Slip-Test LLC
3500 Scotts Lane #F12
Philadelphia, PA 19129 USA
+1 267-244-9145
The Mark IIIB tribometer is the leader in reliable and portable tribometry. It is an industry-leading walkway friction testing device designed for testing the available friction provided by a walkway surface and any contaminants present. The Mark IIIB has demonstrated strong repeatability and reproducibility and consistently passes the validation criteria in ASTM F2508.
Includes tribometer with ASTM F2508 validation certificate, Pelican 1510 roller case, sanding plate, grooved Neolite slider, go/no-go slider height gauge, 180 grit sandpaper, blank slider clip, squirt bottle, and brush.
Slips can occur on many types of walkway surfaces with various configurations. The Mark IIIB can test the conditions that pedestrians typically encounter, including:
CAD-engineered and CNC-machined billet aluminum structure means the Mark IIIB can withstand the abuse that portable testing equipment has to endure.
The Mark IIIB is rigid and light at only 10 pounds. The Mark IIIB’s Pelican 1510 roller case (with extendable handle) travels easily by fitting in vehicle trunks and airline overhead compartments.
Friction testing exposes a tribometer to all kinds of liquid and solid contaminants. The Mark IIIB was designed using corrosion-resistant anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and plastic parts for reliable operation. Requires minimal routine maintenance.
Many tribometers in the market are not based on scientifically valid principles. The Mark IIIB is….
Based on years of peer-reviewed research, ASTM standard F2508 is the benchmark for determining whether a tribometer can assess a continuum of slipperiness on walkway surfaces just as humans do.
The Mark IIIB has consistently passed the validation criteria in ASTM F2508, and each unit comes with its own F2508 validation report.
The available friction of a given set of walkway surface conditions should measure consistently (i.e. substantially similar values), whether measured by a single tribometer user/unit combination (repeatability) or across multiple tribometer user/unit combinations (reproducibility).
The Mark IIIB has demonstrated strong repeatability and reproducibility in multiple Slip-Test organized Interlaboratory Studies.
The Mark IIIB is a stationary tribometer with positionable rubber feet, allowing a specific area of the surface to be tested for higher repeatability - no wheelspin or measurement spikes across surface transitions.
The Mark IIIB has been sold to clients across North America, as well as Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Slip-Test is proud that the Mark IIIB is fabricated and assembled in the United States of America.
Standard Practice for Validation: Calibration, and Certification of Walkway Tribometers Using Reference Surfaces
Standard Practice for Selection of Walkway Surfaces When Considering Pedestrian Safety
American National Standard for Reducing Slip Missteps on Walking-working Surfaces
Trust the tribometer used by research universities, insurance companies, major theme parks, test labs, facility maintenance companies, and top forensic experts!
There are no ASTM Standard Test Methods for the Mark IIIB or any other proprietary-design walkway tribometer. ASTM Regulations do not allow reference to a proprietary device where “alternatives exist” - and an entirely different tribometer design could nevertheless be called an “alternative”. Slip-Test’s operating instructions (and YouTube videos) provide all the information needed to use the tribometer in accordance with the ASTM F2508 validation procedures and ASTM E691 Interlaboratory Studies.
The Mark II used a 10 pound weight for actuation (rather than the spring used in the Mark IIIB), but the Mark IIIB is more reliable, both statistically and mechanically, and much easier to use and transport. Because of this, and due to lack of demand for the Mark II, they are no longer in production.
The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) floor mat test procedure 101-C, referenced in NFSI’s floor mat "high-traction" product certifications, specifies the use of the Mark II or Mark III tribometer.
Slip-Test has had no relationship with NFSI and does not support the methodology or reliability of their floormat certification process. The Mark II and Mark III (and Mark IIIB) tribometer designs require a fairly stiff testfoot material, above approximately Shore 35A durometer. The tribometer will not work correctly with softer rubber, foam, or textile substrates (below Shore 35A) that are used on floormats. It would be necessary to basically disable the normal functionality of the tribometer when testing such softer materials - measurements will not be reliable. Additionally, the Mark II and Mark III operate differently and will provide different results, so NFSI specifying that either can be used to measure to the same friction threshold value (in 101-C) is not technically sound.
Slip-Test does not work with Mark I tribometers, which were last sold new in 1993, and have long been obsolete. Slip-Test offers full-scale scans of 17 original Mark I manufacturing drawings (circa 1975) for purchase.
Powers, C.M., Blanchette, M.G., Brault, J.R., Flynn, J. and Siegmund, G.P. (2010), Validation of Walkway Tribometers: Establishing a Reference Standard. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 55: 366-370. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01283.x
Blanchette, M.G., Lee-Confer, J., Brault, J.R., Rutledge, B., Elkin, B.S., and Siegmund G.P. (2022), Human Slip Assessment of Candidate Reference Surfaces for Walkway Tribometer Validation: An Update to Standard ASTM F2508. Journal of Testing and Evaluation, 50 (2): 1155–1164. https://doi.org/10.1520/JTE20210240
Siegmund G.P., Blanchette M.G., Brault J.R., Chimich D.D., Elkin B.S. (2021), Quantifying the Uncertainty in Tribometer Measurements on Walkway Surfaces. Ergonomics. 64 (3):396-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2020.1797182
