United States Department of Transportation
i
Development of Shaker Test as a Standardized Test Protocol for Deicing Chemicals Evaluation
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2014-07-01
[PDF-6.43 MB]
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Abstract:During a research project previously funded by MATC, a simple and economical test using a martini shaker for ice melting capacity evaluation showed potential in becoming a standardized test. The development of the shaker test was prompted by the inconsistent results from the SHRP ice melting capacity tests. Further,there is a general interest within the winter maintenance community (e.g., Clear Roads and TRB Committee AHD65) to further develop the shaker test into a deicing chemicals test protocol. This research focused on the use of a mechanical rocker for shaking instead of manually shaking, which can introduce significant error. The main objective of this research was to transform The Mechanical Rocker Test into a standardized testing procedure for an ice melting capacity evaluation of liquid deicing chemicals. A number of testing parameters need to be precisely specified to ensure repeatability and consistency in the test results. In this test, 33 ice cubes of 1.3-mL each and 30-mL of liquid deicing chemical were mixed in a vacuum sealed thermos on a mechanical rocking platform. The rocker was set to a frequency of 90 RPM with a tilt angle of ±10°. The time duration for rocking was set for 15 minutes. A Styrofoam dish or cup was used for measuring the mass of the ice. With these test parameters, a standard deviation of 1.15% has been achieved when testing with MeltDown Apex™. The Rocker Tests can be used to develop guidelines for efficient winter roadways maintenance operations involving the use of deicing chemicals. Guidelines for best practices under various weather and roadway conditions will improve snow removal operations and provide an adequate level of service and safety to the general public on the U.S. surface transportation system. This test procedure will be submitted to selected Departments of Transportation and Clear Roads for parallel testing and feedback.
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