Field evaluation of the performance of alternative deicers for winter maintenance of transportation facilities

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an extensive field study on the comparative performance of alternative materials for snow and ice control of transportation facilities. Approximately 300 tests were conducted in a real-world environment, covering four alternative materials, and 21 snow events. Each of the alternatives tested were compared to regular rock salt in terms of snow melting performance — bare-pavement regain time. The study confirmed the relative advantage of these alternatives over the regular salt, but also showed that their performance varied largely depending on some external conditions. Performance models were calibrated and then used for developing application rate adjustment factors that can be applied by maintenance operations for determining the optimal application rates for specific weather events and pavement conditions. The applicability of the results is limited to parking lots and sidewalks without the traffic effects, and as such cannot be easily applied to winter roadways maintenance.