Skip to main content

Sweden: argument for snowmelt systems heats up

A recent study by Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology concludes that pavement and road snowmelt systems reduce the risk of slipping in winter conditions. The study compared statistics from 20 of the country's largest cities, according to a report in the newspaper Göteborgs Posten. It found that the difference in accidents between heated ground and unheated ground was so large that four of five slipping accidents could be avoided through snowmelt systems.
November 12, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

A recent study by Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology concludes that pavement and road snowmelt systems reduce the risk of slipping in winter conditions.

The study compared statistics from 20 of the country's largest cities, according to a report in the newspaper Göteborgs Posten. It found that the difference in accidents between heated ground and unheated ground was so large that four of five slipping accidents could be avoided through snowmelt systems.

The 3530 Swedish Transport Administration – 1096 Trafikverket - concluded that this should open the way for more investment in heated streets.

Early last year, the university published a paper on hydronic heating pavements - HHP – completed by an engineering student as part of his doctoral work. An HHP system, consisting of pipes embedded into the road, is based on heat transfer between the pipes and the road surface. Thermal properties of the road materials will play an important role in the efficiency of the HHP system, according to the paper Thermal Properties of Asphalt Concretes and Numerical Simulations, by Raheb Mirzanamadi.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Embedded sensors help deliver self-monitoring roads
    November 22, 2021
    As road authorities look to automate their road monitoring and maintenance, we will need more and more sensors within our highway networks
  • Asphalt milling optimised by 3D controls
    February 20, 2012
    3D machine controls can optimise milling efficiency, Mike Woof reports. More efficient milling and recycling operations can be carried out by using the latest 3D control systems on the market. At the last Trimble Dimensions event in Las Vegas, the advantages of 3D controls for milling operations proved a key topic. The use of 3D control systems can offer huge advantages in milling operations. This technology helps increase productivity as the milling machine will only remove what is required, which also hel
  • Innovative asphalt production solutions from Marini
    May 24, 2019
    Marini has developed an innovative solution for asphalt production, able to use up to 100% RAP in the mix - Mike Woof writes Italian firm Marini has long been one of the leaders in the field of asphalt plant design and development, competing against other key companies in the segment based in the US, Switzerland and Germany. Marini is expanding its range, with what it claims will be a revolutionary system for using recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixes, as well as further additions to its mobi
  • Material feeder boosts paving job in South Africa
    December 14, 2017
    The use of a material feeder in a road paving job in South Africa has helped increase productivity and quality on the project. The contractor employed a Vögele MT 3000-2 Offset PowerFeeder to help optimise pavement quality, with the positive paving results having been confirmed by the University of Twente, Netherlands. This body monitored the project from a scientific perspective and its equipment included RoadScan, the innovative temperature-measurement system from Vögele. Using a material feeder can