TIRED OF SLUSH

Hitherto, there has been insufficient research on slushplaning, a phenomenon analogous to aquaplaning and a serious traffic hazard in winter driving. Recently, several tyre manufacturers have begun to make a concentrated cooperative effort to address this problem. Slush is wet snow with an especially high water content. Slushplaning is one of the most hazardous situations faced by a driver in road traffic. It can start at a very low speed, even below 40kph. An uneven slush layer can also cause random loss of grip, so that the car spins and may leave the road or even enter a lane of oncoming traffic. Tyres with good resistance to aquaplaning do not always prevent slushplaning, as the results of tests described in this article show. The Finnish company Test World has conducted these tests on Nokian tyres. Test World has produced a maintenance device that spreads the slush and evens out the surface after each test drive; it takes only a few minutes to prepare the whole track. Finnish climatic conditions in spring are optimal for the tests. Test measurements include the test driver's subjective evaluation, and the specially designed Test Gyro 3x3 measuring device. The results are then analysed, especially to put the tyres in ranking order. Measuring apparatus, equipment, and test methods are being developed further.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/14618966
• Corporate Authors:

  UK and International Press

  120 South Street
  Dorking, Surrey RH4 2EU,   England 
• Authors:
  • ANTILA, J MAAKELAA
• Publication Date: 1999-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 86-8
• Serial:
  • TESTING TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL
  • Volume: 2
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: UK and International Press
  • ISSN: 1461-8966

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aquaplanes; Drivers; Driving; Evaluation and assessment; Hazards; Hydroplaning; Maintenance; Mathematical analysis; Measurement; Mixtures; Rotation; Skidding; Snow; Speed; Test tracks; Water; Winter
• Geographic Terms: Finland
• ITRD Terms: 6471: Analysis (math); 3012: Aquaplaning; 1772: Driver; 1855: Driving (veh); 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 8035: Finland; 3847: Maintenance; 6136: Measurement; 9047: Mixture; 9150: Risk; 6406: Rotation; 1645: Skidding; 2552: Snow; 5408: Speed; 2789: Test track; 4355: Water; 2575: Winter
• Subject Areas: Maintenance and Preservation; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00782722
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Feb 7 2000 12:00AM