Evaluation of Measures Against Snow and Ice Accretion on Bridge Members and the Development of an Anti-Accretion Lattice Fence

Blocks of ice or snow falling from members such as the upper chords of arch or truss bridges can cause accidents and damages on vehicles in cold, snowy regions. It has examined that the effectiveness of various countermeasures to snow and ice accretion, through field study and model experiments, toward selecting methods appropriate to the respective site conditions. The heating systems and the repellent paint or snow covers have practiced to snow and ice accretion prevention. The former are effective but the use of electricity for melting makes the operating cost high. The latter have shown some cases in which these methods are not fully effective on bridges. A new accretion countermeasure, the lattice fence, has been devised for installation on the upper part of bridge members. Model experiments and tests on bridges verified that this is effective in trapping snow and preventing if from falling in chunks.