Modeling and analysis of ice condensation on bridge deck pavement surface based on heat transfer theory and finite element method

Abstract

Bridge surfaces usually freeze more easily than road surfaces in wet and cold conditions, which is unfavorable to traffic safety. This study aims to develop an ice prediction model for bridge deck pavement structures by integrating external climatic factors and internal structure parameters, and to analyze the mechanism of ice condensation. This model adopted finite element analysis to deal with the heat transfer problem and the latent heat during the phase change process. A series of experiments were designed to validate the model, and the relative difference was around 10 %. Results shown that: among external climatic factors, the impact of changes in water accumulation on ice formation is not significant. Meanwhile, the air temperature has the greatest impact, and there is a non-linear relationship between wind speed and the initial freezing time. In the study on the effect of aging, it was found that aged asphalt concrete pavement would freeze earlier and melt later compared to new. When comparing different structures, it was observed that the initial freezing time of the bridge deck pavement structure was 0.8 h earlier than the road structure, and the total freezing time was 2.8 h shorter than the road structure. It was also found that the lower thermal conductivity would delay the occurrence of icing when the bridge deck pavement structure was in a cooling stage. Finally, it was observed that the vehicle speed played a critical role in determining the direction of the heat flow with a specific value, and the value would increase as the temperature difference decreased. This prediction model is useful for transportation agencies to understand the mechanism of pavement ice formation and ensure traffic safety in winter.