Chemical Deicers and Concrete Pavements

The Chemical Deicers and Concrete Pavements online PDH course is a part of the Civil Engineering category of courses.

This course focuses on a recently recognized form of deterioration on concrete pavements referred to as chemical deicer distress. It is gaining attention due to the increased frequency and severity of its appearance, which is related to the increased use of aqueous solutions of calcium chloride (CaCl2) and magnesium chloride (MgCl2) for pavement deicing. The resulting pavement distress often first appears as a “shadowing” at the pavement joints, which progresses into disintegration of the concrete. This course summarizes the use of chemical anti-icers and deicers, reviews how hydraulic cement paste (HCP) is traditionally protected from freeze-thaw damage, describes physical and chemical distress mechanisms in the presence of aqueous CaCl2 or MgCl2 brine solutions, and discusses strategies that can be employed to mitigate this distress.

This course is based on US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration publication FHWA-HIF-17-008 “Chemical Deicers and Concrete Pavement: Impacts and Mitigation”.

This course is intended for civil and material engineers and other design and construction professionals interested in chemical deicers and concrete pavements.

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Explain different road deicing practices
• Explain and describe causes of freeze/thaw damage in roads
• Recognize factors affecting freeze/thaw damage in concrete pavements
• Employ mitigation measures to mitigate chemical deicer distress