Road Marking Paint and Machine Manufacturer
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Road markings are the lifeline of traffic safety, and their stability directly affects all-weather driving safety. However, China has a vast territory and complex and variable climate conditions, ranging from severe cold and dry in the north to humid and rainy in the south, from sandstorm erosion in the northwest to salt spray corrosion along the coast, all of which pose serious challenges to the durability, visibility, and adhesion of road markings. Hot melt road marking coatings have become one of the widely used marking materials due to their excellent wear resistance, rapid drying, and good reflective properties. But in complex climate environments, how to ensure that hot-melt marking lines can maintain excellent performance throughout the entire cycle from construction to service is a topic that engineering teams and construction parties must deeply study. TOP ROAD Transportation Technology Co., Ltd., as a professional marking material supplier with nearly 30 years of industry experience, its product system and technical services are powerful support for addressing these challenges.
1、 The main challenge of complex climate to hot-melt marking lines
Different climatic conditions will affect the performance and lifespan of hot-melt markings from different dimensions:
High and low temperature cycling and freeze-thaw damage: In northern and high-altitude areas, extreme low temperatures in winter can reach tens of degrees below zero, and road temperatures in summer can reach as high as 60-70 degrees. Severe temperature changes can cause repeated thermal expansion and contraction of the road surface and marking coating, which can easily lead to coating brittleness, cracking, and even large-scale detachment. The freeze-thaw cycle is even more deadly, as the water seeping into the coating pores or road gaps freezes and expands, directly damaging the bonding layer between the marking and the road surface.
Continuous rainfall and humid environment: In rainy areas and coastal regions in the south, the road surface is often damp or waterlogged for a long time. Moisture will gradually penetrate into the interface between the marking and the road surface, weakening adhesion and causing blistering and peeling of the marking. At the same time, water film coverage will seriously weaken the nighttime reflective effect (retroreflection performance) of the markings, posing a safety hazard.
Long term exposure to ultraviolet radiation and high temperature: In areas with strong sunlight in the west and south, intense ultraviolet radiation can accelerate the aging of organic components such as resin in coatings, leading to rapid fading and powdering of marking colors, and loss of their intended warning and guidance functions. Continuous high temperatures can also soften the marking coating, making it more prone to plastic deformation and wear under repeated rolling of heavy-duty vehicles.
Chemical corrosion and pollution: In industrial areas or areas where deicing agents (chloride salts) are heavily used in winter, chemical substances such as deicing salts and acid rain can corrode the marking coating, accelerating its performance degradation. In addition, the adhesion of pollutants such as oil stains and dust on the road surface can also cover up the markings and reduce their visibility.
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2、 Key technical points for hot melt coatings to cope with complex climates
To ensure that the hot-melt marking line can withstand, be seen clearly, and adhere firmly in harsh weather conditions, it is necessary to systematically optimize the material formula, construction process, and later maintenance.
- Material selection: The core lies in adaptability and high performance
The resin system is key: the performance core of hot melt coatings lies in the resin. For high and low temperature areas, specialized resins with a wide range of glass transition temperatures and balanced high and low temperature performance should be selected to ensure that the coating is not easily brittle under severe cold and not easily softened under extreme heat. TOP ROAD Transportation Technology Co., Ltd. conducts targeted screening and compounding of resins based on the characteristics of different climate zones, and its products exhibit stable weather resistance.
The weather resistance of pigments and fillers: The selection of titanium dioxide (white) and sun resistant yellow (yellow) pigments with strong UV resistance and excellent weather resistance is the basis for ensuring that the markings do not fade for a long time. The filler needs to have stable chemical inertness and resist the erosion of chemical substances such as snow melting agents.
The continuous reflective ability of glass beads: In rainy and foggy weather, the reflective performance of markings is crucial. Glass beads with high refractive index, high roundness index, and special treatment should be selected. For example, TOP ROAD provides rain night reflective glass beads that can maintain high reflectivity even under humid and continuous rainfall conditions, significantly improving visibility on rainy nights.
The combination of internal mixed glass beads and surface scattered glass beads: High quality hot melt coatings not only rely on surface scattered glass beads to provide initial reflection, but also pay more attention to the design of internal mixed glass beads. Mixing glass beads inside can ensure that new glass beads are still exposed after the surface layer glass beads wear, providing continuous reflective ability, which is particularly important for areas with frequent sandstorms and severe wear.
- Construction technology: Details determine the success or failure of construction in complex climates, and refined management is even more necessary.
Road surface and climate assessment before construction: The road surface must be thoroughly cleaned before construction to ensure that there is no moisture, oil stains, or dust. The main reason for adhesion failure is construction on damp or low-temperature road surfaces. At the same time, close attention should be paid to weather changes during the construction period to avoid working in rain, snow, strong winds, and extreme temperatures.
Accurate control of material temperature and line thickness: Material temperature is the soul of hot melt construction. Low temperature, poor flowability of paint, poor flatness of markings, and weak adhesion; If the temperature is too high, it can easily cause the decomposition and discoloration of the coating components, and the glass beads to settle too quickly, affecting reflection. The boiling temperature must be dynamically adjusted based on the ambient temperature (especially surface temperature) and the characteristics of the coating. TOP ROAD’s technical service team can provide precise parameter guidance based on on-site climate conditions. At the same time, ensuring that the thickness of the marking is uniform and meets the standard is the physical basis for ensuring its wear resistance and crack resistance.
Scientific use of primer: It is necessary to apply primer on cement road surfaces, old lines, or when the ambient temperature is low. It can effectively enhance the adhesion between the coating and the road surface, form a transition layer, and resist stress damage caused by temperature differences or freeze-thaw cycles. The specialized primer provided by TOP ROAD has been optimized for different substrates, resulting in a more reliable bonding effect.
Targeted construction strategy:
Cold regions: Construction should be carried out during periods of high daytime temperatures, and the material temperature can be appropriately increased while ensuring that the coating agent is completely dry. After construction, sufficient cooling time is required before traffic can be opened.
Rainy and humid areas: Be sure to wait for the road surface to completely dry and pay attention to the air humidity. Temporary covering and other measures can be taken after construction to prevent sudden rainfall from affecting.
High temperature and strong sunshine areas: Construction can be carried out in the morning and evening to avoid extreme high temperatures at noon. The material temperature needs to be precisely controlled to prevent it from being too high.
- Full cycle quality control and maintenance
Choosing a reliable partner: To cope with complex climates, it is crucial to choose a supplier with stable product performance, professional technical services, and full cycle support. Enterprises like TOP ROAD, which have established production bases and service centers nationwide, can ensure stable product supply and quickly respond to the climate adaptation needs of projects in various regions.
Construction process recording and monitoring: Establish detailed construction logs to record environmental temperature, humidity, material temperature, coating batch, and other information for later quality traceability and analysis.
Regular inspection and preventive maintenance: In areas with harsh weather conditions, the frequency of inspection of markings should be increased to promptly detect and address early cracking, fading, or local detachment issues, and carry out local repairs to prevent minor problems from escalating.
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Applying hot melt marking under complex and changing climate conditions is a systematic project that tests not only the weather resistance of the coating product itself, but also the integrated ability from material science, construction techniques to project management.
TOP ROAD Transportation Technology Co., Ltd., with its strong research and development capabilities, a full range of product matrices (covering various hot melt coatings from standard to high weather resistant, rain and night reflective, etc.), and a nationwide service network, can provide customized solutions for engineering projects in different climate regions. Its products have undergone strict quality control and extensive field application verification, which can help construction teams effectively cope with harsh environments such as high and low temperatures, rain and snow, and ultraviolet radiation, significantly improving the long-term service performance and investment return of marking projects.
Choosing to collaborate with professional partners like TOP ROAD not only provides you with high-quality materials, but also a reliable technical support system to address climate challenges, laying a solid foundation for the long-term safety and smoothness of roads.
Our company is a professional manufacturer of road hot-melt coatings, road retroreflective measuring instruments, and road marking machines. If you are interested, please feel free to communicate with me via email at any time export@toproadtraffic.com
