Concrete Floor Coefficient Of Friction

The expression used to calculate the force required to overcome friction is.

Concrete floor coefficient of friction.

The only standard is that of the nfsi s 101 a standard which calls for surfaces to have a wet static coefficient of friction value of 0 6 or greater to be considered high traction high traction surfaces kendzior reports have been clinically proven to reduce slip and fall claims by 50 percent to 90 percent. A 2003 report by the society for protective coatings states that flooring with a high static coefficient of friction scof 0 8 to 1 0 is actually more of a slip and fall hazard because the roughness of the surface can catch the sole of footwear and cause the person walking on the surface to trip and fall. For conventional shoes a concrete floor surface will yield a coefficient that is high enough about 0 55 to 70 to preclude the reasonable probability of slipping. The study recommends a static coefficient of friction of 0 6 for accessible routes and 0 8 for ramps.

In a nonmandatory appendix to a proposed rule in 1990 osha said a reasonable measure of slip resistance is static coefficient of friction scof is recommended as a guide to achieve proper slip resistance. F f wu where f f is the frictional force w is the weight of the slab and u is the coefficient of friction. These coefficients vary according to the type of flooring. The friction coefficient between the object and the surface is 0 62.

A cof of 0 5 is not intended to be an absolute standard value. The friction force can be calculated as ff 0 62 100 lb. The smaller the value the greater the danger. This can be improved to 0 2 by having a plastic sheet between the concrete and sub base.

Coefficient of friction dcof values for polished concrete surfaces using the test method in section 9 6 of ansi a137 1 american national standards specifications for ceramic tile. A 100 lb wooden crate is pushed across a concrete floor. The higher the value of the coefficient of friction the less is the possibility of slipping. By measuring the coefficient of friction cof a quantitative number can be used to express the degree of slip resistance of a floor surface.

Polished concrete slip coefficient of friction flooring systems used on industrial and commercial floors should provide a safe walking surface in both wet and dry conditions. In my experience the most effective test procedure for evaluating the static coefficient of friction for footwear materials is astm f 609 standard test methods for static slip resistance of footwear sole heel or related materials by horizontal pull slipmeter. For instance hard tiles require a different coefficient than hardwood floors.