Goodbye to ice, here comes electrical concrete

How often have you had to drive on ice-covered streets early in the morning or late at night in wintertime? You must admit it's an unpleasant feeling, regardless of what kind of pneumatic your vehicle is equipped with. There might be a long-term solution to the problem in the future.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, an interesting solution to this problem has been developed. A mixture of steel scraps and carbon was poured in regular concrete (80% concrete, 20% mixture) and charged. According to phys.org, 20% of the carbon and steel scrap mixture is enough for the concrete to become conductive to the extent of having the electricity thaw the ice, while keeping the road surface safe to touch.

The so-called electrical concrete was tested on the surface the size of a living room.Once Christopher Tuan, the leader of the project, made sure that the principle works, he decided to test the system on the 45 m bridge Roca Spur, not far from Lincoln. This is the first bridge made of electrical concrete panels. It's interesting to note that the system was tested back in 2002, but that little was known of it.

Professor Tuan points out that this road maintenance system is not too costly. Heating the asphalt throughout a three-day snowstorm costs around USD 250, less than the amount set aside for conventional road cleaning and pouring abrasive materials. The only problem is that it is not cost-effective for entire traffic routes to be made of concrete, as it is more expensive that the current mixture used in the construction of roads. The solution makes sense only in places with an increased risk of surface ice appearing, such as bridges.

University of Nebraska Lincoln

Christopher Tuan

electrical concrete

steel scraps

carbon

Roca Spur bridge