Smart and Environmentally Friendly Winter Maintenance Solutions for Safe Winter Mobility: Use of a Microwave Method to Prototype Electrically Conductive Concrete

Abstract

Electrically conductive pavement materials have shown potential as self-deicing pavements under passed electrical current. In this project, a method using microwaves was used to evaluate the electrical conductivity of pavement materials for the purpose of melting snow and ice and reducing the need for sanding and salting in the winter. The preliminary experiments in this study found the potential of the method to detect conductive mixes. The prototyped electrically conductive concrete (ECC) assessed in this study contained 0.2 and 0.3 percent weight of carbon fibers. Concentrations of 0.2 and 0.3 percentage by weight (wt%) resulted in more conductivity than a neat mix, while a decline in conductivity at 28 days was obtained for 0.4 wt%,indicating a potential percolation limit of between 0.3 and 0.4 wt%. The small samples and the quick, nondestructive method of measurement can be used to easily identify the optimum dosage and percolation limits of various conductive fibers for ECC development. Future investigations may include using this method to further determine the best fiber content to optimize electrical-thermal performance with maximum mechanical properties and durability.