Production and investigation of concretes with electrothermal properties to prevent freezing in airport runways

Freeze-thaw is the factor that threatens concrete after the accumulation of snow and ice on the airport runways. In order to reduce the freeze-thaw effect that causes damage to concrete, it is recommended to produce concrete with dense and non-porous structure. Or it is recommended to produce concrete with closed porosity by using air-continuous chemical additives. The aim of these classical methods is to produce concretes which are more resistant to freeze-thaw by accepting the accumulation of snow and ice. Therefore, this methods are not a method to prevent damage in case of increased freeze-thaw cycles. In recent years, the application of electrically conductive concretes has been proposed as a modern method to prevent the accumulation of snow and ice on airport runways. In this study, it is aimed to evaluate the nano carbon black obtained by the pyrolysis method from the waste tires and the waste wire erosion obtained from the cutting processes, in the electrically conductive concrete produced for use in airport runways. For this purpose, firstly, general mechanical and electrical conductivity properties of electrical conductive concretes in 36 different mixture were examined in laboratory environment. After the result of their general characteristics, 10 different concrete slabs were produced by using 3D modeling method. Electrothermal tests of conductive concrete slabs were performed in a freezer at -10 oC. According to the results of the experiments, mechanical and electrical properties of the specimens containing nano carbon black, carbon fiber and wire erosion in different mixtures have improved. It is understood that 180-1315 W / m2 power is required for the heating of electrically conductive concrete slabs obtained from different mixtures with different temperature / h speed. According to the literature, 300-550 W / m2 power is sufficient for melting of snow and ice in cold weather. In this study, mixture optimization was made according to the power values between 300-550 W / m2 consumed.