Eigen Stones unveils Tactile Ground Surface Indicator
Tactile Ground Surface Indicator
Stemmed Stainless Steel (316 Grade) Tactile Ground Surface Indicator (TGSI) from
Eigen Stones fails typically at the welding point where the stem is joined with the top dome. This is commonly found when the pre-drilled hole accommodating the Tactile stud is not perfectly prepared to hold the stem straight.
Tactile Indicators so installed will have one side slightly lifted off the ground, leaving the Tactile stud having more stress on one side than the other when stepped upon; over time the unbalanced force will lead to its ultimate failure, i.e. Tactile top tome falling off.
A cast version of the Stainless Steel Tactile stud has been circulating in the market. It advertises that it will not have the failing dome problem as described previously; however, the manufacturers failed to mention the downsides of the cast Stainless Steel Tactile. Consumers need to be equipped with some technical knowledge when accepting this Cast Stainless Steel Tactile product; consequence can be catastrophic.
316 Grade Stainless Steel is designed from a cocktail of metallic elements and heat/mechanically treated at a certain temperature; the design gives it its microstructure so as to attain certain corrosion resistance and physical strength. Casting means remelting the metal and let it cool in a mould. The impact on the Stainless Steel would result in losing its physical strength and corrosion resistance as designed; Stainless Steel Tactile manufactured this way can be easily spotted by its chipped and murky surfaces and worst of all – rusting after exposing in open environments.
It is not impossible to restore a cast 316 Stainless Steel to its original state, but it would require extra treatments hence cost. Strictly speaking, cast 316 Stainless Steel without further treatment cannot be classified as 316 Grade; a properly restored cast 316 Tactile would cost at least twice as much as what it would cost otherwise. Consumers should be extremely cautious with cast 316 Stainless Steel Tactiles which are sold at the same price as the weld-on counterpart.
7-Jan-2008