Incorporation of Carbon Fiber and Silica Fume in the Production of Conductive Concrete

Concrete is regarded as a composite material that has good mechanical and durability properties for construction. However normal concrete is poor in electrical conductivity. An endeavour has been made with concrete to have all these three properties. The addition of small amounts of short carbon fibers and a nanomaterial silica fume to the concrete mixture causes an increase in strength and durability properties as well as electrical conductivity. In this paper, experimental results of compressive strength and electrical resistivity are presented. This Concrete technology can be applied with low voltage current for de-icing on highways and airfields, during snowfall in the winter season. This technique will help to reduce the cost and environmental issues of roads in snow fall region.