Interfacial thermal stress and deformation coordination analysis of self-heating reinforced concrete pavement coupling electric-thermal-mechanical field

Self-heating deicing pavement has demonstrated superior electrothermal properties and sustainability, which could reduce the frequency of traffic accidents caused by snow and ice accumulation. Nonetheless, differential thermal expansion between steel reinforcements and the pavement concrete occurs during the electric heating period. In this paper, the electric-thermal-mechanical numerical coupled model of pavement with embedded steel reinforcement network is established. Twenty-seven working conditions considering variations in copper mesh embedment depth, heating layer thickness, and heating voltage, are designed and applied to the calibrated numerical model. To ensure the deicing functionality and structural strength of reinforced concrete pavement, a response surface analysis was performed based on the simulation results to establish the relationship between each factor and the corresponding response values. Subsequently, a multi-objective optimization model was developed. The results show that a reinforced concrete pavement with an embedded depth of 6 cm, a heating layer thickness of 10.54 cm, and a heating voltage of 24 V can reach 0 °C after 5.3 hours of heating and rise to 17.96 °C after 24 hours. The optimal combination of above design parameters could guarantee the self-heating pavement not affected by snow, ice. It provides important parameter references and technical support for the design of electrically heated snow-melting pavement systems.