Method for applying a night-visible traffic stripe to a road

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The preferred apparatus of the present invention for applying a traffic stripe to a road surface includes a vehicle having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels, an applicator for applying a traffic stripe to a road surface, at least one applicator for applying a reflective material over said traffic stripe on the road surface, a rotatable wheel having a plurality of spaced projections around the periphery thereof, and an applicator for applying an anti-adhesion or releasing agent which prevents adhesion of the applied traffic stripe to the rotatable wheel when the wheel passes thereover.
The rotatable wheel is configured such that the spaced projections form corresponding spaced grooves in the applied traffic stripe.
The agent can be applied directly onto the rotatable wheel, but may also be applied onto the applied traffic stripe.
The anti-adhesion agent utilized in the preferred embodiment of the invention is water, however, the reflective material alone may also be used in an appropriate layer thickness to prevent the traffic stripe from adhering to the rotatable wheel.
The preferred method of the present invention for applying a night-visible traffic stripe to a road surface includes applying a thick marking traffic stripe to a road surface, applying a reflective material to the traffic stripe, applying an anti-adhesion agent to prevent adhesion between the applied traffic stripe and a deformation means passing over it, and deforming the traffic stripe with the deformation means to form spaced grooves in the traffic stripe.
The preferred method of the present invention applies a thermoplastic stripe to the road surface and passes a rotatable wheel having a plurality of projections around the periphery thereof over the thermoplastic stripe such that the stripe is deformed and spaced grooves are formed therein.
An anti-adhesion agent, such as water, is preferably sprayed onto the rotatable wheel prior to the deforming step to prevent the still warm thermoplastic stripe from adhering to the wheel