Abrasion Resistance Criteria and Compliance As Per TR34 (4th Edition)

Control Surface Dusting, Wear, And Weak Finishes
Through Proven Abrasion Resistance Test
2.1 Abrasion Resistance
Abrasion resistance is the ability of a concrete surface to resist wear caused by rubbing, rolling, sliding, cutting and impact forces. Wear, which is the removal of surface material, is a process of displacement and detachment of particles or fragments from the surface. Abrasion mechanisms are complex and combinations of different actions can occur in many environments – for example, from truck tyres, foot traffic, scraping and impact. Excessive and early wear can be caused by the use of under-specified or non-compliant concrete or water damage at the construction stage.
In normal warehouse working conditions, poor abrasion resistance is rarely a problem for a typical power-trowelled and well-cured floor using good quality concrete. Lower concrete strength classes may require a dry shake topping to achieve adequate abrasion resistance.
A test to measure the abrasion resistance of a floor surface is described in EN 13892-4[5]. The minimum age of test is not noted but the concrete must have developed its required strength, i.e. a minimum of 28 days is considered sensible. It is suggested that a sampling rate of 1 test per 4000m2 is adequate. The maximum limit of abrasion should be 0.20mm.
If a floor is to be tested, it should be noted that resin-based curing compounds create a layer or ‘skin’ on the surface that can be impenetrable to the abrasion test machine [6].
Inadequate abrasion resistance in service can be improved by surface penetrating resin sealers and/or grinding.