01103943

Component

http://www.trb.org/Publications/Blurbs/160000.aspx

A new kind of snowplow has been constructed. The snowplow has several advantages compared with a conventional plow: it can go much faster, it is more silent, and it is cheaper to use because the need of spreading chemicals is reduced. And all these advantages accrue without less quality than with a conventional plow. The secret is the invention of new cutting edges and new wheels. The new plow is also lighter than a normal plow. The new kind of snowplow is called “the environmental plow” or “the highspeed plow.” A couple of years ago the inventor Gösta Källqvist came up with an idea. If it were possible to calculate the forces that a snowplow is exposed to during normal use, it would be possible to construct cutting edges that would be strong and flexible enough to plow at much higher speeds than normally. Recently finite element analysis has made this possible. Tests of the new cutting edges have been carried out in a laboratory and after these tests one plow has been constructed with the new cutting edges. The new plow has not yet been tested objectively and scientifically on the road, but during the winter of 2007–2008 the new snowplow will be evaluated in a number of different tests.

01103914

Snow08-025

English

pp 253-260

2008-6

Transportation Research Circular

Fourth National Conference on Surface Transportation Weather; Seventh International Symposium on Snow Removal and Ice Control Technology

Web

Photos (7)

Equipment design; Finite element method; Laboratory tests; Operating speed; Prototypes; Snowplows; Technological innovations

Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Vehicles and Equipment; I61: Equipment and Maintenance Methods; I62: Winter Maintenance

TRIS, TRB

Jun 26 2008 1:47PM