Invented coating that hardly glides on ice

There are two applications that require good grip on ice: car tires and shoes. Traditionally, soft rubber materials were used for them. Unfortunately, for such materials, the friction coefficient greatly decreases upon contact with wet ice at temperatures around 0 ° C. Because of this, annually many people suffer from accidents and falls in ice. Thanks to new material from Canadian physicists, the number of injuries and deaths can be reduced.

Physicists from the University of Toronto and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute have created a group of new textured surface composite materials that show excellent wet grip.

The structure of the material is shown in the illustration before and after the vertical alignment of the fibers.



Fiber composites consist of a solid phase of fiberglass reinforced with a compatible matrix of thermoplastic polyurethane. The optical fibers are structured so that they are arranged vertically and protrude from polyurethane. As a result, they work like microchips, destroying ice and significantly increasing the area of ​​contact with the surface. Because of this, grip improves.

The average length of microchips is 28.1 ± 7.7 microns.



The following diagrams show the results of testing coatings in a test setup (a) at a temperature of –4 ° C: here, the friction coefficients (COF) for a material with uneven glass fibers (b), aligned © and generally without fibers (d).



Although this coefficient is much lower than with rubber adhesion to asphalt, it is still high enough to provide comfortable movement on wet ice.

In its physical properties, the material does not particularly differ from ordinary rubber, it bends and stretches just as well. On dry and dense surfaces, it behaves in the same way as normal soles.

In principle, experts have already developed a technology for the industrial production of such materials, so that soon “urban ice-breakers” and new generation car tires should appear on sale.