Development of an Electrically Heated Sidewalk System for Enhanced Winter Pedestrian Safety

This study aims to develop an electrically heated sidewalk system to efficiently clear ice and snow from pedestrian walkways, ensuring safety and minimizing environmental impact during winter. While extensive research has been conducted on heated pavement and slab systems for vehicles and aircraft, there is a notable gap in studies focusing on heated sidewalk systems for pedestrians, which are unique due to their disjointed configurations. Concrete mixtures containing 2.2% carbon fibers (CFs) and 0.5% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by cement weight were used to cast the electrically heated concrete side blocks. No. 3 structural rebars served as electrodes to physically connect the side blocks and distribute electrical power to them. A laboratory-scale prototype, consisting of a 5 × 5 block array (750 mm × 750 mm), was constructed to evaluate heating performance. The surface and internal temperatures were measured using an infrared camera and thermocouples, respectively, while consistently powering the prototype with a power supply. The blocks were connected in a parallel electrical configuration to operate the system at low voltage levels. The results indicated a surface temperature increase of 16–20 °C over two hours with a power density ranging from 620 to 830 W/m2, which was sufficient for deicing pedestrian walkways.

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