Tire marks, as well as chemical spills and dust formation, is one of the most common aesthetic problems in concrete floors in industrial facilities.
Heavy machinery traffic not only causes wear on the concrete floor, it also degrades tires of vehicles, leaving marks on the surface.
Despite being a recurring problem in an industrial building, the solution to tire marks is a simple industrial floor maintenance activity.
How machinery tires affect industrial floors
Machinery traffic is abrasive to the concrete floor due to friction between the tires and the surface. This is one of the main causes of dust in industrial facilities.
In addition, abrasion compromises vehicle tires, causing their physical decomposition in the long term.
Machinery tires are generally manufactured by combining more than 30 types of petroleum-based rubbers. In addition, additives are used to adjust the final chemical composition.
Tire marks on industrial flooring is caused by the chemical decomposition of the tire which, due to the heat of friction during transit, releases components with high adhesion which tend to accumulate in the surface pores of the concrete floor.
What type of tires affect most an industrial concrete floor?
Vehicles in an industrial building usually use solid or air-filled tires.
Solid tires are the ones that mostly generate tire marks on industrial floors, so they are not recommended for pallet trucks and forklifts.
Solid tires have a particular physical-chemical condition that makes them more sensitive to traffic abrasion due to pressure, contact area, roughness, etc. Therefore, solid tires wear faster than chambered ones.
Forklifts in an industrial building should be equipped with air-filled tires. These minimise wear on both the tire and the concrete. Thanks to their mechanical properties, air-filled tires prevent the marking of the floor to a greater extent.
How to remove tire marks
The best way to remove the stains produced by tires in industrial facilitiesis is to prevent them from occurring with forklift wheel cleaning mats and to make them very easy to clean by hiring the services of a polished concrete company.
The cleaning of tire marks on industrial floors consists of the use of chemical products with good reactivity that alter the properties of the tire component adhered to the concrete.
Prior to cleaning tire marks, it is recommended to wet the affected area of the floor with water. With this measure an adequate preparation is made, providing ideal conditions to increase the influence of chemical products.
Related article:
