Many highway maintenance districts would like to add pre-wetting to their toolbox of winter maintenance operations or improve their current practices. Pre-wetting refers to the application of liquid products, such as brines, to solid de-icing material (such as salt, abrasives, or a combination) at the maintenance truck just before the de-icing material hits the road. Pre-wetting, in combination with optimal vehicle speeds, reduces the bounce and scatter that causes dry material to disperse beyond its desired location. Pre-wetting can also help activate the ice melting, penetration, and undercutting mechanisms that help break up snowpack for subsequent mechanical removal. The goal of this research is to compile a summary of pre-wetting practices—including equipment, materials, methods, and application rates—and to identify the history of successes and failures that have contributed to current practices. To achieve this goal, this research will gather existing information in the published domain, conduct practitioner surveys and interviews, reach out to manufacturers, and analyze and synthesize the information, with a focus on the most effective materials, equipment, and methods for pre-wetting based on current knowledge.
Principal Investigator: Xianming Shi, Civil and Environmental Engineering, WSU
Sponsors:
Minnesota Department of Transportation
Clear Roads Pooled Fund
Scheduled completion: June 2021