Examination of the effect of superhydrophobic coated pavement under wet conditions

Abstract

Accidents cause vital loss and property damage. The possibility of an accident when the surface is under wet conditions is an indisputable fact. In addition, drivers slow down when the pavement is wet and this affects the flow of traffic. Accidents occur on highways in wet weather either because of hydroplaning or reduced skid resistance. This paper studies the differences between surfaces with superhydrophobic (SH) coating and those without. To determine the differences, British pendulum numbers (BPN) from coated and uncoated samples were compared. The effect of the SH coating on temperature change was examined. Additionally, a small area was SH coated and what happens to the coating during driving was determined. As a result, SH coated samples had higher BPN values than uncoated samples. In addition, a decrease in temperature for SH coated samples is slower than uncoated samples. Last of all, after 100 drives on the SH coated pavement, the coating is not harmed by the contact angle. Therefore, SH coating would be useable especially on rural highways with low volume where accidents occur because of wet/iced/snow surfaces.