Posted: 1/7/2010 12:03:40 PM EDT
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We've been getting crushed with snow for the past 4 weeks here in Central NE. I live in a (relatively) busy street in a small town. As such, plows pass by my house frequently.
My question is why is the snow that the plow deposits into my driveway extremely hard, practically like ice? My city doesn't use salt, so I don't think it's being caused by the salt melting the snow, becoming diluted, and then re-freezing. Is it because that much of what plow pushes off has been compressed/compacted by traveling vehicles? The waist-high glacier at the foot of my driveway SUCKS MONKEY BALLS. 
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Quoted:
My question is why is the snow that the plow deposits into my driveway extremely hard, practically like ice? . it's just like a drift, all the little air particles have been pushed out, it's very dense. plus, (esp if they are going quickly, 20-30mph), it actually melts a little at the bottom as it's moving and then refreezes instantly. |
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When it's plowing, there is a layer of water that forms between the snow and plow blade, that allows the snow to move across and cleave off the plow blade.
This is because pressure causes ice to melt. This is the same reason an ice skater glides across ice. The pressure of the blade melts a thin layer of water between the blade and ice that promptly refreezes after the blade goes over it. It's that layer of water between the blade that give the lubrication for the blade to glide across the ice. So that layer of water between the snow and plow blade promptly refreezes on the plowed snow when it hits your driveway, making it hard. 
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