Navigation and service

HinweisCookies

This website uses cookies. These are used for intermediate storage during ordering or registration processes. Data such as frequency of use or behaviour are not recorded. Here you can find out more about data protection and possibilities for contradiction.

OK

Demarkability of road marking tapes

The picture shows a marking test field Marking test field on the A4 motorway in Thuringia (Photo: Thuringian State Office for Construction and Transport)

Marking tapes in construction sites

Yellow markings are an essential element for securing work zones (of longer duration) and are therefore of great importance for road safety. At work zones, yellow markings visually indicate to road users the temporarily changed lane guidance, for example in the swerving area. For this purpose, yellow markings cancel out existing white markings in accordance with the StVO without having to remove or cover them.

For the production of yellow markings, factory-prepared marking tapes are often used, which are bonded to the road surface by pressing and with the help of an adhesive on the underside. Compared to conventional marking materials, marking tapes offer the advantage that they can be removed from the road surface after completion of the work zone without the need for any additional measures. The removal of the tape by pulling should be done without damaging the road surface. In addition, no significant residues, primer or adhesive, residues may remain on the surface.

Demarkability of marking foils

The reconciliation of the sometimes conflicting requirements - durability of the bond, easy removeability - places high demands on the design of marking films. Adhesion problems can become apparent to road users in the form of prematurely detached tapes. However, demarking also often proves to be problematic in practice: marking tapes at work zones, for example, are exposed to high mechanical stress due to comparatively narrow lane widths with increasing vehicle widths. Particularly in the case of coarse-textured substrates and prolonged laying time, the structure of the tape can be damaged by tire rolling and parts of the tape can be carried into the road surface. When the tape is removed, residues remain on the road surface, which can cause irritation to road users. In this case, a costly removal of the tape is necessary, for example by milling, which can be accompanied by damage to the surface.

BASt carries out suitability tests on markings with the wear simulator according to EN 13179 (turntable road-marking test system) to determine the minimum qualities required in Germany with regard to the traffic-related properties and their durability. The suitability test is also mandatory for yellow marking tapes. However, a technical evaluation of the removeability within the scope of the suitability test is not yet possible, as there is no recognised, standardised test procedure.

Road test field in Thuringia

The working group 3.6.4 "Requirements for the removability of temporary road markings" of the Forschungsgesellschaft für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen e. V. (Research Association for Roads and Traffic) was founded with the aim of developing a test procedure. To answer open questions from the research project "Stress and removability of temporary road markings" (FE 03.0479/2011/EGB), which is supervised by the working group, further knowledge on the behaviour of oad marking tapes under real traffic load is missing so far.

With the joint support of the road construction authorities in Thuringia and Saxony, it was possible to set up two road test areas on the A4 motorway in Thuringia in July 2019, which are supervised by the working group. The test sites are located on the A4 motorway between the Stadtroda and Jena-Zentrum junctions, direction Frankfurt am Main, and between the Hermsdorf-Ost and Rüdersdorf junctions, direction Dresden.

The photos show road test areas with marking foils Road test site with asphalt surface on the BAB A4 between AS Stadtroda and AS Jena-Zentrum (left) and test site with concrete surface between AS Hermsdorf-Ost and AS Rüdersdorf (right) (Photos: State Office for Road Construction and Transport, Saxony)

The main objective of the practical test is to gain knowledge about the removeability of different marking tapes under real traffic loads. Various influencing factors are taken into account, such as the type of tape surface, the type of the road surface and the number of times the tape is rolled over.

For this purpose, a total of 14 different marking tapes from 4 different manufacturers were applied in longitudinal and transverse arrangement on the right-hand lane on the approximately 200 m long test fields. The tapes used had already been suitability-tested on the BASt's test facility.

The tapes were applied to both asphalt and concrete road surfaces.

The quantification of the traffic load during the test period was carried out with the help of automatic counting stations in the vicinity of the test fields. Depending on the type of tape, the demarking was examined in up to 3 steps after a lying time of between 2 and 8 months. For this purpose, the tapes were detached from the surface with a peeling device and the forces occurring during peeling were recorded as a function of time. Furthermore, the damage pattern was documented. The collected data form the basis for the upcoming evaluation of the test results by the FGSV-AK 3.6.4.

Road test fields for markings

Even though the BASt has been carrying out the suitability tests exclusively on the wear simulator since 1989, field tests are a common method for the suitability testing of markings or for specific issues - including winter service resistance. For example, road test fields were used in Germany for suitability testing until the mid-1980s, as shown in the picture (left) with the test field on the A4 motorway between Cologne and Aachen. Another road test site is operated in Germany by DSGS e. V. as a winter service test site, which is located on the B4 between Bad Harzburg and Torfhaus. Currently, the test field on the B4 in the Harz Mountains is also used by the BASt. In August 2018, selected samples were applied there that had already been tested by BASt on the wear simulator. Using the test field, results determined on the wear simulator for certain properties - such as skid resistance or wear behaviour - are to be compared with the results from the test field.

The photos show field tests with marking foils Field test on the A4 in the 1970s between Cologne and Aachen (left) and DSGS test field in the Harz Mountains on the B4 (right).