Urban surface design

Technical performance

Grating designs have to accommodate a variety of factors. All ACO systems interface directly with the load and are designed for safe trafficking, they also have to meet hydraulic demands – with the inlet needing to be capable of varying levels of water flow. 

ACO channel systems are designed to perform at the highest level to accommodate loads as diverse as that created by a child’s foot, a stiletto heel or a crane unloading high tonnage shipping containers. Channel systems are classified on a scale A-F, the channel and grating need to comply with recognised Euronorms. All ACO channels and gratings are classified accordingly.

While ‘load’ is primarily a technical requirement ACO have not been restricted by traditional perspectives.  For example it is not only established and recognised materials like ductile iron that are used for high load requirements – plastic composites are available for such class applications. Similarly lower performance requirements for domestic applications does not meant that only lower cost commodity materials are used, for example the stainless steel wedge wire grating is available for lower load class requirements.

All gratings have to meet hydraulic inflows – the inlet must be capable of receiving high levels of surface water.  All ACO gratings have clearly defined hydraulic capacity and have been developed using design formulae for calculating the hydraulic flow capacity of drainage channels. Designers can be assured that the capacity of even the largest ACO channel system with the most discrete of gratings can accommodate the required inflows.