Optimal design and experimental study of horn antenna in pavement microwave deicing technology

Abstract

To effectively improve the efficiency of microwave deicing on pavement and guide the engineering application of microwave deicing technology, the optimization design of horn antenna was investigated. In this study, based on the experimental method of control variables, the influence of horn antenna on microwave deicing efficiency was explored, and the relatively optimal shape and size of horn antenna were obtained through comparative analysis. The results demonstrate that the width of the horn antenna has the greatest impact on the microwave deicing range, followed by the overall height of the horn antenna. The wider the horn antenna width, the larger the deicing range. The lower the overall height of the horn antenna, the larger the deicing range. The temperature rise rate is mainly affected by the overall height of the horn antenna, followed by the width of the horn antenna. The higher the overall height of the horn antenna, the faster the temperature rise rate, and the narrower the width of the horn antenna, the faster the temperature rise rate. When the overall height of the horn antenna is high, the vertical wall can improve the deicing efficiency. When the overall height of the horn antenna is low, the vertical wall will reduce the deicing efficiency. The deicing effect of the horn antenna numbered #1 is the best among the ten groups of horn antennas. It can raise the temperature of the concrete specimen with an ice layer by 55.4 °C in 1 min, and the deicing area is up to 158.59cm2.