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Christopher Y. Tuan

Bridge deck

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Thin Conductive Concrete Overlay For Bridge Deck Deicing And Anti-Icing, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan Mar 2014

Thin Conductive Concrete Overlay For Bridge Deck Deicing And Anti-Icing, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan

Christopher Y. Tuan

Concrete bridge decks are prone to ice accumulation. Bridge decks freeze before the roads approaching them freeze, making wintry highway travel treacherous. Road salts and deicing chemicals are effective for ice removal but cause damage to concrete and corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete bridge decks. The resulting rapid degradation of existing concrete pavements and bridge decks is a major concern to transportation and public-works officials. The use of insulation materials for ice control and electric or thermal heating for deicing have been attempted, with unsatisfactory results. Conductive concrete is a cementitious admixture containing electrically conductive components to attain high …


Conductive Concrete Overlay For Bridge Deck Deicing: Mixture Proportioning, Optimization, And Properties, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan Mar 2014

Conductive Concrete Overlay For Bridge Deck Deicing: Mixture Proportioning, Optimization, And Properties, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan

Christopher Y. Tuan

Bridge pavement surfaces are prone to ice accumulation, making winter travel hazardous. Current practice is to use road salt and deicing chemicals, that cause damage to concrete and corrosion of reinforcing steel. A thin conductive concrete overlay can generate enough heat to prevent ice formation on a bridge deck. Conductive concrete is a cementitious admixture containing electrically conductive components that attain stable and high electrical conductivity. Due to the electrical resistance and impedance in conductive concrete, heat is generated when connected to a power source, and can be used for deicing or anti-icing. Conductive concrete is a relatively new material …


Conductive-Concrete Overlays - An Innovative Solution For Bridge Deck Deicing, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan Mar 2014

Conductive-Concrete Overlays - An Innovative Solution For Bridge Deck Deicing, Sherif Yehia, Christopher Tuan

Christopher Y. Tuan

Bridge decks are prone to ice accumulation, making winter travel treacherous. Road salts and some other deicing chemicals are cost effective, but may cause surface scaling, reinforcing-steel corrosion, or both. Another alternative is a thin, conductive-concrete overlay that, when connected to a power source, can generate enough heat through electrical resistance to prevent ice formation on the deck or melt ice after it forms. Using a conductive concrete overlay provides an environment-friendly deicing method that would prolong bridge service life by significantly reducing the use of road salt and deicing chemicals. When used on pedestrian bridges, sidewalks, and driveways, it …


Electrical Resistance Heating Of Conductive Concrete Containing Steel Fibers And Shavings, Christopher Tuan Mar 2014

Electrical Resistance Heating Of Conductive Concrete Containing Steel Fibers And Shavings, Christopher Tuan

Christopher Y. Tuan

Conductive concrete is a category of concrete containing electrically conductive components to attain stable and high electrical conductivity. Due to its electrical resistance and impedance, a thin conductive concrete overlay can generate enough heat to prevent ice formation on a bridge deck when connected to a power source. Steel fibers and steel shavings were used for the conductive materials in this study. A conventional concrete slab, 1.2 x 3.6 m (4 x 12 ft), has been constructed with a 9 cm (3.5 in.) conductive concrete overlay for conducting deicing experiments in the natural environment. The conductive concrete mixture was developed …