January 27, 2016 at 10:36Electrically conductive concrete will melt snow without chemicals at US airports
A special mix of concrete that melts snow without chemicals, using electricity, may soon appear at US airports. The mixture, created by researchers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is mostly ordinary concrete, but 20% of it is steel shavings and carbon particles. This makes the coating electrically conductive enough for melting snow, but safe for touch.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is studying the invention of engineer Chris Tuan - electrically conductive concrete - and plans to test it at an airport. To the surprise of the developer, the authorities do not want to put such concrete on the runways. Instead, new concrete will appear at the exits to ensure the convenient work of the staff responsible for luggage, food, garbage collection, and fuel delivery. According to management, this will greatly reduce the number of delays due to weather conditions.
Concrete from Tuan is already being used at a specific facility - together with the Nebraska Road Department, the inventor equipped the bridge with 52 slabs of this concrete , and now the coating of this bridge does not freeze. Tuan notesthat it is unprofitable to cover such an object completely with concrete, but you can use it in certain places that freeze first.
From an economic point of view, a bridge with such concrete is much more profitable than using traditional means for melting snow: in three days of a storm and active “work” concrete burns $ 250, which is several times cheaper than a truck with chemicals.
Another side benefit of concrete is that it does not conduct electromagnetic waves. It may be interesting for companies to protect against industrial espionage.
The inventor himself uses such concrete - in the back yard of the house of Tuan he laid out a patio.
The US Federal Aviation Administration is studying the invention of engineer Chris Tuan - electrically conductive concrete - and plans to test it at an airport. To the surprise of the developer, the authorities do not want to put such concrete on the runways. Instead, new concrete will appear at the exits to ensure the convenient work of the staff responsible for luggage, food, garbage collection, and fuel delivery. According to management, this will greatly reduce the number of delays due to weather conditions.
Concrete from Tuan is already being used at a specific facility - together with the Nebraska Road Department, the inventor equipped the bridge with 52 slabs of this concrete , and now the coating of this bridge does not freeze. Tuan notesthat it is unprofitable to cover such an object completely with concrete, but you can use it in certain places that freeze first.
From an economic point of view, a bridge with such concrete is much more profitable than using traditional means for melting snow: in three days of a storm and active “work” concrete burns $ 250, which is several times cheaper than a truck with chemicals.
Another side benefit of concrete is that it does not conduct electromagnetic waves. It may be interesting for companies to protect against industrial espionage.
The inventor himself uses such concrete - in the back yard of the house of Tuan he laid out a patio.