Proposed Improvements to the Construction of Electrically Conductive Concrete Pavement System Based on Lessons Learned

摘要

The construction of electrically conductive concrete (ECON) pavement systems include several additional processes which make it different from the construction of regular rigid pavement systems. These can include the use of embedded electrodes, and two-lift concrete construction with different concrete mix designs. This study focuses on the lessons learned from constructing ECON slabs using these methods at the Des Moines International Airport and Iowa Department of Transportation Headquarters, as the first full-scale implementations of a carbon fiber-based ECON pavement system. Based on these efforts, a set of best practices is proposed to help minimize the time required to prepare the setup for placing ECON as the top lift of the pavement. These practices mainly include improvements in scheduling and decision making for the installation time and location of system components including electrodes, conduits, control unit, and sensors, and choosing appropriate both electrical and sensor wires' length, along with the instrumentation process. Applying these best practices improves the quality of the ECON pavement system, decreases the required labor, simplifies the project management process, and results in significant savings in money and construction time.