Numerical simulation and experimental study on electrothermal properties of carbon/glass fiber hybrid textile reinforced concrete

Abstract

Carbon/glass fiber hybrid textile reinforced concrete is a relatively new composite material with good mechanical capacity and excellent electrical conductivity. Both small-scale slab heating experiments and numerical simulation are presented in this paper. Temperature variation curves obtained during heating indicate the effects of environmental temperature, heat-conducting layer thickness and electric heating power. Comparison of temperature rising between the situations with and without thermal isolation layer is given as well. The results indicate that the textile can form a good conductive heating network and generate enough heat to raise the temperature in the concrete when connected to a power supply, while the resistance of the slab remains stable during the heating. Numerical results are in good accordance with the experiments. Real time snow-melting experiment was conducted to verify the feasibility of deicing. The electrothermal properties of textile can be utilized for deicing and snow melting in a safe, environmentally friendly and efficient way.