News Releases

Date: Jan. 29, 2007

Contacts:

Contact:	Company:	Phone:	Email:
Bill Brady	Cargill	952-742-6608	bill_brady@cargill.com
Jackie Renner	RCC	612-859-2626	rennercomm@aol.com

 

Industry Experts Report Positive Performance Results for SafeLaneTM Surface Overlay during TRB Conference

Michael Sprinkel and Wilfrid Nixon present research findings on new technology to make roads and bridges safer

MINNEAPOLIS – Cargill’s SafeLane™ Surface Overlay, the revolutionary technology that is making roads and bridges safer for winter driving in 14 U.S. states, provides all the same benefits as conventional two-layer epoxy overlays, an industry expert reports, with one important difference.

“The specific aggregate-chemical combination in SafeLane overlay has the additional benefit of minimizing snow and ice-related crashes, as well,” notes the Virginia Transportation Research Council’s Michael Sprinkel, a national expert in the design, construction and evaluation of epoxy overlays. Sprinkel presented his research findings at the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB’s) 86th Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. last week. He was joined by snow and ice control authority Wilfred Nixon, president of Asset Insight Technologies and a professor of engineering at the University of Iowa.

Among the conclusions in Sprinkel’s report:

• Abrasion resistances, bond strengths and skid numbers are similar between conventional two-layer epoxy overlays and SafeLane overlay.
• Absorption rates are higher for SafeLane overlay.
• Permeability of SafeLane overlay is better than one-layer and similar to two-layer conventional epoxy.

SafeLane™ Surface Overlay acts like a rigid sponge, storing anti-icing chemicals inside a patented combination of epoxy and aggregate rock, then automatically releasing them as conditions develop for the formation of ice or snow. The result is safer surfaces with better mobility, because the overlay helps prevent ice or frost from forming on treated surfaces.

Nixon reported that his analysis of SafeLane overlay’s performance during the 2005-2006 winter season found no weather-related accidents at any of the nine test sites in place last winter, even though most of the sites had a history of dangerous winter accidents.

Among the conclusions in Nixon’s report:

• In nearly all cases, test sections remained clear of snow or ice at times when it was accumulating on untreated (control) sections of roads and bridges.
• When accumulation did occur in heavy snowstorms, the snow and ice did not bond to the surface, resulting in easier plowing.
• Bare pavement could be maintained on test sections with about half the chemical applied to the untreated (control) sections.

Copies of both reports are available at www.cargillsafelane.com.

 

About Cargill

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 149,000 employees in 63 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.