Snow Melting Performance of Graphene Composite Conductive Concrete in Severe Cold Environment.

Abstract

The use of conductive concrete is an effective way to address snow and ice accretion on roads in cold regions because of its energy saving and high efficiency without interruption of traffic. Composite conductive concrete was prepared using graphene, carbon fiber, and steel fiber, and the optimum dosage of graphene was explored with resistivity as the criterion. Subsequently, under the conditions of an initial temperature of −15 °C and a wind speed of 20 km/h, the extremely severe snow event environment in cold regions was simulated. The effects of electrode spacing and electric voltage on snow melting performance of conductive concrete slab were explored. Results showed that graphene can significantly improve the conductivity of conductive concrete; the optimal content of graphene was 0.4% of cement mass in terms of resistivity. The snow-melting power of conductive concrete slab decreased with increase in electrode spacing and increased with increase in on-voltage. For an optimal input voltage of 156 V and an optimal electrode spacing of 10 cm, the time required to melt a 24 h snow thickness (21 cm), accumulated during a simulated severe snow event, was only 2 h, which provides an empirical basis for the application of graphene composite conductive concrete to pavement snow melting in cold regions.