In the modern transportation system, road safety is the cornerstone for ensuring smooth travel and the safety of life and property. With the continuous increase in the number of vehicles, traditional road safety facilities can no longer fully meet the increasingly complex traffic needs. As a new type of road safety facility, solar road studs play a key role in improving road safety with their unique design and functions. This article will explore in depth why solar road studs have long-lasting durability and excellent performance, and unveil the mystery of this road safety guardian for you.
Solar road studs are very particular about material selection, using high-strength and weather-resistant materials such as polycarbonate and aluminum alloy. Polycarbonate is an engineering plastic with excellent comprehensive performance. It has extremely high impact strength and is not easy to crack or damage even when it is hit by a vehicle in a low-temperature environment. At the same time, it also has excellent weather resistance and can be exposed to harsh environments such as ultraviolet rays, wind and rain for a long time without aging or fading. Aluminum alloy is known for its high strength and low density. It can not only withstand repeated rolling by vehicles, but also has good heat dissipation performance, which helps internal electronic components maintain a stable operating temperature. It also has strong corrosion resistance and can maintain structural integrity for a long time even in humid environments with high salt content such as coastal areas.
Solar panels are mostly made of monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon.
The manufacturing process of monocrystalline silicon solar panels is mature, with an energy conversion efficiency of more than 20%, and the performance decays slowly during long-term use, and has good durability.
Polycrystalline silicon solar panels are composed of multiple silicon grains. Although their energy conversion efficiency is slightly lower than that of monocrystalline silicon, generally 15% - 17%, they are cheaper and have a higher cost-effectiveness in projects that are more sensitive to cost.
The transparent polycarbonate or tempered glass covering the surface of the solar panel is usually between 2 and 3 mm thick. While ensuring a transmittance of more than 90%, it has a Mohs hardness of 6-7 and excellent UV resistance, which can effectively block more than 99% of UV rays, ensuring that the solar panel can work efficiently for a long time.
Aluminum alloy is suitable for high-intensity road environments such as highways and heavy-loaded freight roads due to its excellent pressure resistance and corrosion resistance. The specially treated aluminum alloy shell has a compressive strength of 200-300MPa and can easily withstand the crushing of heavy trucks.
High-strength plastics such as polycarbonate or ABS plastic have good impact resistance and high and low temperature resistance. They can still maintain good physical properties in extreme temperature environments of -40℃ to 80℃, and are often used in rural roads, sidewalks and other occasions where weight is required.
Lithium batteries have become the mainstream choice due to their high energy density, long life and fast charging characteristics. After a full charge, the solar road stud can meet the lighting needs of 5-7 consecutive rainy nights, and the number of charge and discharge cycles can reach more than 1,000 times, with a service life of 5-7 years.
NiMH batteries have a place in cost-sensitive projects due to their high safety and good cycle life. Although their energy density is relatively low, about 60-100Wh/kg, they are not prone to explosions, fires and other safety accidents during the charging and discharging process, and the number of charge and discharge cycles can reach 500-800 times.
The core chip of the LED lamp uses semiconductor materials. These materials have a suitable band gap width and can efficiently convert electrical energy into light energy. The luminous efficiency can reach 100-200lm/W, and the life is up to 50,000-100,000 hours. Its packaging material is usually epoxy resin or silicone, which has good light transmittance and waterproof and dustproof properties, and the protection level can reach IP68.
Solar road studs usually have a high waterproof and dustproof grade of IP68. This high waterproof and dustproof grade effectively protects the internal electronic components from water and dust, and its realization depends on precise structural design and high-quality sealing materials. This excellent performance enables solar road studs to operate normally in heavy rain or blizzard weather, providing drivers with clear road guidance.
At the shell joints of the road stud, multi-layer sealing rubber rings and waterproof glue are used for double sealing. The rubber rings are usually made of silicone rubber with excellent weather resistance, good elasticity and anti-aging properties, and can maintain a tight sealing state under various temperature environments. The waterproof glue uses high-strength and high-viscosity special glue, which forms a solid waterproof barrier after curing to prevent moisture from penetrating. In addition, the surface of the circuit board of the road stud will be treated with three anti-moisture, mildew and salt spray, and its waterproof and dustproof capabilities will be further enhanced by spraying a layer of special protective paint.
The design of solar road studs fully considers the pressure caused by vehicle driving. The load capacity of different types of road studs ranges from 10 to 30 tons. In order to improve the pressure resistance, in addition to the selection of high-strength materials, a variety of technical means are also used.
In terms of structural design, the road stud adopts a unique arch structure, which can evenly distribute the pressure applied by the vehicle to the entire bottom of the road stud to avoid local stress concentration. At the same time, reinforcing ribs are set inside the road studs. These reinforcing ribs are like beams and columns in buildings, which enhance the overall strength and rigidity of the road studs. For the exposed solar panels, PC bulletproof materials are used for protection. This material has extremely high impact resistance and can withstand direct rolling of car tires without breaking, effectively protecting the internal solar cells and circuits. By adopting IC control technology, the volume of electronic circuits is streamlined, the space occupied by electronic components is reduced, and the pressure on electronic components is reduced. In addition, in the manufacturing process of the shell, precision injection molding or die-casting technology is used to ensure the dimensional accuracy and structural strength of the shell, further improving the pressure resistance of the road studs.
Solar road studs use solar energy as energy, convert light energy into electrical energy through solar panels, and provide a stable energy supply for road studs. Energy storage batteries absorb and store solar energy during the day, and release electrical energy to drive LED lights to emit light at night or when there is insufficient light, achieving long-term stable lighting.
This way of energy utilization is not only green and environmentally friendly, but also compared with traditional electric-driven road facilities, every 1,000 solar road studs installed can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 30 tons per year, which is equivalent to the emission reduction effect of planting 1,500 trees. At the same time, it also gets rid of the dependence on traditional electricity, does not need to lay complex cable lines, greatly reduces the cost of use and maintenance difficulty, and is particularly suitable for use on roads with inconvenient power supply in remote areas, mountainous areas, etc.
LED lights are the core luminous components of solar road studs, with significant advantages of low energy consumption and high brightness. LED lights have extremely high luminous efficiency and can convert more than 80% of electrical energy into light energy, while incandescent lamps only convert about 10% of electrical energy into light energy, and most of the rest of the electrical energy is wasted in the form of heat energy.
The service life of LED lights is usually 50,000-100,000 hours, which can meet the needs of continuous use for several years. Calculated as 12 hours a day, its service life can reach 11-23 years. During the working process, LED lights have low energy consumption and low heat generation, which is one of the important reasons for their long life.
In actual applications, after being strictly waterproof and dustproof, the LED lights of solar road studs can still maintain more than 80% of the initial brightness after 5 years of use.
Solar road studs have a visible distance of up to 800 meters. This advantage allows drivers to clearly perceive the existence of road studs from a long distance, so that they have enough time to adjust the speed or direction of the vehicle to avoid traffic accidents. Its excellent visibility is due to advanced optical design and high-brightness LED lights.
In terms of optical design, road studs use special lenses and reflective structures to accurately refract and reflect the light emitted by LED lights, forming a high-intensity beam in a specific direction. At the same time, the LED lights of road studs are available in a variety of colors, including red, yellow, blue, green and white. Different colors of light have specific indicative meanings in different road scenes.
In complex road scenes such as highways and curves, solar road studs with high visibility range can provide drivers with clear road guidance and enhance road safety and traffic efficiency.
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Indicators |
Importance |
Industry Standards |
Improvement Methods |
|
Compression resistance |
Fundamental for normal operation of road studs and to prevent damage by vehicles |
Generally required to withstand 10 tons; some high-strength roads require resistance up to 30 tons |
Use PC bulletproof materials, optimize circuit design, reinforce the shell with ribs, and adopt an arched structure design |
|
Sealing |
Prevents short circuits and protects the road stud from damage |
Must meet IP68 waterproof and dustproof level; adopt a multi-layer sealing structure |
Use separated structural design, apply strong bonding materials, and perform three-proof treatment (waterproof, dustproof, corrosion-proof) on circuit boards |
|
Luminous brightness |
Ensures visibility of road studs and guides traffic |
Required to reach 2000 MCD; higher brightness is needed in some special scenarios |
Select high-brightness LED chips, optimize optical design, and incorporate lenses and reflective structures |
|
Stability and reliability |
Ensures long-term and stable performance |
No unified standard; generally, battery life should be no less than 5 years and electronic components should have a low failure rate |
Choose high-quality batteries, simplify circuit design, ensure excellent welding quality, and use reliable electronic components |
|
Battery matching performance |
Ensures proper functionality under varying lighting conditions |
Under standard testing, battery should power the stud for 3–5 rainy nights; when illumination is <1000LX, 8 hours of charging should support 12 hours use |
Select appropriate battery types based on application scenario and optimize battery management system |
|
Environmental adaptability |
Ensures normal operation in harsh and diverse environmental conditions |
Operating temperature: -40°C to 80°C; Humidity: 10% to 95% |
Use weather-resistant materials, optimize design for environmental adaptability, and apply special protective treatment to electronic components |
On highways, they can clearly divide lanes and guide vehicles to drive safely. On highways with heavy traffic and fast speeds, solar road studs are installed every 15-20 meters. Their bright lights form a continuous light band at night, helping drivers accurately judge lane boundaries and avoid accidents such as rear-end collisions and scratches caused by lane deviation. At the same time, near the entrances and exits of highways and service areas, solar road studs can also play a warning and guiding role, reminding drivers to pay attention to changes in road conditions.
On rural roads, solar road studs provide lighting and road guidance for villagers traveling at night. Many rural roads lack complete lighting facilities, and there are great safety hazards when traveling at night. Solar road studs have low installation costs and do not require external power supplies, which are very suitable for the characteristics of rural roads. When villagers travel at night on roads equipped with solar road studs, they can clearly see the outline of the road, effectively reducing accidents such as falls and collisions caused by poor vision.
On bridges, driving safety can be guaranteed even in bad weather. Bridges are usually located in open areas and are easily affected by bad weather such as strong winds, heavy rains, ice and snow. With its excellent waterproof and dustproof, pressure-resistant and weather-resistant properties, solar road studs can still work normally in bad weather, providing drivers with reliable road guidance and ensuring the safety of bridge traffic.
With its excellent durability and performance, solar road studs have effectively improved road safety and have been widely recognized. Many road management departments said that solar road studs have a long service life and are easy to maintain, which greatly reduces the overall cost of road safety facilities. Drivers and pedestrians have also praised solar road studs for bringing more security to their travel.
When purchasing solar road studs, you should focus on key indicators such as materials, waterproof level, pressure resistance, and battery life. First, check the detailed information about the material in the product description to confirm whether the solar panel is made of monocrystalline silicon or polycrystalline silicon, and whether the shell is high-strength polycarbonate or aluminum alloy. For solar panels, the quality can be preliminarily judged by observing the color and uniformity of their surface. High-quality solar panels have uniform surface color and no obvious defects and scratches.
Confirm whether the waterproof and dustproof level reaches IP68, and ask the supplier to provide relevant test reports for verification. Understand whether the compressive load capacity of the road stud meets the requirements of the use scenario. For example, on heavy-load traffic roads such as highways, road studs with a compressive load capacity of more than 20 tons should be selected. At the same time, check the type and performance parameters of the battery. The energy density and number of charge and discharge cycles of lithium batteries are important reference indicators. Generally speaking, the higher the energy density and the more charge and discharge cycles, the better the battery performance. In addition, you can further identify the product quality by checking product certifications and test reports, such as CE certification, RoHS certification, etc.
It is crucial to choose suppliers with good reputation and rich production experience. You can participate in industry exhibitions to inspect the production scale and process level of suppliers on the spot. Refer to user reviews and recommendations on online platforms to understand the reputation and after-sales service of suppliers. At the same time, you can also consult professionals in the same industry or units that have used solar road studs to obtain their evaluation and recommendations on different suppliers.
In addition, checking the qualifications and honors of suppliers can also effectively judge their reliability. Formal suppliers usually have relevant industry qualification certifications, such as ISO quality management system certification, which indicates that they follow strict quality standards in the production management process. Suppliers with patented technologies and innovation awards often have advantages in product research and development and technological innovation, and their products are more likely to have advanced performance and reliable quality.
When communicating with suppliers, pay attention to their service capabilities. Find out whether the supplier provides installation guidance services. Professional installation guidance can ensure that the solar road studs are installed correctly and give full play to their performance. Ask about the after-sales service content, including warranty period, fault repair response time, etc. High-quality suppliers generally provide at least 3-5 years of warranty period, and promise to respond within 24 hours after receiving fault feedback to promptly solve problems that arise during product use.
As the world pays more and more attention to environmental protection and sustainable development, solar road studs have the advantages of high-quality material selection, excellent waterproof, dustproof and pressure resistance, efficient energy utilization, high-brightness and long-life LED lights, and a wide visible range. Become a trustworthy guardian in the field of road safety. From the careful selection of materials, to the strict control of various performance indicators, to the successful application in various road scenarios, solar road studs have demonstrated long-lasting durability and excellent performance, effectively improving road safety and traffic efficiency, while also contributing to environmental protection and reducing the use and maintenance costs of road safety facilities.
