GB2160245A

GB2160245A - Method for fixing road studs

Info

Publication number: GB2160245A
Application number: GB08415242A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Roger Gill
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1984-06-14
Filing date: 1984-06-14
Publication date: 1985-12-18
Also published as: GB8415242D0; GB2160245B

Abstract

An improved method for fixing a reflective road stud 4 into a hole 1 in a road, the method comprising pouring a hardenable liquid sealing material into the base of the hole, coating the base and sides of the road stud when a composition having adhesive affinity with the sealing material, filling the recesses 8 in the base of the road stud with the sealing material, placing the coated road stud into the hole and finally pouring more sealing material around the edges of the road stud to form a complete sealed unit. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Method for fixing road studs This invention relates to an improved method for fixing reflective road studs into a road.

The term "road stud" shall be taken to cover any road stud which has a reflective surface on its upper face, the relative surface lying above the plane of the road, and which has a pair of recesses on its underside. Previously these were inserted into a road by driving a hole in the road using a jack hammer, filling the base of the hole with a fine bedding material usually asphalt to a depth such that when a road stud is inserted in the hole the reflective surface lies above the plane of the road. The road stud is placed in the hole and is pressed downwards to fix it in position. The area around the road stud was then grouted. The recesses were sometimes filled with fine cold asphalt but in many cases this step was omitted. In later years the asphalt has subsided and the seal between the grout and the road stud may break which allows water to penetrate down into the asphalt.In some cases this can allow the grout to break away from the stud which means that the stud can be moved by traffic on the road. This can be very dangerous and can cause serious damage to cars or even worse, personal injury.

According to this invention there is provided a method of fixing a road stud in a hole in a road comprising pouring a hardenable liquid sealing material into the base of the hole, coating at least a part of the road stud, which, in position comes into contact with the sealing material, with a composition having adhesive affinity with the sealing material and placing the partially coated road stud into the hole.

Preferably more sealing material is placed around the edges of the road stud when it is in position.

Typically the base and sides of the road stud will be coated in composition.

Preferably both the sealing material and the composition having the adhesive affinity with the sealing material contain bitumen.

The sealing material will typically comprise a mixture of bitumen and a filler.

This method can be used to implant new studs into a new road but has been developed primarily for inserting a road stud into a hole left by an old road stud requiring replacement. This is because new methods of cutting holes in the road have been developed which allow for greater accuracy and do not have the same problem as in the old system.

It is preferable that the recesses in the road stud are filled with the molten bitumen mixture before the road stud is placed in the hole.

The molten bitumen mixture keys to the liquid coating on the road stud to give a good seal.

When an old road stud has been removed from a hole, the hole is preferably cleaned out using a thermal lance. A thermal lance shoots compressed air at a temperature of 1 200 C at the hole surface to completely clean it and give, in effect, a new surface. The high temperature brings the bitumen in the road surface to the surface of the hole.

In order to bring the road stud to the correct level where the reflective surface is above the plane of the road it will usually be necessary to place a layer of bedding material such as fine cold asphalt or a dense bitumen wearing course into the cleaned base of the hole. When this has been placed in the base of the hole preferably the mixture is consolidated by placing a pounder foot into the hole and compacting the asphalt using a jack hammer. The depth of the bedding material may typically be 6mm but in some cases may be thinner.

A new road stud may then be placed into the hole but preferably the old existing road stud is re-used. In this case the old road studs have to be completely clean, especially the recesses. A liquid coat of a mixture including bitumen is then applied to the road stud and the recesses are filled with a hot filled bitumen. The same hot molten mixture is placed in the base of the hole and the hole stud is placed in position. The stud is then pressed down to consolidate into position and more hot filled bitumen is placed around the stud to grout it. This forms a complete sealed unit.

If the hole formed in the road is very large, coated chippings are placed around the road stud prior to grouting.

The liquid coating may comprise bitumen in any solvent but it is preferable that the coating is bitumen dissolved in the solvent toluene (C6H5CH3). When the bitumen/toluene mixture has been applied to the road stud the toluene which is very volatile flashes off very easily to leave a tacky coating on the road stud.

Preferably the molten mixture used as the hot filled bitumen comprises bitumen and limestone filler.

An example of a method of fixing a road stud in a road in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figs. 1 to 6 are schematic sections through the hole showing steps of the method.

When an old road stud has been removed from a hole in the road, a hole 1 is left beneath the road surface 2. The hole may be very uneven and is required to be cleaned. A thermal lance 3 shoots hot compressed air at a temperature of 1 200 C at the hole surface to clean it thoroughly. The high temperature brings any bitumen in the road surface to the surface.

In order to bring the road stud 4 to the correct level with respect to the road surface 2 a layer of fine cold asphalt 5 is placed in the hole 1. A pounder foot 6 is then inserted into the hole 1 and is then compacted using a jack hammer. This compacts the asphalt 5 into a thinner solid layer.

A layer 7 of bitumen and limestone filler which is molten is poured into hole 1 above layer 5 of asphalt.

The old road stud 4 is cleaned and its recesses 8 are filled with molten bitumen limestone filler. A coating 9 of bitumen in toluene is applied on the road stud 4.

The road stud 4 is then inserted into the hole where the bitumen and limestone keys to the bitumen and limestone in the recesses 8 and to the coating 9. The reflective surface 10 on the upper surface of the stud 4 lies above the road surface 2.

A grouting mixture 11 of bitumen and limestone is then poured around the gap between the road stud 4 and the hole 1 to form a completely sealed unit which prevents any water seepage through to the asphalt level 5 so that no deterioration of the asphalt level can occur so that there is no danger of the road studs coming loose and causing any danger to traffic.

Claims

1. A method of fixing a road stud in a hole in the road, the method comprising pouring a hardenable liquid sealing material into the base of the hole, applying to the road stud a composition having adhesive affinity with the sealing material, and placing the partially coated road stud in the hole, said composition being applied to at least a portion of the road stud which will contact the sealing material when the road stud is in the hole.

2. A method according to Claim 1 in which the base and sides of the road stud are coated with the composition.

3. A method according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which more sealing material is placed around the edge of the road stud when it is in position in the hole.

4. A method according to any of the preceding claims in which the sealing material comprises a molten mixture of bitumen and a filler.

5. A method according to Claim 4 in which the filler is a limestone filler.

6. A method according to any of the preceding claims in which the recesses in the road stud are filled with sealing material prior to placing the road stud in the hole.

7. A method according to any of the preceding claims in which the composition hav ing adhesive affinity with the sealing material comprises bitumen dissolved in a solvent.

8. A method according to Claim 7 in which the solvent is toluene (C6H5CH3).

9. A method according to any of the pre ceding claims, wherein the road stud is to be fixed into a hole previously accommodating an old road stud, the method including the additional steps of cleaning out the hole using a thermal lance prior to pouring the sealing material into the hole and placing the coated road stud in the hole.

10. A method according to Claim 9 in which the road stud is brought to the correct level with respect to the road by an additional step of placing a layer of bedding material into the cleaned hole, compacting the bedding material by placing a pounder foot into the hole and using a jack hammer prior to pouring the sealing material into the hole and placing the coated road stud in the hole.

11. A method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the road stud to be fixed in the hole comprises an old road stud, the method including an additional step of thoroughly cleaning the old road stud prior to coating it with the composition.

1 2. A method according to any of Claims 3 to 11 wherein the hole in the road is very large, the method including an additional step of placing coated chippings around the road stud in the hole prior to pouring more sealing material around the edge of the road stud.

1 3. A method of fixing a road stud substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 4. A method according to Claim 1 and substantially as herein described.