Korea sets national standard for road plates over excavation sites

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, headed by Kim Dae-ja, will promulgate KS F 8091, "Test methods for the performance of road plates," on Sept. 30. The standard will be available from that day on the institute's e-Nara Standards Certification website.

Road plates are a major temporary construction material tied directly to vehicle safety, but the absence of standardized testing had long meant that results shifted with the procedure and the conditions of the test. The need for consistent evaluation had been raised in particular for skid resistance, deflection under vehicle loads and cracking at welded joints under repeated loading.

The standard was drawn up by the institute after taking in opinions from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, industry and testing and research institutes. It covers three procedures: a skid-resistance performance test, a static load test and a fatigue test of welded joints.

For skid resistance, the standard adopts a continuous measurement method that accounts for the surface irregularities of the plate. The static load test specifies test conditions including the loading direction of the specimen and the position of the displacement gauge, while the fatigue test of welded joints sets the repeated loading frequency at 3 hertz or below.

Kim Dae-ja, head of the institute, said road plates carry ordinary vehicles throughout a construction period, so standardized test methods matter for securing quality and safety. He said the institute will keep pursuing the standardization of test and evaluation methods that industry can use, with priority on fields closely tied to safety at industrial sites.