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Evaluation of Different Winter Road Conditions and Effectiveness of Winter Road Maintenance Operations
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- Author / Creator
- Salimi, Sahar
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This study uses friction measurements of Real Time Traction Tool (RT3)-Curve to characterize different road conditions, evaluate the effect of winter maintenance operations, and identify influential parameters.
The reliability of RT3-Curve device was verified by a speed-dependency analysis. Evaluation of different road conditions showed that ice and snow reduced the dry surface friction considerably and friction decreased as more snow was accumulated. More traffic passes cause ice and moderate-to-heavy snow to become more slippery, while it causes higher friction over light snow.
Analysis of winter maintenance operations showed that plowing may not be beneficial for ice, but it is the critical operation for snow. Low sanding did not necessarily improve friction; however, medium and high sanding considerably increased friction over ice and snow. A regression analysis revealed that sand/salt quickly scatters off dry and icy roads due to high-speed traffic; however, salt was immediately effective for snow. -
- Graduation date
- Fall 2014
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.