Numerical investigation and thermal predictions of asphalt pavement containing inductive materials under alternating magnetic field

Inductive heating asphalt pavement (IHAP) has been widely investigated as the functional pavement, and IHAP is heated by induction heating of randomly dispersed inductive material under alternating magnetic field. Due to the randomly dispersed heat sources in IHAP, it is easy to cause uneven temperature distribution, which is difficult to be described by the existing thermal calculation methods. To reflect the dispersed states of the heat sources and air voids in IHAP and regulate the pavement temperature field, a novel heat source simulation method was proposed through the modified random aggregate algorithm, and an induction heating simulation of IHAP was established. The maximal temperature (Tmax) and average temperature (Tave) of the pavement surface were used as the prediction targets, and the influences of the operational parameters, material composition and the environmental factors on the above targets were discussed. To increase Tmax and Tave, operational parameters and waste steel shavings content should be increased, while the increment of ambient temperature and the decrement of heat transfer coefficient are beneficial to the increase of Tmax and Tave. Moreover, the prediction models between the above influencing factors and the targets were established by response surface methodology. The prediction models and suggestions for acquiring reasonable targets could provide scientific guidance for applications of the IHAP to achieve various pavement functions.