Optimal Winter Road Maintenance (WRM) Operations

The proposed research aims to find the optimal application rates of liquid chemicals which are applied to a road surface before and during a snow storm. These chemicals are used to accelerate the melting of snow and ice. The effects of various factors such as traffic, pavement temperature and other environmental factors on the performance of these chemicals will also be investigated. In addition, alternative types of machinery currently used to distribute solid chemicals on the roadways will be compared to examine their effectiveness. Existing research in the use of both liquid and solid chemicals will be summarized and a survey of maintenance practices of different municipalities will be conducted and the results documented and compared. The partner organizations will benefit from the knowledge generated from this research with improved decision making on their winter road maintenance operations and reduced salt usage.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Liping Fu

Student:

Michael Linton

Partner:

Steed and Evans Limited

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Waterloo