Definition
Anti-icing is the practice of applying chemicals to roadways to prevent forming of frost or ice from forming. It prevents bonding of frozen precipitation to road surface. Anti-icing chemicals are applied in liquid form (brine) to road surfaces. Liquid sodium chloride (NaCl) is the most effective choice for anti-icing above −10°C. The other anti-icing products are calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium acetate, and calcium magnesium acetate. Each chemical has its own advantages and disadvantages. The major benefits of anti-icing are reduction in road accident, de-icing material, labor, and de-icer residue, winter cleanup work and costs, and accumulation of sand in drainage systems and beneath guardrails. Anti-icing practice is used mostly on roads to prevent forming of frost or ice. Initial applications can be made either as a pretreatment in advance of a storm event or as an early storm period treatment.
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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
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Kayastha, R.B. (2011). Anti-Icing. In: Singh, V.P., Singh, P., Haritashya, U.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Snow, Ice and Glaciers. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2642-2_22
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Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-2641-5
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-2642-2
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