Microstructural analytical techniques for snow compacted by an aircraft tire

Assessing the frictional condition of snow-contaminated runways is difficult and requires an understanding of the tribological processes during the tire–snow–pavement interaction. Hence, analytical techniques to study the snow after the interaction are desired. In this study, the double-microtoming technique for snow is applied on a snow track formed by an aircraft tire. Horizontal and vertical thin-sections of the track are made after pore-filling with dimethyl-phthalate. The thin-sections are studied under polarized light using retardation plates to enhance the microstructural characteristics. To illustrate some of the possibilities, digital image analysis is applied to quantify general characteristics such as density, surface topography and grain/cluster size distribution.