Inhibition and Removal of Thin Ice on the Surface of Asphalt Pavements by Hydrophobic Method

摘要

In order to reduce the surface adhesion of thin ice and asphalt pavements and remove the ice easily via vehicle rolling, an organic silicon rubber coating was prepared and successfully used to achieve a highly hydrophobic surface on asphalt pavement. Indoor and outdoor tests showed that the coating could reach more than 90° of contact angle, displaying an excellent hydrophobic property. Ice-breaking test indicated that, under a small strike, the coating could make the thin ice split in a radial crack way. Under repeated strikes, these cracks extended and linked to each other. An outdoor ice-removing test also verified that the ice growing on the coated asphalt pavements became loose, and was easy to separate from the pavement surface after vehicle rolling. Besides, since some of the coating was left within the texture of the pavement, asphalt pavement could keep high hydropobicity for a long time. This was confirmed by the high contact angle after spraying the coating for 12 months and the low wettability after spraying the coating for 20 months. Since the coating belongs to a conventional rubber structure, it had a limited effect on the skid resistance of asphalt pavement. Due to the potentials in removing ice from asphalt pavement, it is expected to provide an environmental method for removing ice by using the high hydrophobicity of the coating.