The thermal and damage characteristics of an insulated-conductive composite structure for the heated bridge deck for snow-melting

To improve the snow-melting efficiency of the heated bridge deck for snow-melting, the insulated-conductive composite structure is proposed. It consists of the thermally conductive layer, the heating cable, the asbestos belt, and the reinforced concrete leveling course. The thermally conductive layer is proposed to replace the waterproof and cohesive layer in the traditional bridge deck. The material of the thermally conductive layer is thermally conductive cement-based composite, and it is helpful for heat transfer efficiency. Additionally, a 3D finite element heated bridge deck for snow-melting model, which was verified by field experiment, is developed to simulate the heating process of the heated bridge deck for snow-melting. According to the simulation results, the influences of insulated-conductive composite structure on the surface temperature and the damage of heated bridge deck for snow-melting were analyzed. Meanwhile, to consider both the surface temperature and damage, the structure evaluation method is proposed to recommend the optimal insulated-conductive composite structure. It can better guide the design and analysis of the heated bridge deck for snow-melting.