Transit scratchitti removal by controlled fire polishing

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Transit scratchitti removal by controlled fire polishing

Hong, S.Y.

Graffiti vandalism in public transit system is a serious problem. While public transit authorities conquered paint or ink graffiti, a new type of graffiti vandalism emerged and prevails - the scratching/etching of polycarbonate and glass windows, called ''scratchitti''. As with the paint and ink graffiti, the ''scratchitti'' gives passengers the impression that vandals are running wild in the transit system. Unlike paint graffiti, the scratches can not be removed or hidden away and cause permanent damage. To run a scratch free fleet, New York City Transit would have to spend 60 - 70 million dollars per year replacing windows. Nationally, clean-up costs for scratchitti run to 1 billion dollars a year. To solve this problem, we use an innovative approach - controlled fire polishing. By positioning intense heat source near the scratchitti, we soften locally a thin layer of the glass and allow the material to re-flow and cool down by its own surface tension. Under sponsorship of US Transportation Research Board, this quick and easy process is expected to flatten and smooth the surface and restore its high optical transparency, environment-safely. It will not only improve the public transit ridership, but also reduce glass replacing cost and waste.