Validation of Walkway Tribometers: Establishing a Reference Standard

• NCJ Number: 230717
• Journal: Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 55 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 366-370
• Author(s): Christopher M. Powers, Ph.D., P.T.; Mark G. Blanchette, M.S.; John R. Brault, M.S.; Jim Flynn, P.E.; Gunter P. Siegmund, Ph.D., P.Eng.
• Date Published: March 2010
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the North American Conference on Biomechanics, August 6, 2008, in Ann Arbor, MI.

Annotation

Tribometers are mechanical devices used to measure walkway coefficient of friction (COF) for the purpose of assessing slip risk. The purpose of this study was to define a tribometer reference standard and use it to assess the performance of various tribometers.

Abstract

Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to walk across one of four wet walkway surfaces (polished black granite, porcelain, vinyl composition tile, and ceramic tile) to establish the relative slipperiness of each surface. Eleven tribometers were subsequently used to measure and rank the COF of all four surfaces. Our results revealed that only four of the 11 tribometers (Wessex pendulum, Sigler pendulum, Mark II, and Mark III) met our compliance criteria by both correctly ranking all four surfaces and differentiating between surfaces of varying degrees of slipperiness. Our protocol demonstrates that human gait-based measures of slipperiness can be used to create reference standards against which tribometer measurements can be validated. Tables and references (Published Abstract)