Numerical and outdoor experimental study on active snow melting of conductive rubber composites in roads

To solve the snow problems on roads, conductive rubber composites are proposed to achieve active snow melting. The snow melting processes were analysed by numerical simulation and outdoor experiments. A thermal resistance model was used to analyse the heat transfer and phase change during snow melting. The snow melting effect under complex environments was evaluated by outdoor tests. Furthermore, the electric and thermal fields during snow melting of conductive rubber composites were simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics. The results show that the thermal resistance model reflects the heat transfer process of conductive rubber composites in roads. The conductive rubber composite melts 30 mm of snow in −5°C for 1.92 h. The conductive rubber composite melts snow more rapidly and evenly than existing snow melting methods. The model can predict the operation strategy for conductive rubber composites in engineering. Moreover, this study lays the theoretical and experimental foundation for practical applications.