Scientists Have Made A Salty Road That Never Ices Over
If you love your car, there’s nothing worse than driving in icy conditions. There’s that constant threat of black ice just waiting to deposit you in a hedge, while huge trucks roam the streets chucking car-destroying ice on the road. Thankfully, that could be a thing of the past thanks to some mighty clever scientists.
Researchers at Koc University in Turkey have been working on a new type of road material that is infused with salt that should stop ice forming at all. Currently, local authorities have to pre-empt ice forming on the road, deploying spreaders to throw salt on top of the surface. This can then be dispersed by traffic running over it or rainwater washing it away, nullifying its effect. The new system involves having deicing agents throughout the layers of asphalt, which release over a period of time. It could also improve the state of our highways and byways, as one of the biggest causes of cracks and potholes is water in the road freezing and expanding.
Scientists have embedded salt potassium formate into bitumen - one of the components of asphalt - as it is an environmentally friendly deicing material. They have also added a water-repelling polymer called styrene-butadiene-styrene, which should help stop water settling and further reduce the chances of ice forming on the road.
While driving in sub-zero conditions would certainly be safer with this material, the fact of the matter is that the underside of our cars will still be assaulted by corrosive salt. This is a great solution for everyday driving, but we’re still waiting on something that means we don’t have to garage our fun car during winter!
Source: Digital Trends
Comments
It must be coated with the tears of all the Honda haters
So its basically made out of all the iPhone users who don’t have the CarThrottle app yet. ;)
This could be potentially dangerous in my mind. Even if they start using this type of material it just wont be used everywhere. So people will be driving on these new roads not worrying about looking out for slippery conditions. Then they end up on another street that does not use the new material but they aren’t paying attention to the road conditions anymore. Then all it takes is one patch of ice and an unprepared driver causes an accident. Same reason I have issue with blind spot moniters. People rely on them entirely too much and don’t pay enough attention as a result.
If it’s slippery enough, you can put a heater grid in the tarmac. That will get rid of ice and snow without plows and without salt and rust.
The plow drivers and car companies like how things are now. Selfish, right? The plow drivers need to make a living.
The car companies? The rust makes people want to replace their cars. So, they do. When they do, they can replace their car with a new and expensive one.
Everyone needs to make a living
How bad is the body rot
Who gives a damn if the salt is going to corrode your car? It’s worth it to save lives. Just buy a winter beater or undercoat your car. If you take care of your car properly it wont rust. SMH.
Koc University… top kek
If you love your car, there’s nothing worse than driving on salt.
We need that in Canada 2 weeks ago.
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