Influence of electrode placement depth on thermal performance of electrically conductive concrete: Significance of threshold voltage for long-term stability

Abstract

Snow and ice accumulation on pavements pose formidable challenges for transportation agencies in cold regions, resulting in diminished traffic speed, traffic flow, and heightened accident risk during winter. While electrically-conductive concrete (ECON) heated pavement systems (HPS) have emerged as an ecologically-sound and cost-effective snow and ice-removal solution, a lack of identification of critical design parameters for ECON HPS impedes the development of precise design criteria for this technology. This research endeavors to comprehensively elucidate the heating process of electrically-conductive concrete (ECON) slabs and to scrutinize how the depth of electrode placement influences thermal performance. The investigation reveals that the electrode-concrete interface zone serves as the predominant heat source for ECON HPS, and if shallower electrode placement depths are used, the surface temperature increase rate of ECON slabs is enhanced, optimizing cost-effective operation. The study also establishes a threshold voltage level for ECON slabs, beyond which significant changes in electrical properties yield relatively ineffective temperature increase rates. The study found 16 VAC and 425 W/m² to be threshold values for the specific ECON slab system studied. These compelling findings offer valuable insights for future ECON slab design and implementation, ensuring efficient and practical snow-removal applications and benefiting transportation agencies and the broader community.