Snow-Road Construction - A Summary of Technology from Past to Present

• Main Author: Barthelemy, J. L.
• Other Authors: CIVIL ENGINEERING LAB (NAVY) PORT HUENEME CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1975
• Subjects: Terminal Flight Facilities; Meteorology; Civil Engineering; *PAVEMENTS; *SNOW; *ROADS; *RUNWAYS; TEMPERATURE; LAYERS; DEPTH; CONSTRUCTION; HARDENING; CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS; COMPACTORS; Ross Ice Shelf; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA021868; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA021868

During 1947, Naval Construction Forces built a compacted-snow airstrip on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Research methods since then have improved the use of snow as a construction material. Snow-compaction techniques and equipment initially developed by the Civil Engineering Laboratory (CEL) for runway construction have been used to build durable, high-strength roads. At the present time, properly constructed and routinely maintained roads built from specially processed snow can support passenger vehicles, pickups, vans, trucks, and tractor-trailer combinations fitted with flotation tires at gross weights up to 75,000 pounds. Two methods of construction developed by CEL are recommended: (1) layered-compaction and (2) depth-processing. In layered-compaction, the most recently perfected technique, a snow pavement, is elevated to a desired height by compacting successive 4-inch layers, using a rotary snowplow to gather, process, and deposit the snow material. The alternative method requires depth-processing, using snow mixers to pulverize material placed on the roadway. This final report documents the evolution of vehicle road systems on snow and presents a synoptic overview, summarizing all aspects of snow-road technology, from theoretical considerations to historical development and recommended procedures.