ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL CONCRETE ABSTRACTS PORTAL

  • The International Concrete Abstracts Portal is an ACI led collaboration with leading technical organizations from within the international concrete industry and offers the most comprehensive collection of published concrete abstracts.

International Concrete Abstracts Portal

  


Title: Evaluation of Electrically Conductive Concrete Containing Carbon Products for Deicing

Author(s): Christopher Y. Tuan and Sherif Yehia

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 101

Issue: 4

Appears on pages(s): 287-293

Keywords: ridge deck; concrete; deicer; fiber; test

DOI: 10.14359/13362

Date: 7/1/2004

Abstract:
Using electrically conductive concrete for deicing is an emerging material technology. Due to its electrical resistance, a thin layer of conductive concrete can generate enough heat to prevent ice formation on concrete pavement when energized by a power source. Under research sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Roads, a concrete mixture containing steel fibers and steel shavings was developed specifically for concrete bridge deck deicing. The mixture has a compressive strength of 31 MPa (4500 psi) and provides average thermal power density of 590 W/m2 (55 W/ft2) with a heating rate of 0.14 °C/min (0.25 °F/min) in a winter environment. The average energy cost was about $0.8/m2 ($0.074/ft2) per snowstorm. During development of the conductive concrete, several drawbacks about using steel shavings in the mixture were noticed. As a follow-up effort, carbon and graphite products were used to replace steel shavings in the conductive concrete design. The electrical conductivity and the associated heating rate were improved with the carbon products. A conductive concrete deck has been implemented for deicing on a highway bridge at Roca, located approximately 24 km (15 mi) south of Lincoln, Nebr. The Roca Spur Bridge has a 36 m (117 ft) long and 8.5 m (28 ft) wide conductive concrete inlay, which has been instrumented with temperature and current sensors for heating performance monitoring during winter storms. Experimental data and operating costs are presented in this paper