The ice-penetration and ice-melting characteristics of seven commercially available chemical deicers that were tested at temperatures ranging from 0 deg f to 25 deg f are examined in this paper. The materials tested included four discrete deicing chemicals and three blends: sodium chloride, calcium chloride, potassium chloride, urea, sodium chloride with traces of carboxymethylcellulose, a sodium chloride/potassium blend, and a sodium chloride/urea blend. The ice penetration tests were conducted using a plexiglas (trademark) dish containing a 1/8-in.-Thick layer of ice. Deicers were placed on the ice surface at a selected rate. Melt brine was collected, measured, and reintroduced periodically with a syringe. The extensive data base resulting from the tests was used to compare the several classes of deicers with regard to their ability to melt and penetrate ice as a function of time and temperature, to establish lower temperature limits for deicer use, and to relate observed behavior to chemical and thermochemical properties of deicers. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1157, Deicing chemicals and snow control.
Abstract