Melba Swintex | News | Products & Updates

The Tuff Tread Footway Board has been on the market for the past couple of months and already we have received keen interest on its performance. After having the support and guidance from Lloyds British, the UK’s leading provider of lifting and equipment inspection services, we decided we would take it one step further and have it independently tested by the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield to the requirements of the HAUC Advice Note No. 2018/01.

The full report is available for immediate download at the Tuff Tread product page found on the Melba Swintex website, along with the original report from Lloyds British, and the Benefits & Features that the Tuff Tread has to offer.

Click Here to Head to the Web Page.

The Testing Itself

All samples were simply supported over a clear span of 700mm, with no securing, and had the load applied by a servo-hydraulic actuator through a 250mm diameter circular pad.

The deflection of each board was monitored through a Linear Variable Differential Transducer (LVDT) positioned on the underside of the board, and directly under the centre of the circular pad.

After all the loading to the HAUC Advice Note was complete, one final sample was then tested to determine its yield strength – the point of no return.

Well What D’Ya Know.

Once all of the testing had been performed, recorded, and reviewed, it was found that:

All of the tested specimens complied with the HAUC specifications, with a maximum measured displacement under a sustained load of 400kg equal to approximately 29mm (<35mm).
All of the specimens were able to carry a maximum imposed load of 800kg without any sign of failure.
The maximum load capacity was approximately 1,500kg.

Not only does the Tuff Tread conform to current legislation, it is also 100% completely recyclable.