BRITISH STANDARD BS EN

13893:2002
Licensed Copy: Gilbert Athens, University of Birmingham, 10/06/2008 05:46, Uncontrolled Copy, (c) BSI

CONFIRMED
DECEMBER 2007

Resilient, laminate and

textile floor
coverings —
Measurement of
dynamic coefficient of
friction on dry floor
surfaces

The European Standard EN 13893:2002 has the status of a

British Standard

ICS 59.080.60; 97.150

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 BS EN 13893:2002
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National foreword
This British Standard is the official English language version of
EN 13893:2002.
The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee
PRI/60, Resilient floor coverings, which has the responsibility to:

— aid enquirers to understand the text;

— present to the responsible international/European committee any

enquiries on the interpretation, or proposals for change, and keep the
UK interests informed;
— monitor related international and European developments and
promulgate them in the UK.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on

request to its secretary.
Cross-references
The British Standards which implement international or European
publications referred to in this document may be found in the BSI Catalogue
under the section entitled “International Standards Correspondence Index”, or
by using the “Search” facility of the BSI Electronic Catalogue or of British
Standards Online.
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This British Standard, having Summary of pages

been prepared under the
direction of the Materials and
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, the EN title page,
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Strategy Committee, was
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The BSI copyright date displayed in this document indicates when the
of the Standards Policy and document was last issued.
Strategy Committee on
28 November 2002

Amendments issued since publication

Amd. No. Date Comments

© BSI 28 November 2002

ISBN 0 580 40862 0

 EUROPEAN STANDARD EN 13893
Licensed Copy: Gilbert Athens, University of Birmingham, 10/06/2008 05:46, Uncontrolled Copy, (c) BSI

NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM November 2002

ICS 59.080.60; 97.150

English version

Resilient, laminate and textile floor coverings - Measurement of

dynamic coefficient of friction on dry floor surfaces

Revêtements de sol résilients, stratifiés et textiles - Elastische, laminierte und textile Bodenbeläge - Messung
Détermination du coefficient de frottement dynamique sur des Gleitreibungskoeffizienten von trockenen
la surface des sols secs Bodenbelagsoberflächen

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 26 August 2002.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European
Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national
standards may be obtained on application to the Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation
under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the Management Centre has the same status as the official
versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION
EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

Management Centre: rue de Stassart, 36 B-1050 Brussels

© 2002 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 13893:2002 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.
 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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Foreword
This document (EN 13893:2002) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 134 "Resilient, textile and
laminate floor coverings", the secretariat of which is held by BSI.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or
by endorsement, at the latest by May 2003, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by
May 2003.

This document has been prepared under a mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and the European
Free Trade Association.

In this European Standard the annex A is normative.

According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organizations of the following
countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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Introduction
Dynamic friction testing is a means of assessing the slipperiness of floors. Many test devices have been
constructed but these give different results since the design and construction methods differ and because different
test parameters are chosen.

CEN/TC 134 therefore decided not to standardize a particular device for testing slipperiness properties of floor
coverings. The aim is to fix and standardize the principle of testing and specify the parameters to be followed when
designing a test device and when testing with it.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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1 Scope
This European Standard specifies the method for the measurement of dynamic coefficient of friction (µ) on surfaces
of resilient, laminate and textile floor coverings, usually walked on with shoes.

Relief floor coverings with a displacement volume ≤ 4 cm³/dm² are covered by this standard.

The measurements are made in a laboratory on ex-factory dry floor covering surfaces only. The method described
is not suitable for testing on wet or contaminated surfaces.

2 Normative references
This European Standard incorporates by dated or undated reference, provisions from other publications. These
normative references are cited at the appropriate places in the text, and the publications are listed hereafter. For
dated references, subsequent amendments to or revisions of any of these publications apply to this European
Standard only when incorporated in it by amendment or revision. For undated references the latest edition of the
publication referred to applies (including amendments).

EN 522:1998, Adhesives for leather and footwear materials — Bond strength — Minimum requirements and
adhesive classification.

EN 12466:1998, Resilient floor coverings — Vocabulary.

EN ISO 868, Plastics and ebonite — Determination of indentation hardness by means of a durometer (Shore
hardness) (ISO 868:1985).

3 Terms and definitions

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For the purposes of this European Standard, the terms and definitions of EN 12466:1998 together with the
following apply.

3.1
dynamic coefficient of friction, µ

quotient of the horizontal frictional force and the vertical load during motion at a constant speed between the slider
and the horizontal floor covering

3.2
displacement volume

open volume of a relief floor covering beneath the wear surface

NOTE The method for determination of this property is given in annex A.

4 Principle
Sliders made from the defined material and having a definite shape are loaded to impose a specified force on the
floor covering. The loaded sliders are pulled parallel to the surface of the floor covering at a constant speed. The
horizontal force applied to pull the sliders is recorded over the length of a trace. The horizontal force is divided by
the vertical force to obtain the dynamic coefficient of friction.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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5 Apparatus and materials

5.1 Apparatus

5.1.1 A pulling device, able to pull a loaded slider assembly at a constant speed, to a tolerance of 0,01 m/s,
within the range of 0,20 m/s to 0,30 m/s along a length which allows a stable measurement reading for at least
0,30 m.

5.1.2 A measuring device, capable of measuring the horizontal force with an error limit of 1 %.

5.1.3 A slider assembly, with two leather sliders and one shoe rubber slider of shape and dimensions specified
in Figure 1, arranged on the assembly as shown in Figure 2. The three sliders shall be of similar thickness within
the range 2 mm to 6 mm, to ensure that they are all capable of being in contact with a flat surface, and shall be
firmly fixed to the assembly by means of a contact adhesive. The slider assembly shall be loaded with a mass such
that the total mass of the loaded slider assembly is (10,0 ± 0,1) kg.
Dimensions in millimetres
D

L1

L2

L2

L3
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α L3

Key
D Direction of movement
L1 Length (37,5 ± 2,5) mm
L2 Width (10 ± 0,5) mm
L3 Uniform thickness within the range 2 mm to 6 mm
α Chamfer angle (35 ± 5) °

Figure 1 — Slider shape and dimensions

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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D
1

L4
L6 L7 L1
L3

2 L5 L2

1
Key
1 Leather sliders
2 Shoe rubber slider
D Direction of movement
L3 (46 ± 2) mm
L4 (130 ± 3) mm
L1 minus L2 (0 ± 0,3) mm
L4 minus L5 (0 ± 0,3) mm
(0 ± 0,3) mm

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L6 minus L7

Figure 2 — Typical arrangement of sliders on slider assembly (bottom view)

NOTE The use of a template is recommended to ensure the slider dimensions fall within the stated tolerances.

5.2 Sliders

5.2.1 Leather slider, consisting of pit-tanned leather of density (1,0 ± 0,1) g/cm³ and Shore D hardness 60 ± 10
according to EN ISO 868.

5.2.2 Shoe rubber slider, consisting of reference test material SBR 1 based on styrene-butadiene rubber of
Shore A hardness 95, as specified in EN 522:1998.

5.3 Balance

The balance shall be capable of measuring the mass of the loaded slider assembly to the nearest 10 g.

5.4 Calibrated weights

Three calibrated weights with different masses within the range 2 kg to 7 kg, (e.g. 2 kg, 4 kg and 7 kg) for
calibrating the test device.

5.5 Abrasive paper

60 grade and 320 grade abrasive papers fitted to a plain rigid surface with a width greater than that of the slider
assembly.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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5.6 Clean cotton cloth and/or brush

6 Calibration

6.1 Calibration by weights

Measure and record the mass of the loaded slider assembly using the balance (5.3).

Place the test device in a vertical position to allow it to pull a calibrated weight (5.4) against the measuring device
(5.1.2) without friction, parallel to the bottom of the device.

Take three measurements with each of the three calibrated weights. Record the three average results (calculated
and indicated by the test device).

Compare each of these three average results with the theoretical value. i.e.:

mass of calibrated weight

known total load including sliders

The average deviation from the theoretical value shall be ≤ 0,01.

6.2 Other calibration methods

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For machines of special construction that cannot be calibrated by weights, use the calibration procedure
recommended by the manufacturer.

7 Sampling and preparation of test pieces

Take test pieces, from both production (machine) and cross-machine directions, of dimensions approximately
100 cm by 50 cm from a sample of the floor covering. If known, mark the machine direction on the test piece.
Assemble panels and tiles so as to enable both machine and cross-machine directions to be measured.

Condition the test pieces for at least 24 h at the standard atmosphere (23 ± 2) °C and (50 ± 5) % relative humidity
or alternatively at (20 ± 2) °C and (65 ± 5) % relative humidity.

Clean the surface of laminate and resilient floor covering test pieces with the clean dry cotton cloth and use the
brush to clean the surface of textile floor coverings. Do not use any cleaning agent.

Relief floor coverings within the scope of CEN/TC 134 may be regarded as having a displacement volume
of ≤ 4 cm³/dm². For verification of this, determine the displacement volume as specified in annex A.

8 Preparation of sliders
Plane-grind the surface of new sliders with 60 grade abrasive paper (5.5) to ensure uniform thickness and then
clean and plane-grind the surface of the sliders before testing using a 320 grade abrasive paper. During the plane-
grinding the abrasive paper shall be in contact with all three sliders. The abrasive strokes shall be uniformly to-
and-from in the length direction of the sliders, with the final two strokes against the direction of slider motion.

Remove any dust from the sliders. Repeat this preparation for every new set of 5 measurements.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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9 Procedure
Condition the test device in the standard atmosphere for at least 24 h.

Take the measurements in the machine direction and the cross-machine direction. If this is not known, take
measurements in the direction of the lowest dynamic friction, verified by a sufficient number of preliminary tests.

Take five measurements using the test device (5.1). For each measurement pull the slider along a new trace.

The first two measurements can be non-representative and they shall be ignored. Record the horizontal forces
rd th th
over 0,30 m for the 3 , 4 and 5 measurements for each direction.

10 Calculation and expression of results

Record the µ value for traces 3 to 5 to the nearest 0,01 according to the following equation:

F
µ=
M
where
µ is the dynamic coefficient of friction;
F is the average horizontal force (in Newton);
M is the total vertical load on the sliders (in Newton).

mean values.

NOTE
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Calculate the mean of the three measurements in each direction and express the result as the lower of the two

The µ value can be calculated directly by the device using a built-in computer.

11Test report
The test report shall contain the following information:

a) reference to this standard i.e. EN 13893:2002;

b) complete identification of the product tested, including type, source, colour, and manufacturer’s reference
numbers;

c) date of the test;

d) method of sampling;

e) temperature and relative humidity for conditioning and during the tests;

f) the three individual µ values and the average µ-value;

g) any deviation from this standard which can have affected the results.

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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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Annex A
(normative)

Determination of displacement volume of a relief floor covering

A.1 Principle
The relief surface of a floor covering is filled up with a suitable material (usually in paste form) with a known density
to the upper level of the wear surface. The volume of the profile is determined by difference weighing without and
with the material.

A.2 Sampling and preparation of test pieces

Take five test pieces approximately 100 mm by 100 mm from the sample. Take care that the profile of the test
pieces is representative for the floor covering.

A.3 Material and apparatus

A.3.1 A suitable filling material (paste), to fill the displacement volume of the floor covering.

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A.3.2 Balance, capable of measuring to the nearest 0,05 g

A.3.3 Plate, with a smooth surface

A.3.4 Tape, to seal the edges of the test piece

A.3.5 An adjustable frame

A.4 Determination of the density of the filling material

Pour the filling material (A.3.1) into a tared flask of known volume and weigh the filled flask to obtain the net mass
of the filling material.

Calculate the density of the filling material as

net weight of the paste

Density =
volume of the paste

A.5 Procedure
Place the test piece upside down on a smooth surface. Seal the edges of the test piece with a tape plane to its
upper surface, i.e. to the level of the plate. Take off the test piece and weigh together with the tape to 0,1 g.

Place the test piece upside down on the plate and mount the frame around it. Turn up the test piece and fill up the
surface with the paste. Take off the surplus paste to the upper level of the frame and ensure that there is no paste
on the upper wear surface and that the surface of the paste is smooth. Weigh the test piece without frame
immediately to avoid evaporation from the paste.
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 EN 13893:2002 (E)
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A.6 Calculation and expression of results

Calculate the displacement volume of the profile in each test piece from the mass of the paste divided by its
density. Calculate the average volume from the five test pieces to the nearest 0,5 cm³ and express the result
3 2
relative to the area of the test pieces in cm /dm .

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blank
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 BS EN
13893:2002
BSI — British Standards Institution
Licensed Copy: Gilbert Athens, University of Birmingham, 10/06/2008 05:46, Uncontrolled Copy, (c) BSI

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