Magnesium Chloride is a threat to motor vehicle bodies & frames.
New test methodology, SAE J2334, shows that MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE is more corrosive than salt.
Corrosion is a bigger problem than ever before because of changes in the way DOT’s now de-ice the roads and highways. Over the past 15 years, it is estimated that the costs associated with corrosion caused by anti-icing chemicals have increased more than tenfold.
$30,000,000,000! is the amount that the Federal Highway Administration estimates that corrosion costs the nation’s transportation industry. A lot of this is due to the increased use of MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE.
Over 38 states are currently using some sort of MgCI or CaCl to de-ice their roads.
Magnesium Chloride attracts moisture from the air making it more aggressive than salt because it is active even when “dry”.
One engineer states “MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE is basically ‘liquid rust’. It clings to everything and it attracts moisture – and it does not wash off easily”.
Tractors and trailers can be harmed even more when they drive through counties using different de-icers. Picking up all three chloride salts – calcium, magnesium and sodium – makes corrosion even worse.
The downside to MAGNESIUM CHLORIDE and CALCIUM CHLORIDE as de-icing agents are varied and serious in terms of the potential increase in maintenance time and costs. State and local DOT’s may apply these chemicals prior to any snowfall, increasing the likelihood and degree of exposure to cars, trucks, and trailers. These materials are especially destructive because of their abiliity to cling to the underbody of a vehicle and re-crystalize as they slowly dry out. By nature they attract and absorb moisture from the surrounding environment, keeping them in a semi-solution state for extended periods of time, which multiplies their corrosiveness.
In terms of trailers, road chemicals may affect a variety of components: structural members, suspensions, support gear, and top and bottom rails, to name a few.