The test is known as the wet pendulum test method, reflecting the fact that it is commonly applied to hard or resilient surfaces to which water is applied. One exception is for internal textile floor coverings, which are tested dry.
Because wet conditions is when most slips occur and many floor surfaces permit the ponding of water (becoming wet either accidentally or intentionally), the standardized pendulum test is carried in water-wet conditions.
The wet pendulum slip resistance tests are conducted using a Munro – Stanley London Pendulum Friction Tester. This pendulum device is portable and consists of a weighted foot with a test slider that swings down and slides across the surface wetted with water. The weighted foot comprises a spring loaded rubber test slider that exerts a prescribed force over the specimen as it slides across the surface. The results of expressed as a Slip Resistance Value (SRV) or British Pendulum Number (BPN).
Slip resistance testing conducted on a slope of ≥1.5° (2.6%) will have a Slope Correction Value (SCV) applied dependant on the gradient of the area tested. The corrected results, where applicable, are applied to the Slip Resistance Value (SRV), under wet conditions, or the mean coefficient of friction under dry conditions and reported as the SCV within the results.
Slip resistance testing conducted on a slope of ≥1.5° (2.6%) will have a Slope Correction Value (SCV) applied dependant on the gradient of the area tested. The corrected results, where applicable, are applied to the Slip Resistance Value (SRV), under wet conditions, or the mean coefficient of friction under dry conditions and reported as the SCV within the results.
AS 4586-2013 applies to new pedestrian surfaces that have not yet been subjected to wear and/or contamination in service.
If a pedestrian surface has been in service, and therefore subjected to possible wear and/or contamination, testing and reporting of results should be carried out in accordance with AS 4663: 2013 Slip resistance measurement of existing pedestrian surfaces.
Wet slip resistance testing carried out using a Slider 55 rubber may have a Temperature Correction Value (TCV) applied dependant on the air temperature at the time of testing. The corrected results, where applicable, are applied to the Slip Resistance Value (SRV) and reported as the TCV within the results.
Wet slip resistance testing has the provision for either of two types of rubber materials, Slider 55 and Slider 96. Slider 55 has traditionally been used for testing outdoor surfaces and Slider 96 which was specifically developed to replace the Slider 55 for testing smoother indoor surfaces, as it provides more discrimination between such internal surfaces. When testing flooring materials in wet barefoot areas, or unusually rough surfaces, the use of the softer more resilient Slider 55 is preferable.