RUBBER ROADS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 14 October 1922, Page 7

RUBBER ROADS

AN I t NTISIIESTING DEVELOPMENT Loudon is shortly to have xuhhei roads. Although this will be a distinct departure in road engineering, experiments have now been conducted for manv years with a view to discoverino' an entirely now type o) sutfaec which will be equally suitable for horse and for motor traffic (writes “An Engineer” in the Daily Mail). If the rubber road justifies all the claims made for it, it. will not only solve the noise problem, which has been baffling exports lor years, bui also will reduce the wear and tear oi all forms of load transport vehicles to a minimum, it is also anticipate!, that the rubber block give about ],) years’ wear, which is about double that of wood paving, # In their endeavour to find an ideal road surface, engineers have experimented With some novel materials, which include such widely different substances as iron, glass, and cork. Cast iron used in conjunction with concre'e - , forming what may be described as an armoured road, has been tried for some time past in France. A road of this type has been laid at Lyons and has proved quite satisfactory, having carried exceptionally heavy traffic with a minimum amount of wear.

French road-makers have also produced a glass road surface, which has been found to possess distinct advantages and nard wearing qualities The bricks are composed of a material consisting of waste glass, such .as old broken bottles. This material is devitrified and subjected to a heavy pressure in moulds. The bricks are thus rendered very tough and extremely durable, and owing to their gritty nature are not liable to become slippery through wear or in wet weather. They are, however, capable of resisting a crushing strain of four tons to the square inch. The cost at the time the first glass road was laid was stated to be 10s per square yard. Continental engineers have also obtained good results with cork paving blocks. They have been found to poscoss the advantage of being non-ab-sorbant, noiseless, durable, not liable to expand and contract when laid, sanitary, and non-slippery when worn. The most important question to ho considered by road-makers at the present time is that of providing surfaces suited not only to tho nature of the tragic passing over them, hnt also, to the particular locality whore 'extra strain is imposed. For example, during the busiest hours, omnibuses pass Charing Cross to the number of 498 per hour, or approximately one every six seconds.

This fact provides an interesting instance of localised road deterioration. “Pot holes” are chiefly caused by concussion. The stopping and starting of heavy . vehicles and the , constant strain caused by changing gears at the head and foot of inclines wears away the hardpst road surface in a short time. .Moreover, at the point where two different types of roads meet a ridge is often formed owing to the different level of the surface. Consequently traffic passes over the join with a bump and drops on to the lower surface with considerable impact, the continual pounding speedily causing “potholes” and other irregularities';