Freezing rain and snow makes driving hazardous, but it also brings frustration for many drivers who park outdoors. If you’ve ever had to deal with windshield wipers frozen solid to your windshield, you probably share in that frustration, however one research scientist by the name of Daniel Perlman is out to solve the problem of frozen wipers in a cheap and effective way.
Mr. Perlman’s research has mainly focused on nutritionally enhanced processed food product and other subjects involving chemistry, physics and biochemistry, but his most recent endeavor was inspired by the hassle of windshield wipers freezing to the glass; a common occurrence in the New England area.
Many drivers will flip up their windshield wipers when ice is in the forecast to avoid freezing rain and snow from accumulating on the blades and freezing, which can make clearing ice away from the windshield quite a task if you have to dig out the wipers from a thick coat of the slippery stuff.
Daniel Perlman’s solution? Small, unobtrusive spring-loaded pegs installed into the arms of the wiper blades. These pegs keep the wipers raised just 1 to 2 inches off the glass which is just enough to keep water and ice from collecting and freezing them to the windshield. When local weather stations announce a chance of ice, drivers manually flip down the small pegs, and when they are no longer needed, the pegs will automatically retract when the wiper switch is activated.
For those that park on or just off the street, folding up the wipers can invite both vandalism and freak damage from debris tossed around in high winds, but Perlman’s pegs give just enough clearance to avoid ice build-up without the need to fold them up and then back down again.
While these handy devices aren’t expected to be a complete solution to frozen wipers, and the patent is still pending, the value and ease of use could certainly make them a worthy investment if they are offered commercially at the right price.
View the original article this piece was sourced from at Phys.org.
