New Anti-Ice Coating Testing at O'Hare
By Marcia Goodrich (906-487-2343; mlgoodri@mtu.edu)
Russ Alger in the "cold room" at Michigan Tech's Keweenaw
Research Center. Video
Report So long as there have been snow and roads, there have been bridges that
ice up and intersections that turn to greased glass.
That era of roadway treachery could be ending. Russ Alger, director
of the Institute of Snow Research at the Keweenaw Research Center, may
have found a way to make winter's slipperiest surfaces safe for wary travelers.
Officially, it's known as "Anti-Icing Smart Overlays," and from the top
a sample looks like your basic kitty litter, which isn't too far from
what it is. "We're using a certain type of limestone now," said Alger,
handing out a 3D sample, though researchers are working on other materials
that will be even more efficient. The ground rock is stuck tight onto
a small square of pavement material with epoxy. What this three-layer
system does, he explains, is "soak up chemicals like a sponge."
That's what makes Anti-Icing Smart Overlays special. Typically, road
commissions spread salt or other de-icing compounds on roads to melt snow
and ice. The chemicals work, but they're expensive to use and take a toll
on the environment, not to mention the ferrous body parts of Snow Belt
vehicles.
To add insult to injury, as the ice melts, it washes the chemicals off,
so the next time it snows, the salt trucks have to go out again.
But if the pavement were coated with an Anti-Icing Smart Overlay, the
salt wouldn't wash off. Stuck in the thin coating, it would be ready for
the next snow, and the next. Theoretically, one application of road salt
could last for weeks or even longer.
Alger doesn't envision resurfacing America's entire highway system, however.
"At first, the primary application would be bridge decks," he says. "It
could eliminate the problem of ice on bridges, especially in western states,
where they can be 100 miles from the county garage." Bridge decks are
much more prone to icing than other road surfaces, which means they are
prime targets for salt trucks and a drain on road commission budgets.
"Theoretically, with an Anti-Icing Smart Overlay, crews could put chemicals
on a bridge in October and not go out again until March," Alger said.
In addition, problematic intersections could be coated, as could some
icy sidewalks, to prevent car accidents and pedestrian falls.
What about when it really snows?
"Light amounts of snow melt; with heavy amounts, it still accumulates
but it doesn't stick," Alger said, so it could easily be moved aside by
a snow plow.
Another prime application could be airport runways. "Airports have a
big coordination problem when they have to remove snow," he said. "At
O'Hare, they land a plane every two minutes; when the pavement's wet,
it's every 10 minutes. An Anti-Icing Smart Overlay keeps the surface friction
up even if the pavement's wet, so there's an advantage in the summer and
the winter."
Alger is working on a contract from the FAA to run tests this winter
on a service road at O'Hare, in Chicago, and on a section of a taxiway
at Atlantic City Airport in New Jersey.
Some of the greatest benefits could be closer to home. "You could mix
up a pail and put it on your front walk," Alger says.
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