Precast concrete with self-powering defrosting capability

Each year, 24% of weather-related vehicle crashes occur on snowy or icy pavement and 15% happen during snowfall or sleet. Over 1,300 people are killed and >116,800 people are injured in vehicle crashes on snowy or icy pavement annually. Snow and ice increase road maintenance costs. Winter road maintenance accounts for ~20% of State DOT maintenance budgets. State and local agencies spend more than $2.3 billion on snow and ice control operations annually. Each year, these road agencies also spend millions of dollars to repair infrastructure damage caused by snow and ice. This exploratory project is aimed at developing precast concrete with self-powering defrosting capability. Defrosting capability has long been shown to be effective in cement-based materials by resistance (Joule) heating, provided that conductive admixtures are used to reduce the resistivity. Short carbon fiber is the most cost-effective conductive admixture to greatly lower the resistivity, so that resistance heating becomes effective. Short steel microfiber is even more effective than short carbon fiber, but it is much higher in price.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $30,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348333

• Sponsor Organizations:

  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory
  Urbana, IL  United States  61801-2352

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Transportation Infrastructure Precast Innovation Center (TRANS-IPIC)

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  Urbana, IL  United States  61801
• Performing Organizations:

  University at Buffalo - SUNY

  221 Ketter Hall
  Buffalo, NY  United States  14260
• Principal Investigators:

  Chung, Deborah

• Start Date: 20250101
• Expected Completion Date: 20250630
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Admixtures; Carbon fibers; Deicing; Precast concrete pavements
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01943056
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Infrastructure Precast Innovation Center (TRANS-IPIC)
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348333
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 22 2025 11:56AM