Winter Plowing and Deicing: Saving Money, Salt and Labor by Distinguishing Best Practices From Urban Legends

Date and Time: Tuesday, May 9, 2023: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Location: Keck 100

 

Lead Presenter:  Stephen Druschel, Professor of Civil Engineering
Affiliation:  Minnesota State University, Mankato
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Lead Presenter Biography

Dr. Steve Druschel is a Professor of Civil Engineering at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he teaches capstone design, introductory civil engineering and environmental engineering courses. He performs research related to surface water protection, waste treatment and winter deicing. Previous to his academic appointment, Dr. Druschel worked in civil engineering practice for 25 years, focusing on achieving quality and performance for high-risk environmental construction projects where public confidence and engineering performance were critical. Dr. Druschel worked on projects in over 40 states and was licensed as a professional engineer in 10 states (one state currently). On sabbatical for the 2022-23 academic year, Dr. Druschel is studying how bias and discrimination can effect stakeholders on infrastructure projects. 

Co-Authors

Presentation Description 

Roadway deicing and snow removal has a rich tradition of observational science, both during operational aspects and in stand-alone research studies. The scientific method (formulate hypothesis, predict outcome, test outcome, and analyze results) is a vibrant presence in the cab of every plow truck, as operators study storm events, plan their deicing efforts, plow and spread deicer, then review the outcome perhaps 60 minutes later on a following pass of a plow truck route.

Working with the Minnesota Department of Transportation, comparisons were developed to document deicing and plowing techniques across exactly similar conditions, through a series of experimental units developed in three different settings, broadly grouped as:
• Temperature-controlled (-30 F to + 30 F) laboratory specimens
o Ice coupons
o Pavement patches
• Natural weather, controlled traffic dedicated pavement areas
o Test lanes, 1000 feet long for plowing, deicing and traffic up to 35 mph
o Test strips, 50 feet long by one lane width
o Test lines (compacted snow wheel line)
• Actual roadway sections on an elevated highway
These experimental units allowed side by side comparisons to determine effectiveness of various approaches. Time-lapse photography documented plowing and melting conditions, at least during daylight hours. Thermal imagery provided a nuanced look at melt mechanics by salt deicers.
Test results evaluated and reported include: deicer prewet and traffic effect testing, deicer-pavement interaction testing, and plow testing.

Extended Summary

Extended Abstract

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Presentation Video