Modeling the use of an electrical heating system to actively protect asphalt pavements against low-temperature cracking

Abstract

This paper addressed the case of an electrically heated asphalt pavement; it explored an unconventional application of such a system – not for combating snow and ice – but for mitigating low-temperature cracking. The investigation was done in silico, considering a stratified medium to represent the asphalt pavement system, a thin heat-generating layer to represent the heating system, and measured weather conditions from Greenland to emulate a cold region that can potentially produce thermal cracking. A thermomechanical model was outlined, consisting of a one-dimensional thermal formulation that accounts (also) for latent heat effects, and a three-dimensional mechanical formulation based on linear viscoelasticity that assumes thermo-rheological simplicity. A cold-weather event, leading to a thermal crack, was identified by the thermomechanical model. Additionally, a parametric investigation was carried out to quantify the effects of the heating system’s embedment depth and heating production on the activation timing needed to prevent cracking. It is found that mitigating low-temperature cracking with an embedded electric heating system is attainable and workable. Doing so is most effective when the heating system resides close to the ride surface. A procedure for automatic heating operation was proposed for practical implementation.