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De-icing Salts
External horizontal concrete surfaces such as highways, pavements, yards and driveways are commonly covered with de-icing salts during spells of cold weather where freezing conditions occur so as to reduce the risk of road traffic accidents and pedestrian slips.
De-icing salts can cause a concrete surface to deteriorate sooner than the expected if high concentrations of salt are left on the surface and dissolve into solution which is then absorbed by the concrete wearing surface, potentially leading to an increasing the risk of disruption occurring over a number of freeze/thaw cycles.
The use of spreader rather than a shovel is one method to reduce the localised concentration of de-icing salts applied.
De-icing salts containing sodium chloride can potentially be an issue especially if concrete contains steel reinforcement. They can also contain sulfate which potentially could lead to softening of the surface. Urea based products are not as aggressive and more suitable for high-risk structures such as multi-storey car parks.
