49 C.F.R. § 224.103 Characteristics of retroreflective sheeting.
Title 49 - Transportation
(a) Construction. Retroreflective sheeting applied pursuant to this part shall consist of a smooth, flat, transparent exterior film with microprismatic retroreflective elements embedded in or suspended beneath the film so as to form a non-exposed retroreflective optical system. (b) Color. Retroreflective sheeting applied pursuant to this part shall be yellow, fluorescent yellow, or white as specified by the chromaticity coordinates of ASTM International's Standard D 4956–04, “Standard Specification for Retroreflective Sheeting for Traffic Control.” The Director of the Federal Register approves the incorporation by reference of this standard in this section in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You may obtain a copy of the incorporated standard from ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, P.O. Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428–2959 or at http://www.astm.org. You may inspect a copy of the incorporated standard at the Federal Railroad Administration, Docket Clerk, 1120 Vermont Ave., NW., Suite 7000, or at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_ regulations/ibr_locations.html. (c) Performance. Retroreflective sheeting applied pursuant to this part shall meet the requirements of ASTM D 4956–04, for Type V Sheeting if metalized or Type VII Sheeting if non-metalized, except for the initial minimum values of the coefficient of retroreflection, and shall, as initially applied, meet the minimum values for the coefficient of retroreflection specified in Table 1 of this subpart. (d) Certification. The characters “FRA–224”, constituting the manufacturer's certification that the retroreflective sheeting conforms to the requirements of paragraphs (a) through (c) of this section, shall appear at least once on the exposed surface of each piece of sheeting in the final application. The characters shall be a minimum of three millimeters high, and shall be permanently stamped, etched, molded, or printed within the product and each certification shall be spaced no more than four inches apart. (e) Alternative standards. Upon petition by a freight rolling stock owner or railroad under §224.15, the Associate Administrator may approve an alternative technology as providing equivalent safety. Any such petition shall provide data and analysis sufficient to establish that the technology will result in conspicuity and durability at least equal to sheeting described in paragraphs (a) through (c) applied in accordance with this part and will present a recognizable visual target that is suitably consistent with freight rolling stock equipped with retroreflective sheeting meeting the technical requirements of this part to provide the intended warning to motorists.
Title 49: Transportation
PART 224—REFLECTORIZATION OF RAIL FREIGHT ROLLING STOCK
Subpart B—Application, Inspection, and Maintenance of Retroreflective Material
§ 224.103 Characteristics of retroreflective sheeting.
Table 1 of Subpart B_Minimum Coefficient of Retroreflection (RA) (in Candela/Lux/Meter\2\) Requirement for Retroreflective Sheeting (Minimum Photometric Performance Requirements)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation angle --------------------------------------------------------------- 0.2 Degree 0.5 Degree Entrance angle --------------------------------------------------------------- Yellow or Yellow or fluorescent White fluorescent White yellow yellow-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------4°......................................... 400 600 100 16030°......................................... 220 350 45 75----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
