by "BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
Published 01/07/2017 at 08:01
by "BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
Published 01/07/2017 at 08:01
Tags: Ice Ice Baby
; Cold as Ice
STARS: 2
You’re right, as the Dutch(obviously) prove there is a way better solution to prevent the roads from becoming slippery:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
After the road has been cleared of the snow, these trucks, equipped with a device called the Firestorm, spray a hot(60°C) solution of calcium-chloride onto the road surface to combat the road being slippery by melting all the ice that is present. They manage to do this at a speed of around 50 km/h, which isn’t too bad I suppose. Currently these are the only two, however I’m sure Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch goverment road and waterways management department) will have a few more built if the trial turns out to be successful.
In other ice combating news Rijkswaterstaat also has special road defrosting devices for when there is a traffic jam, it’s basically a trailer that can be driven along the the traffic jam, and which sprays a salt solution underneath the cars:
So, now you are fully up to date with the latest Dutch slippery-ness control and prevention systems.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
01/07/2017 at 08:06, STARS: 0
and we have none of that sort of equipment down here.
:)
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
01/07/2017 at 08:09, STARS: 0
Obviously not, though I’m sure you could use the Firestorm to counter spiders and other scary creatures, haha
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
01/07/2017 at 08:11, STARS: 1
worth a shot!
:)
"SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza" (saigashooter)
01/07/2017 at 08:52, STARS: 1
In Wisconsin the highway departments use a salt-brine that is, and I’m not joking, a by product of cheese making and mix it with rock salt and spray it onto the road surface before it snows. The brine helps the salt stick better and is cheaper than using a ton more salt alone.
Generally it is applied at intersections, over/underpasses and bridges before the snow falls, and typically it works rather well. The only time it sucks is when there is freezing rain before the snowfall which washes it all away and then the roads are suitable skating.
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
01/07/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 0
It seems I was not as well aware of the treatment of icey roads in the rest of the world as I thought.
I think the main innovation of the Firestorm is that the solution is sprayed onto the road while it is hot, though I could be mistaken.
"SaigaShooter - He's got an Impreza" (saigashooter)
01/07/2017 at 09:00, STARS: 2
Nah, the real innovation is that it is pulled by a Land Rover and not it’s own $500,000 truck. That would never fly in the US, our highway departments all want as many big toys as possible, it’s actually a competition with other states to see who can get the most.
"JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t" (jawzx2)
01/07/2017 at 09:01, STARS: 1
Here in Vermont we also use salt brine cheese byproduct. it works well on the roads, the problem is it sticks to cars really well too. Brakes especially, theres been a dramatic increase in seized caliper sliders since the brine went in to regular use (I’ve been a victim). It’s very agressive and sticky and doesnt rinse away well with plain water. Great for the roads, but vehicles don’t get desalted unless the undercarriage is washed with warm, soapy water. If you though plain road salt was a great way to rust cars away, this stuff is 100 times more effective.
"facw" (facw)
01/07/2017 at 10:10, STARS: 0
For the most part. When I was in Baltimore, they just used normal old pickups to plow most of the roads.
And of course NYC famously mounts its plows on garbage trucks, which while big trucks, are not exactly prestigious toys.
"facw" (facw)
01/07/2017 at 10:12, STARS: 1
In Ithaca, they don’t like to use salt except on the hills for environmental reasons, so for the flood plane area they prefer to rely on a grader to get the snow out of the way:
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
01/07/2017 at 11:29, STARS: 1
Apparently you’re also developing grass juice to combat snow and ice.
"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
01/07/2017 at 12:15, STARS: 2
Well of course, there are many things Dutch people can do with grass, haha.
On a serious note, I hadn’t heard of that, how do they plan to do that?
"MM54" (mm54mk2)
01/07/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 1
Some serious caster on that grader!
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
01/07/2017 at 16:59, STARS: 1
Read it in the local paper over here, but RTL had an item about it as well. It contains a number of components that are also used in the traditional salts, so it should be effective against ice too. Or at least that’s the train of thought.
"atfsgeoff" (atfsgeoff)
01/30/2017 at 02:11, STARS: 0
I’m pretty sure my truck would rust out just from being near one of these.