COVERED

This project is aimed at improving the efficiency of Graffiti Abatement in the State of California. Initial efforts provided an assessment and classification of the graffiti problem and an evaluation of best practices. A comprehensive literature search was performed, along with interviews with several individuals working in the field of graffiti removal. It was determined that, with the exception of signs along the roadway, graffiti removal techniques are largely well developed and well established. However signs, especially retroreflective signs, continue to be a source of difficulty in areas that are hard-hit by graffiti. The goal of the project then focused on the initial development stages of a tool designed to allow a maintenance worker to clean roadway signs from the ground. This report thus presents a conceptual design of such a tool. Due to the sensitivity of the surface of the signs, it was determined that testing solely on the interface between the end effector and the sign needed to be performed. Thus the focus of the report shifted from overall development of the tool to specific design of the end effector in the form of experiments with different characteristics of the tool. The results of the experiments showed that, in order to avoid damaging the sign, the end effector must use a soft scouring pad type of removal medium. They also showed that it wa