Road anti-icing device using carbon nanotubes and installation method thereof

Road anti-icing system using rumble strips embedded with carbon nanotube heating lines that generate higher heat in wheel-path sections by narrowing the width.

This technology is a road anti-icing system that installs multiple carbon nanotube heating lines across the direction of vehicle travel in specific road sections, with a heating management unit that supplies current to generate heat when the road surface temperature drops below a set threshold.

Black ice, which is difficult to detect, often forms at tunnel entrances or sharp mountain curves that remain in the shade for long periods, serving as a major cause of accidents. Traditional methods of manually spreading sand or calcium chloride are labor-intensive and slow to respond. Existing anti-icing systems also have limitations, as they require removing pavement and re-pouring concrete to embed bulky heating elements, leading to high installation costs and long construction times.

This technology features heating lines that alternate between wide first sections and narrow second sections. By placing the second sections in the wheel path, the increased resistance causes those areas to generate more heat. The heating elements are created by applying a coating containing 0.75–5.0 wt.% multi-walled carbon nanotubes dispersed in an acetone-epoxy solvent. These are placed inside rumble strip grooves to protect them from tire wear, and the lines are connected in parallel to a pair of longitudinal extension electrodes. The system also includes a power supply unit that detects errors if resistance exceeds the average value during operation. It can be applied to shaded tunnel entrances, sharp mountain curves, bridge decks, and highway ramps, allowing for installation via coating rather than pavement removal, while focusing ice-melting efforts specifically on the wheel tracks where tires make contact.

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Key Features:

• Multiple carbon nanotube heating lines installed in multiple rows transverse to the vehicle's direction of travel on at least a portion of the road
• Carbon nanotube heating elements with alternating first sections of a first width and narrower second sections of a second width, where the second sections are positioned in the wheel-path area to generate higher heat
• A heating management unit that provides current to the carbon nanotube heating elements to initiate heating when the temperature of at least a portion of the area falls below a preset threshold
• Rumble strips formed transverse to the vehicle's direction of travel on the road, with heating lines installed in at least a portion of their internal space

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the development of an active black ice detection and removal system based on carbon nanotube road coatings.

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