PRODUCT SHOWCASE Griptop® sets the pace with latest testing
ron technology market leader Saint- Gobain PAM UK, part of leading international materials company Saint- Gobain, has completed comprehensive testing of its GripTop® high friction anti- skid access cover range, which has further highlighted the product’s road safety performance and durability credentials. GripTop® is Saint-Gobain PAM UK’s ductile iron access cover range, which has been engineered to bring together the benefits of ductile iron, high performance bonding agents and resins and bauxite aggregate. The result being a durable, high friction, anti–skid surface which as the testing has shown, maintains a high PSRV and ultimately prolonged grip over time. Ductile iron has a proven track record as the material of choice for carriageway access cover applications giving many years of service. In areas of high traffic volume, it is not uncommon for standard access covers of whatever material to become polished over time through the abrasive action of vehicle tyres, potentially resulting in poor skid resistance for road users.
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The purpose of the testing was to assess and compare GripTop® with access covers in alternative materials and
this was commissioned and carried out with independent NAMAS accredited provider Ceram of Stoke-on-Trent in accordance with the methods stated in HA104/09 which references the testing requirements as stated within BS:9124:2008. Paul Thompson of Saint-Gobain
PAM UK said: “GripTop® was originally developed and launched in 2008 to improve safety for road users. The range also meets the requirements of the HA 104/09 standard, which was introduced by the Highways Agency in 2010 to ensure access and manhole covers installed provide a high quality surface and grip level.
“Based on an average taken from three different points of the access cover after polishing, the results of this latest testing have shown that with an overall rating of 77, GripTop® significantly outperforms even the best non-ductile iron products by nearly 20 per cent. This clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of using our aggregate-coated cover and means that those responsible for specifying products can be reassured and confident in the quality and performance when selecting GripTop®.
“Since we launched this
product, it has been specified and installed by a number of the UK’s largest local authorities and utilities as well as making its mark in the private sector.
This
recent round of testing undoubtedly further highlights the level of its performance and suitability for making our roads safer for all types of users.” * Potentially high risk sites include those containing traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, railway level crossings, roundabouts, bends, and gradients. For further information about
GripTop® visit
www.griptop.co.uk
Small Leicestershire firm delivers largest ever National Trust Solar PV contract
the National Trust's largest ever solar project, just two years after the company formed. Helping the National Trust to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by installing a range of solar installations at six of its properties in Wales, the team scooped the contract after a competitive tender process.
P Generating over 222MWh of energy
each year, the six sites will cut the organisation's carbon output by 120 tonnes per annum and reduce its electricity bills by more than £20,000, as
rescient Power, an innovative renewable energy firm based in Leicestershire, has just completed
well as secure a potential revenue of £73,000 each year for the National Trust. The contract also included the National Trust's two largest solar projects: 50kw installations at Penrhyn and Dinefwr castles. Prescient Power has installed a combination of ground and roof mounted installations, comprising of: • 42kW roof installation on a farm in Cwrt
• 50kW ground mounted installation at Dinefwr park and castle
• 16kW ground mounted installation at a farm in Hafod y Bwch
• 50kW ground mounted installation at Penrhyn Castle
• 50kW ground mounted installation at Plas Newydd
• 39kW ground mounted installation at Powys Castle Several of the sites required special consideration, such as the installation of protective housing for
Greater Crested Newts. Justin Albert, Director of the National
Trust in Wales, said: "Generating our own power on site, and pioneering the use of renewable technology, is freeing up potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, which can be directed towards vital conservation work at properties and on the coast and countryside. "We chose Prescient Power because of their careful approach to working in environmentally and historically delicate sites. Their array designs gave us highly efficient systems with large output, ensuring that we made the most out of this investment." Prescient Power's Managing Director,
ex-Army major, Carl Benfield comments: "The National Trust is leading the way in the adoption of renewable technologies and innovations and we are pleased to have been able to help such a well- regarded organisation with one of its key sustainable projects."
www.prescientpower.co.uk
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4 41
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