3M All Weather Paint User Manual

Transportation Safety Division

3M™ All Weather Paint

Product Bulletin AWP

April 2020

Replaces Product Bulletin All Weather Paint Dated January 2010

1 Description

3M™ All Weather Paint (“AWP”) is a traffic paint system consisting of high-build waterborne paint, 3M Connected Roads All Weather Elements (“Elements”) and second drop glass beads. AWP incorporates an optical technology intended for use on high-build waterborne traffic marking paint and utilizes second drop glass beads to produce pavement markings. Designed for use as maintenance markings on secondary highways, AWP provides the highest level of wet reflective performance for a drop-on bead system.

1.13M Connected Roads All Weather Elements

Elements consist of an outer layer of microcrystalline ceramic beads partially embedded into composite cores to provide optimal performance under dry and/or wet conditions. Elements are specifically treated for application onto the high-build paint, as the first drop of a double-drop system. Elements are visible when dry, during rainfall, and after rainfall, providing marking visibility for motorists under all weather conditions.

1.2Paint

The paint component of AWP is manufactured with a high build polymer emulsion. All weather visibility, ease of clean-up, enhanced worker safety, and reduced disposal costs are inherent features of AWP.

AWP is an ideal pavement marking system for situations where waterborne paint equipment is already available.

1.3Second Drop Glass Beads

A second drop of glass beads is used to improve the durability of the finished marking and provide increased visibility during dry conditions. Improved dry reflectivity can be expected as the size and quality of the second drop bead is increased.

2

3M™ All Weather Paint

April 2020

2 Specifications

2.1Retroreflectivity

Average initial coefficient of retroreflected luminance values are shown in Table 1. Some variance should be expected across applications, and all values represent initial properties unless otherwise noted.

Table 1. Typical average initial coefficients of retroreflected luminancea [mcd/m2/lx].

	Property/test method	Series Dry, Dry	Series 50, 50E,	Series 90, 70E,	Series Wet,
		E, Dry M	50M	70M	Wet E, Wet M
	Retroreflectivity, Dry Average	White: 1250	White: 700	White: 500	N/A
	ASTM E1710	Yellow: 900	Yellow: 525	Yellow: 375
	Retroreflectivity, Wet Recovery Average	N/A	White: 275	White: 375	White: 400
	ASTM E2177		Yellow: 225	Yellow: 300	Yellow: 325
	Retroreflectivity, Wet Continuous Average	N/A	White: 200	White: 275	White: 300
	ASTM E2832		Yellow: 150	Yellow: 225	Yellow: 250

a. Typical retroreflectivity results represent average performance for smooth pavement surfaces. Results may vary due to differences in pavement type and surface roughness. Increased Elements drop rate may be necessary to compensate for increased surface area characteristic of rough pavement surfaces. Wet retroreflectivity testing of markings applied in grooved or recessed surfaces is difficult since water pools in recesses. In such cases, consider installing sections of pavement markings for testing on either a smooth section of the pavement surface, or on rigid panels (50 mil aluminum). If markings are applied to panels, allow them to cure, then move them carefully for retroreflectivity testing - make sure to protect the optics when transporting.

Initial retroreflective performance of AWP pavement markings shall be measured within 7 days of application.

3 Installation

The installer of the markings is required to comply with the following installation conditions and procedures.

3.1Weather and Pavement Conditions

AWP should be applied within guidelines and application criteria established in 3M Information Folder 5.22. For smooth dense pavement surfaces optimal performance is achieved when the paint is applied at a wet thickness of 25 mils (635 micron).

3.2Equipment

AWP must be installed using a double-drop bead system. Elements are installed as the first drop of the twodrop system. Elements must be installed at a truck speed of 8 mph or less to prevent rolling and paint pick-up by the Element. Contact your 3M Application Engineer for additional information regarding equipment modifications.

3.3Paint Application Rates

Paint should be applied at a wet thickness of 25 mils (635 micron) and one gallon of paint will cover a distance of 190 feet (58 meters) with a four inch (100 mm) line on a smooth surface. It may be necessary to increase paint usage rate for rough or open pavement surfaces.

3.4Marking Dimensions

Marking dimensions shall conform to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and project specifications.

3.5Placement of Elements and Beads

Elements and beads must be dropped into waterborne paint such that the Elements and beads do not roll, thus ensuring that their exposed portions are free of paint material.