Anti-ice materials: production, characteristics, testing

Fighting ice in every city is paying close attention. Modern anti-icing materials are the means that successfully cope with ice build-ups and make the surface smooth, clean and safe for cars and pedestrians. The peculiarity of these materials is that they do not adversely affect the road surface.

How do they work?

The principle of modern anti-ice means is to absorb moisture from the ice. When filling various reagents, they get into ice crystals and melt them. As a consequence, the brine that forms is much more resistant to very low temperatures. And this serves as a guarantee that the ice will not appear.

Types and features

Modern anti-ice materials meet a number of requirements, which ensures their use on the roads:

1. They are safe for paving, as well as for people, plants and animals.
2. They do not emit harmful substances that can accumulate in tissues, soil, air.
3. Means are effective, that is, a low concentration of these substances is enough that they begin to instantly penetrate into the ice layer.
4. They are easy to use: in most cases, anti-ice materials are scattered or sprayed over the surface.

Main characteristics

Most of the reagents that are used in the fight against icing, consist of various salts - chlorides, chlorates, hydrochlorides. Such mixtures are particularly active at extreme temperatures, so they act quickly. Progressive materials are supplemented with anticorrosive additives, biophilic components that improve the quality of the soil, special accelerating additives and disintegrants. It is noteworthy, but some reagents with complete dissolution also contribute to soil enrichment with useful substances.

Popular materials

Modern manufacturers offer a wide range of materials that have a single operating principle. Anti-ice reagents are widely used in both municipal and private economy. Among the popular materials are:

1. Sand and salt mixture. It is the most popular winter material, which is widely used in most of the settlements of Russia. As a part of a mix there is a river or career sand which is mixed with a technical salt. This combination contributes to the rapid melting of ice. In some cases, corrosion inhibitors are added to this mixture , so that the salt does not affect the asphalt or metal surfaces.
2. Calcium chloride. This antifoaming agent has good hygroscopic properties: hitting the snow, it instantly reacts with it and emits a lot of heat. The use of this material contributes not only to the melting of ice, but also to the improvement of the soil condition. The composition quickly and deeply penetrates into the ice layer, melts it, leaving no traces on the asphalt surface.
3. Magnesium chloride. This reagent is considered a natural tool for fighting ice, as its extraction is conducted in the environment.

Whatever anti-ice materials are chosen for cleaning streets from snow and ice, they must meet several requirements:

• Be environmentally friendly;
• Spent in small quantities;
• To act on ice at high speed;
• Be effective.

What companies offer to purchase quality reagents?

Zirax

International company Zirax offers modern anti-icing materials that can easily cope with icing. The company conducts the production of solid and liquid reagents that are effective and easy to use. Among the solid reagents, the following products deserve attention:

1. "Premelt". This material attracts high efficiency and the ability to use at temperatures up to -32 degrees. It is expedient to process them roads, streets, car parks, intraquarter thoroughfares.
2. Eismelt. These are multi-component anti-ice reagents, in which anticorrosive components are added. It is characterized by long action, high melting power, efficiency, low consumption rates and uniform granulometric composition.

Liquid reagents from Zirax

The company also offers a liquid reagent "Premelt", which can be used in wetting mode to ensure maximum anti-ice effect and reduce material losses. The essence of its application in the following: the solution is uniformly wetted with a dry reagent, which will fall already on the road. Thanks to the wetting of this material, it is ensured:

• Uniform distribution of moistened salt over the surface;
• Good adhesion to the road surface;
• Fast processing effect;
• Reduction of material costs up to 40%.

UZPM

A wide range of reagents is offered by the Ural Refractory Materials Plant. Production is conducted with the participation of environmentalists, so that the funds meet all the requirements. The products of this plant (called "Bionord") are designed for the processing of sidewalks, elevations, bridges. At the production all modern requirements to anti-icing materials are taken into account. The plant offers several types of products:

1. "Bionord" is universal, in which friction components are added in the form of marble chips, which improves adhesion to the road surface. This composition does not disturb the soil.
2. Bionord-Mosty. This composition can be used for the processing of bridges, overpasses, tunnels and other artificial structures. A well thought-out composition serves as a guarantee that there will not be a negative impact on concrete structures. When used, the mixture is completely dissolved and does not accumulate in the effluent.

Tests of antifoaming materials by this plant are carried out constantly, which guarantees their compliance with existing standards and requirements.

Green Ride

Eco-friendly anti-ice formulations of the new generation are offered by Green Ride. The production is conducted on the basis of "Bishofit". The company emphasizes that all reagents are safe and do not harm the natural balance. Environmental safety protects not only the nature, but also the wheels of cars that come into contact with the treated surface. Today many factories of anti-icing materials offer their products, which are produced on the basis of "Bishofit". We offer an overview of affordable compositions from Green Ride:

1. RockMelt Salt is a mixture that effectively cope with ice and snow. You can use it even in farms where there are animals. When using, it is necessary to clean the surface, after which the reagent is applied to it. It is absorbed for a certain time, then it is possible to destroy the ice with a shovel and it is easy to remove it.
2. RockMelt Mix is a granular composition that can be used to treat pedestrian areas, courtyards, sidewalks, tiled floors and stairs.
3. GreenRide. This reagent is fully ready for use, there are no additives and no harmful impurities in it. With a uniform distribution over the surface, it quickly and qualitatively cleans it. You can use this composition in any climatic conditions.

Compliance with regulations

To ensure that the materials produced for ice control meet the standards and requirements, Rosavtodor of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation created ODN anti-ice materials - industry road standards. This document determines what materials and in what quantity can be used for processing roads in the fight against winter icing. It lists the most popular materials that are effective in the treatment of roads, the norms of their application are indicated. The same document also reflects the safety requirements, according to which the reagents must be non-toxic, environmentally friendly, so as not to have a negative impact on the environment. All modern factories must produce reagents in accordance with the norms that are given in the ODN.

An important role is played by the testing of road reagents. They are conducted on the basis of various methods and are aimed at revealing such indicators of materials as grain composition, humidity, bulk density, crystallization temperature, melting capacity and many other parameters. The testing procedure for solid and liquid substances is different, which should be taken into account by manufacturers.

Instead of reagents - lining

Modern road surfaces very often do not cope with the load they have to withstand. Increase the quality of the coating, especially in winter, when the roads are treated with different compounds, using anti-ice pads. They are coating fillers that retain reagents for a long time and automatically isolate them if there is a threat of icing. Thanks to such overlays snow and ice will not stick to the road surface, so the throughput will be better, and the level of security - higher.