Study on Active Snow and Ice Melting Tests and Stability of Conductive Rubber Composites for Roads

Abstract

To reduce the environmental damage caused by traditional deicing methods, the feasibility of conductive rubber composites in road deicing was studied. In this study, a method for preparing conductive ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber composites was introduced. The effects of different voltages and ambient temperatures on the use of the conductive rubber composite for heating pavement were investigated. The ice melting process was determined by melting ice of different thicknesses. The resistance stability was studied by simulating the engineering service time. The results showed that the higher the voltage, the faster the conductive rubber composite heated. The temperature of the asphalt samples revealed that the conductive rubber composite generated heat uniformly. The ambient temperature had little effect on the heating rate. Thicker ice took a longer time to melt. However, the ice melting rate increased with increasing ice thickness. Furthermore, the heat generation performance of the conductive rubber composite changed little during the first 5 years of operation. This result indicated that the electrical resistance was stable. The deicing method proposed in this study can melt ice uniformly and quickly and is more environmentally friendly and sustainable than traditional deicing methods.