United States Department of Transportation
i
Evaluation of deicer applications on open graded pavements : final report.
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2006-04-01
[PDF-1.36 MB]
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Abstract:The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) winter maintenance practices include plowing, sanding, and applying winter anti-icing/deicing liquids. These activities are performed on dense-graded as well as open-graded pavements. During the winters of 2002 and 2003, several accidents occurred on ODOT highways constructed with open-graded pavement, after winter maintenance chemicals had been applied. The people involved in these accidents believed that the application of deicers on the surface of the road may have reduced the friction of the surface, creating a hazardous traction condition. The scope of this research was to study the effects of liquid magnesium chloride on open-graded pavements. Four sections on two different highways in Oregon were selected to be skid tested under three conditions: 1) No deicer application; 2) after a deicer application rate of 15 gallons/lane mile; and 3) after a deicer application rate of 30 gallons/lane mile. The results of the skid tests were plotted and compared for any notable changes in friction. It was found that the application of deicer on either type of pavement at either application rate appeared to have little if any effect on the Friction Number (FN). The FNs obtained in the skid tests were also compared with those recommended in a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) study, and they turned out to be well above the FHWA recommended FN values. Due to the difficulty in controlling for variables, additional study is recommended, perhaps in a lab or in a location where the researchers can maintain more control over the variables.
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