Traffic Vertical Signposting: Materials Characterization and Structural Numerical Simulation

Franco, M.; Fonseca, R.; Gomes, S.; Biscaia, S.; Brites, F.; Pascoal-Faria, P.; Mateus, A.

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/8249

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Abstract(s)

The existing metallic solutions used for vertical traffic signs are associated with higher costs and environmental issues due to their manufacturing and degradation, when compared with polymeric solutions. Thus, the development of vertical signs considering the injection from polymeric materials in order to overcome problems related with sustainability, maintenance costs, and to achieve higher resistance to corrosion assumes nowadays an important role. The use of ecofriendly and innovative products considering the industrial waste combined with synthetic polymers performing the appropriate mechanical properties, can also be studied to find out new solutions that allow to solve the aforementioned problems. Additionally, these innovative vertical signs can contribute to avoid vandalism events related with theft and graffiti activities. This work presents the prior materials investigation and the structural design of vertical signs that are intended to be produced through polymer injection. Three main steps were considered: i) materials research, ii) materials characterisation through the analysis of polycarbonate resin isolated and in different sets of mixtures with different concentrations through tensile testing and static water contact angle measurements to find the optimal material composition; and iii) structural numerical simulation considering polycarbonate resin and using the current standard EN 12899-1 [1] to compute wind resistance, temporary and permanent deflections. Both experimental and numerical results led to an optimized proposal of the vertical signposting structural design.

Description

Aknowlegements: This work was supported by the project POCI-01-0247-FEDER-010797from the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (IAPMEI). In addition, the authors acknowledge the funding from the project UID/Multi/04044/2013 of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and PAMI - ROTEIRO/0328/2013 (Nº 022158).

Keywords

Polymer composites Injection moulding, Vertical traffic signs, Numerical analysis, Structural design.

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/8249

Citation

Franco, M. C., Fonseca, R., Gomes, S., Biscaia, S., Brites, F., Pascoal-Faria, P., & Mateus, A. (2019). Traffic Vertical Signposting: Materials Characterization and Structural Numerical Simulation. In Applied Mechanics and Materials (Vol. 890, pp. 190–198). Trans Tech Publications, Ltd.