPSVA at high skidding risk
locations. Surely there needs to be a
similar accreditation system for
HPSVA as there is for HFS? A
particular aggregate & binder HPSVA
should have to undergo a rigorous
performance evaluation before it can
be approved for use at high skidding
risk locations.
What follow up SCRIM testing has
been carried out on previously laid
HPSVA sites?
As stated previously there can be
major performance differences for
surface courses with aggregates of
similar PSV but from different
sources. High PSV asphalt is not a like
for like replacement for HFS and does
not provide a guarantee of skid
resistance over the service life.
Whereas it may be appropriate for
some lower risk locations, it is neither
a better whole life cost option or an
equivalent to HFS at high risk
locations. It is the author’s belief that
the current widespread practice will
result in numerous preventable
skidding related accidents and
FEATURE High Friction Surfacing
consequential loss of life. The author
believes than many high risk locations
where HPSVA has been installed will
subsequently be overlaid with HFS to
prevent & reduce further accidents.
Roads authorities have an
obligation to take such steps that are
reasonably required to ensure the
safety of the network. Will the current
practice mean that roads authorities,
PPP/DBFO contractors, designers,
road safety auditors & local
authorities become embroiled in
litigation because of a short term
decision to replace HFS with HPSVA at
high risk locations?
Disclaimer: No liability is accepted
for errors or inaccuracies in any of
information contained in this article.
All views or opinions expressed are
personal to the author who does not
purport to speak for, or represent, any
professional body or organisation.
Reliance should not be placed on any
material contained in this webpage
without first seeking and obtaining
further professional advice.
John Cagney is an experienced
Chartered Civil Engineer with
expertise in High Friction & Coloured
Surfacing, Surface Treatments,
Bituminous Surfacing & Road
Materials.
Council Journal 43