Innovating Winter Road Safety: Self-Heating Concrete that Melts Snow

Brief

Discover how self-heating concrete, infused with paraffin, offers a groundbreaking solution for snow and ice removal on roads, enhancing safety and durability.

Insight

Researchers at Drexel University’s Advanced Infrastructure Materials lab have developed a self-heating concrete that could revolutionize winter road maintenance. The key to this innovation is the integration of paraffin, a phase-change material that releases heat as it transitions from liquid to solid, effectively keeping the concrete’s surface above freezing temperatures. This new concrete could reduce the need for salting and plowing, thus prolonging the lifespan of roadways by preventing freeze-thaw cycles that damage the surface.

Two methods were explored for incorporating paraffin into concrete: mixing porous lightweight aggregate soaked in liquid paraffin and directly adding micro-capsules of paraffin into the mix. Field tests of these methods showed promising results, with the concrete maintaining temperatures conducive to melting snow for up to 10 hours in freezing conditions. Particularly, the slabs demonstrated the capability to melt snow at a rate of about a quarter inch per hour without external aids like salt or shovels.

The study highlighted that the lightweight aggregate method showed a more sustained heat release, suitable for deicing purposes even at sub-zero temperatures. These findings underscore the potential of phase-change material-treated concrete to significantly reduce the impact of freeze-thaw cycles on road durability. However, challenges such as effectiveness in heavy snowfall and the need for the material to ‘recharge’ its thermal properties indicate areas for future improvement.

While the environmental sustainability of using paraffin, a petroleum byproduct, remains a concern, the research points towards a promising direction in making roads safer and more durable during winter months.

Highlight

The key to this innovation is the integration of paraffin, a phase-change material that releases heat as it transitions from liquid to solid, effectively keeping the concrete’s surface above freezing temperatures.
This new concrete could reduce the need for salting and plowing, thus prolonging the lifespan of roadways by preventing freeze-thaw cycles that damage the surface.
Two methods were explored for incorporating paraffin into concrete: mixing porous lightweight aggregate soaked in liquid paraffin and directly adding micro-capsules of paraffin into the mix.