Progress report on salt study released
The first Optimum Salting for Parking Lots and Sidewalks interim progress report has been released. The report was authored by Liping Fu and Raqib Omer, both of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo.
The primary goal of this research project is to develop a better understanding of the conditions that influence the effectiveness of various commonly used deicing and anti-icing treatments for parking lots and sidewalks, and to develop knowledge for optimum selection of materials, application rates and techniques.
The report states that every year, “Canada spends over $1 billion to clear snow and ice on public and private roads, parking lots and sidewalks. There are few defendable and uniform guidelines on what snow and ice control methods, materials, and application rates should be adopted for these facilities. This lack of uniform salting guidelines, as well as the private owners’ desire to minimize business risk and legal exposure, has resulted in excessive quantities of salts being applied in these areas.
The specific objectives of the project include:
• Determine the condition parameters that affect the performance of rock salts, brines, and alternative chemicals for deicing and anti-icing treatments.
• Determine the optimum application forms and rates for deicing and anti-icing treatments of parking lots and sidewalks over the expected range of pavement and environmental conditions.
• Develop models to forecast pavement surface conditions, such as residual salts, snow and ice cover, and friction, under specific weather events and treatment schedule.
• Develop guidelines and decision support tools for snow and ice control of parking lots and sidewalks, including material selection, salt application rates and treatment strategies.
• To synthesise best practices related to parking lot maintenance service policy and standards, material selection and application rates.
To read the entire report, go to Salting Report.
