ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ASPHALT FOR CONTROL OF SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION

AN ASPHALTIC CONCRETE MADE ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE BY THE ADDITION OF GRAPHITE WAS DESIGNED AND TESTED IN SMALL TEST PLOTS OVER TWO WINTER SEASONS. POWER DISSIPATION PER UNIT SURFACE AREA WAS CALCULATED. FROM THE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS OF 20 WATTS/SQUARE FOOT, 1/2-IN THICKNESS, 30 VOLT POTENTIAL DROP BETWEEN ELECTRODES SPACED 5 FT APART, THE NECESSARY RESISTIVITY WAS CALCULATED TO BE 1 OHM-INCH. LABORATORY STUDIES TO OBTAIN THIS VALUE WERE MADE, FIRST USING SIMULATED ASPHALTIC CONCRETE (PARAFFIN AS A BINDER) AND THEN ASPHALT-GRAPHITE-AGGREGATE BRIQUETTES COVERING A WIDE RANGE OF MIXTURES. THESE STUDIES LED TO THE CHOICE OF A 25 PERCENT GRAPHITE LEVEL, AND SIX TEST SECTIONS WERE CONSTRUCTED AT USA CRREL USING THIS MIX AND THREE THICKNESSES AND SIZES OF ELECTRODES. ACTUAL RESISTIVITIES WERE 7 TO 12 TIMES DESIGN VALUE. MIXING, PLACEMENT AND CONTROL ARE CRITICAL IN ACHIEVING SATISFACTORY ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES. THE TEST SECTIONS PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY OVER A TWO-WINTER OBSERVATION PERIOD. THE SECTIONS WERE NOT TRAFFICKED AND MEASUREMENTS OF RESISTIVITY SHOWED INCREASES OF 21 TO 83 PERCENT OVER AN 18-MONTH PERIOD. SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS WOULD PROBABLY MAKE NECESSARY AN OVERLAY, SINCE A STEEL FORM PLACED ON ONE TEST SECTION AND LOADED BY STANDING ON IT RESULTED IN A 40 PERCENT CURRENT INCREASE. COST OF A CONDUCTIVE ASPHALT WITH ELECTRODES WOULD BE COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER METHODS OF HEATING PAVEMENT SURFACES. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  • http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1968/227/227-004.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Committee on Snow and Ice Control and presented at the 47th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
• Authors:
  • Minsk, L D
• Publication Date: 1968

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 57-63
• Monograph Title: Snow and ice control
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 227
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aggregates; Asphalt; Asphalt additives; Asphalt concrete; Costs; Dissipation; Electrical properties; Electrical resistivity; Electrodes; Graphite; Heating (Structures); Laboratory tests; Paraffin; Pavements; Power; Snow and ice control; Surfaces; Testing; Thickness
• Uncontrolled Terms: Conductivity; Surface area
• Old TRIS Terms: Paraffinic component /asphalt/; Resistivity
• Subject Areas: Energy; Finance; Geotechnology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00218401
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Sep 12 1994 12:00AM