Coefficient of friction - An overview of floor surfaces, polishes and maintenance interaction

Floor care and slip resistance has been fundamentally accepted for centuries. The advent of scientific investigation of specific interactions between flooring materials and traction is a relatively new subject, being pioneered by Hunter during the 1920's and continued by James during the first half of the 20(th) century. This work established the standard utilized by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., and eventually to the standard by ASTM D 21, the committee on Polishes. Continued scientific study, correlated with actual field experience solidified the importance of this work and established the benchmark for determining the static coefficient of friction of a polished surface, as well as creating a means for examining the relative slip resistance of other surfaces intended for pedestrian passage.