Measurement of traction properties of ceramic tiles and its attention for preventing pedestrian falls

Ceramic tiles are generally located in various community and industry venues because of their durability and ability to withstand blemishes, smells, and microorganisms. Thus, they are ideal for bathrooms, kitchens, entryways, laundry rooms, and utility areas. However, they can be extremely slippery in lubricated and even dusty environments. Regardless of the significance of this issue, the care aspects of ceramic tiles’ traction properties should have been systematically studied to avoid slip and fall incidence. The present study evaluates the slip resistance performance of ceramic tiles with different textures and identifies their controls on pedestrian fall prevention. For the ceramic tiles, the three most popular types of surface textures: smooth, moderately rough, and very rough, were chosen. Dynamic friction tests measured traction properties between the ceramic tiles and three shoes in four environments. The measurement results identified that the ceramic tiles exhibited high traction functioning under clean and dry conditions. Whilst the textures of ceramic tiles played a considerable role in soapsuds-covered moderately risky and oil-covered highly hazardous conditions. The current study also proposed a concept of an operational range of surface roughness and identified ideal boundaries of surface textures against diverse levels of slippery circumstances. The outcomes of the present study may be applied to enhance the surface design of ceramic tiles to preclude fall hazards in our community and workplaces.