Winter travel in northern climates often depends on the condition of the roads. According to a recent CNN article, researchers are looking at ways to keep roadway surfaces dry year-round.
An inventor in Idaho, for example, has devised a plan to make highways from a tempered glass material that would incorporate solar energy technology. The solar component would provide power to embedded heating elements that would melt ice and snow. According to CNN, the federal government and GE both have shown interest in the idea.
Massachusetts researchers are working on a solution that would use half-inch pipes embedded in the pavement. The pipes would be filled with a fluid that resists freezing. In warmer weather, the fluid would be heated by the sun and stored in an insulated chamber to keep it hot. In cold weather, the hot fluid would be sent through the pipes to melt ice and snow as needed.
Source link...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/19/smart.roads/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_topstories+(RSS:+Top+Stories)
An inventor in Idaho, for example, has devised a plan to make highways from a tempered glass material that would incorporate solar energy technology. The solar component would provide power to embedded heating elements that would melt ice and snow. According to CNN, the federal government and GE both have shown interest in the idea.
Massachusetts researchers are working on a solution that would use half-inch pipes embedded in the pavement. The pipes would be filled with a fluid that resists freezing. In warmer weather, the fluid would be heated by the sun and stored in an insulated chamber to keep it hot. In cold weather, the hot fluid would be sent through the pipes to melt ice and snow as needed.
Source link...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/01/19/smart.roads/index.html?eref=rss_topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+rss/cnn_topstories+(RSS:+Top+Stories)
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