Pendulum History...
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Designed for floor testing
The Pendulum was originally designed to test the slip resistance of floors. However it was not until the UK Transport Research Laboritory forund it a useful machine for testing roads that it firts found fame. Later research proved that it is a very useful measure of slip resistance of floors and the Pendulum is now asserting itself as the gold standard for measuring dynamic slip resistance of floors. Want to know more? |
SlipAlert and the Pendulum both accurate
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Like the Pendulum, SlipAlert correctly responds to the presence of the film of water which is trapped between the floor surface and the heel of a pedestrian when they slip. Other devices do not do this and thus give incorrect results in wet conditions. |
SlipAlert designed for ease of use
Unlike the Pendulum, SlipAlert is very user-friendly and requires no special training to operate it.
SlipAlert can test your floor within two minutes of taking it out of its box.
How does SlipAlert work?
SlipAlert consists of two parts - the device itself and an aluminium ramp.
The ramp is set up on the floor to be measured. SlipAlert is switched on and placed on the ramp. SlipAlert is manually pulled to the top of the ramp (where there is a stop to prevent it going too far) - and released.
SlipAlert runs down the ramp on the 4 wheels. However, when it meets the floor the front wheels stay in contact with the floor and the rear wheels lift clear of the floor to allow the slider pad under SlipAlert to contact the floor.
SlipAlert runs across the floor on the two front wheels and the slider pad until it comes to a stop.
The reading on SlipAlert's meter is taken, and from a graph on the ramp the Coefficient of Dynamic Friction (µ) or Equivalent Pendulum Test Value can be read off against the meter reading.
Wet or Dry
If you wish to obtain the value of µ in the dry, the test is done in the dry. If you wish to obtain the value of µ in the wet, then simply wet the floor in the area where SlipAlert will run.
You can use water to wet the floor if you want to find out how the floor behaves when water-wet, or any other lubricant you choose in order to find out how the floor behaves under that particular lubricant. A lubricant is not necessarily wet; dust, flour and many contaminants act as a lubricant.
Portability
SlipAlert weighs 5kg, so anyone can carry and use it. If the floor is very slippery, then expect it to travel 1 metre or more across the floor from the bottom of the ramp. With most floors it will only run 0.5 metres or so.
So Simple...
It looks simple and it works simply, but SlipAlert's simple design and operation is based on a complex interaction between weight, velocity, slider properties, size, etc., which is tailored to accurately mimic the effect of a person slipping.
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