Road Weather Management Program
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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

Title:

Norwegian Experience with Use of Magnesium Chloride

Abstract:

The main goal of the magnesium chloride project was to verify how the amount of salt was affected by alternative salting methods and to study which possibilities magnesium chloride gave for operation at temperatures for which sodium chloride did not work. In addition it was an aim of the project to investigate the duration of an action and time to dry the road surface after salting with different chemicals. Solid sodium chloride prewetted with magnesium chloride liquid has been compared with the standard method, which is to use liquid sodium chloride as agent to solid salt. One of the hypotheses was that magnesium chloride in some circumstances resulted in slippery road conditions, because it is a hygroscopic salt. One of the purposes was therefore to study how different methods effect friction and friction development under varying winter road conditions.

Source(s):

6th International Symposium on Snow Removal and Ice Control Technology, Transportation Research Circular, No. E-C063

http://trb.org/publications/circulars/ec063.pdf

Date: 2004

Author:

Vaa

Keywords:


Pavement condition
Pavement friction
Winter maintenance

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