PSI - Issue 84

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ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 845–851

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference Keywords: hydronic pavement system ; de-icing and snow-melting ; sustainable infrastructure ; energy micropiles ; low-enthaply geothermal energy. Abstract Ground-source hydronic heated pavement systems (HHPS) offer a sustainable and effective solution for mitigating winter hazards on transportation infrastructure by enabling automated snow melting, de-icing, and ice prevention. In Italy, a significant portion of the transport network—particularly viaducts and bridges—is experiencing progressive deterioration, with many structures nearing the end of their service life. Maintenance operations on these assets often involve foundation reinforcement at piers and abutments to restore or improve load-bearing capacity. Such interventions create an opportunity to integrate shallow geothermal systems to power HHPS alongside structural upgrades. Within this framework, energy micropiles (EMPs) emerge as a promising yet underexplored technology. Beyond their primary structural role, EMPs can also operate as heat exchangers with the surrounding soil, providing thermal energy to hydronic systems for pavement heating and thereby preventing snow and ice accumulation, reducing reliance on chemical or mechanical removal methods, and improving road safety. This study evaluates the feasibility of employing EMPs as a thermal energy source in the reinforcement of a viaduct abutment foundation, using thermo-mechanical numerical simulations under representative climatic conditions of temperate regions such as the Mediterranean. The findings emphasize the versatility of EMPs and their strong potential for integration into infrastructure renewal strategies, particularly where foundation reinforcement is already necessary. III Fabre Conference: Existing Bridges, Viaducts, and Tunnels: Research, Innovation, and Applications Geothermal solutions for pavement heating of roadway viaducts through energy micropiles Arianna Lupattelli a, *, Giulia Capati a , Diana Salciarini a a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Perugia, Via G. Duranti 93, Perugia 06125, Italy

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-392-817-4226 E-mail address: arianna.lupattelli@unipg.it

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Conference 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.06.108