Durability of Conductive Ethylene–Propylene–Diene Monomer Rubber Composite with Active Deicing and Snow Melting under Vehicle Load

Abstract

To improve the environmental friendliness and sustainability of road deicing and snow melting, a kind of conductive ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) rubber composite material with a thermally conductive layer, a heat-generating layer, and a heat-insulation layer is presented. It is placed under the asphalt surface to generate heat for deicing and snow melting by means of electrical heating. Vehicle load is inevitable in the road environment. To determine the feasibility of composite material long-term applications in the road environment, this paper mainly studied the durability of composite materials under vehicle load by rutting tests, resistance stability tests, mechanical properties tests, and heating tests. The results show that it has good anti-deformation durability and resistance stability under vehicle load. It has good mechanical and electrothermal durability after undergoing vehicle load. The durability of the composite material meets the requirements of safety, stability, and sustainability for long-term use in deicing under vehicle load. It is used as active deicing and snow-melting material in the road environment under vehicle load with broad application prospects.