THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DARKENING SURFACE AND INSULATING BRIDGE SLABS TO REDUCE UNEQUAL ICING

NO TREATMENT OF THE TEST BRIDGE DECK INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY WAS ENTIRELY SUCCESSFUL IN EQUALIZING THE POTENTIAL ICING OF THE BRIDGE DECK AND ROADWAY PAVEMENT. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE BRIDGE TEST SECTIONS WAS RATED IN COMPARISON TO THE PAVEMENTS. THE TEST SECTIONS WERE RATED FROM THE BEST PERFORMANCE TO THE POOREST BASED ON THE DATA OF TABLES. A TABULATION OF THE RATINGS IS SHOWN. THE TEST SECTIONS WITH FOAM INSULATION AND DARK SURFACING PERFORMED MOST NEARLY LIKE THE PAVEMENTS EXCEPT WHEN THAWING. IN GENERAL, ALL SECTIONS WITH FOAM INSULATION TENDED TO RESIST FREEZING AND POTENTIAL ICING TO A GREATER EXTENT THAN THOSE SECTIONS WITH DARK SURFACING OR NO TREATMENT. THE SECTIONS WITH DARK SURFACING TENDED TO THAW MORE RAPIDLY THAN THE OTHER SECTIONS. THE INTERIOR SPAN TEST SECTION WITH ONLY FOAM INSULATION PERFORMED THE POOREST IN THE THAWING. THE DATA INDICATES THAT THE FOAM INSULATION RETARDED THE DECK IN FOLLOWING THE AIR TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATION. THIS WAS TRUE FOR THAWING TEMPERATURES AS WELL AS FREEZING TEMPERATURES. THE SECTIONS WITH DARK SURFACING TENDED TO REACT MORE RAPIDLY TO CHANGES IN CLIMATIC CONDITIONS AT THE SITE BECAUSE OF A GREATER HEAT ABSORPTION ABILITY. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE DARK SURFACING WOULD BE MATERIALLY REDUCED BY A BLANKET OF ICE OR SNOW. IT IS BELIEVED THAT, CONSIDERING THE RELATIVELY MILD CLIMATE, THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FOAM INSULATION, DARK SURFACING, OR BOTH TOGETHER IN EQUALIZING THE ICING OF BRIDGE DECKS AND APPROACH PAVEMENTS DO NOT JUSTIFY THEIR USE IN ALABAMA. /AUTHOR/

• Corporate Authors:

  Alabama State Highway Department

  11 South Union Street
  Montgomery, AL  United States  36130

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Holman, F L
• Publication Date: 1968-7

Media Info

• Pagination: 90 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Absorption; Bridge decks; Climate; Electric insulating materials; Foams; Heat; Ice prevention; Insulating materials; Pavements; Performance; Surfacing; Temperature; Test sections
• Old TRIS Terms: Darkening; Highway pavement
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218464
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: HPR 39
• Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Apr 21 1994 12:00AM