In the last post in this series we looked at how aggregates can be used to add slip resistance into a car park’s floor and why this is important.

There was one extra related aspect to this however that we thought it’d be worth covering in its own post – this is the issue of tyre squeal.

We’ve all heard a tightly turning car when it’s accelerating and shivered as that screeching, high-pitched whine echoes around the car park. There’s few things more likely to set your hair on end and evoke the torture of nails dragging down a blackboard.

Because of the floor’s composition, when this Ferrari takes off all you’ll hear is the roar of its finely tuned engine and not the horrible shrieking of rubber on concrete.

This can be a problem for site operators for a variety of reasons, particularly if they want their parking facilities to evoke a high-end environment or if there are residents nearby likely to complain about the noise.

The reason for this din is because of the friction created between a car’s tyre and a smooth floor. When combined with the wide-open spaces and concrete walls of a car park it’s the perfect recipe for loud, reverberating and annoying noises. The biggest culprit of these squeals is highly sealed concrete, as the tyre will have almost 100% contact with the surface.

The solution to this problem is to use a trafficable deck coating that has been textured using aluminium oxide or bauxite aggregates. The small bumps and ridges that this creates is ideal for enhancing traction while reducing the contact area between the tyre and the floor, giving the car grip and simultaneously avoiding unpleasant sounds.

Here you can see how tough aggregates incorporated into a polyurethane coating creates a positively textured surface that will grip onto tyres.

Much like with slip resistance and strength, it’s especially important to make sure that a multi-storey car park’s ramps and tight turning areas have the right flooring profile, as these are the spots most likely to fall victim to tyre squeal.

Tight turning areas like this are prime spots for tyre squeal if they don’t have the right floor finish.

Durability is an important consideration when it comes to reducing tyre squeal, as if the floor becomes ground down and smooth over time then the required level of traction will also wear away. Flowcrete has designed its Deckshield range of car park coatings to provide a profiled finish that will retain its texture even after years of use in the busiest of car parks.

To make sure that your car park floor is seen and not heard, get in touch with a flooring expert today. If you’ve not read them all yet, check out all the posts in this series here.