It is fast curing to minimise the time a vessel is out of service and its excellent adhesion to the substrate prevents de-bonding under heavy braking forces. It also provides a good co-efficient of friction for safe braking as heavy goods vehicles are loaded on board the ship.

The P&O ferry application initially involved preparation of the steel surfaces, which were shot blasted and primed. The area was cleaned with a special detergent and damaged areas were retreated with primer.

Then the three component Traffideck was hand applied over the deck surface to produce a uniform depth of material.

Finally, aluminium oxide aggregate was scattered over the Traffideck to maximise the skid resistance value. The application was mainly of 12 mesh size although in high wear areas a slightly larger aggregate (3-5mm) was used. Excess aluminium oxide was removed and the surface could carry traffic in only three hours.

Project manager Tim Crompton said, 'We had a very tight deadline, particularly as surface coating is one of the very last jobs carried out before the ferry is put into service.

The job was made easier by Traffideck. Processing the material was very simple and applying it to the steel deck was a straightforward exercise.

It flowed well to cover the surface but was sufficiently thixotropic to remain in place on sloped surfaces. Within a few days we had coated 6,850m 2and achieved impressive results.'

Traffideck has also been used extensively on linkspans, pontoons, ramps and hatch covers.

MJInformation No: 22241