Frost-heaving pressure in geotechnical engineering materials during freezing process

Energy and resources including coal, oil, and gas are in demand all over the world. Because these resources near the earth's surface have been exploited for many years, the extraction depth has increased.As mining shafts in the coal extraction process become deeper, especially in western China, an artificial freezing method is used and is concentrated in the fractured rock mass. The frost-heaving pressure(FHP)is directly related to the degree of damage of the fractured rock mass. This paper is focused on FHP during the freezing process, with emphasis on the frost-heaving phenomenon in engineering materials. A review of the frost phenomenon in the geotechnical engineering literature indicates that:(1) During the soil freezing process, the ice content that is influenced by unfrozen water and the freezing rate are the determining factors of FHP;(2) During the freezing process of rock and other porous media, the resulting cracks should be considered because the FHP may damage the crack structure;(3) The FHP in a joint rock mass is analyzed by the joint deformation in field and experimental tests and can be simulated by the equivalent expansion method including water migration and joint deformation.

Frost heaving force considering synchronous damage to tunnel lining and surrounding rocks under freeze—thaw cycles

In areas with seasonal freezing,when the tunnel lining concrete is saturated with water infiltrating the interior,the lining and the surrounding rocks will simultaneously freeze.However,the current calculation of the frost heaving force fails to consider the synchronous damage to the lining and surrounding rocks under freeze-thaw cycles.Therefore,as per the elastic calculation model of the frost heaving force and model of steady-state heat transfer of circular tunnels,this study introduces the frost heaving rate of lining and surrounding rocks.First,the analytical solution of frost heaving force is obtained for simultaneous frost heaving of lining and surrounding rocks under any steady-state temperature field.Then,based on the fracture theory and meso-damage mechanics,the damage variables of lining and surrounding rocks under freeze-thaw cycles are extracted,representing their elastic modulus and porosity.Finally,the formula of frost heaving force for synchronous damage to the lining and surrounding rocks at any steady-state temperature field is obtained.The calculation results demonstrate that the lower the temperature inside the lining,the greater the frost heaving force.With the increasing number of freeze-thaw cycles,frost heaving force tends to gradually increase initially,reaching a peak value at 85 freeze-thaw cycles,decreasing to 80%of the peak value at 140 cycles before reaching a constant value.The lining participates in frost heaving,increasing the frost heaving force.The initial increase rate of frost heaving force is 15.7%.Changing the fitting coefficients s1 and s2 of the lining and surrounding rocks can effectively control the magnitude of the frost heaving force in the tunnels.

Model test study of frost heaving pressures in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions

Based on the similarity theory, taking the horseshoe, city-gate and round linings as examples, the value and distribution regularities of normal frost heaving pressures （hereinafter as frost heaving pressures） in tunnels excavated in fractured rock mass in cold regions under different constraints and freezing depths were studied by a test model. It was found that the larger the frozen depth, the larger the frost heaving pressure, and the stronger the top constraint, the larger the frost heaving pressure. For the horseshoe lining and city-gate lining, the top constraint has a greater effect on the frost heaving pressures on the arch and the inverted arch. For the round lining, the influences of the top constraint on the frost heaving pressure in all linings are almost the same. The frost heaving pressure is maximum on the city-gate lining and minimal on the round lining. The largest frost heaving pressure all occur near the foot of the inverted arch for the three kinds of lining. Thus, the test data basically coincide with the observed in situ data.

Study of experiment method for triaxial frost heaving constitutive relation of frozen soil

A new experiment method is introduced to study the relations between frost heaving strain and stress of soil or fracture rock under different moisture contents, temperatures and stress states. Based on experiments, a new triaxial frost heaving stress-strain relation is presented aiming at tunnel in cold regions. The experimental equipments are strain-controlled and low temperature buildup, and different restrained conditions are controlled by changing the stiffness of a test-force-ring. Then the frost heaving strain and stress of soil or fracture rock can be obtained under different restrained conditions, and the frost heaving stress-strain relation can be got by regression analysis of some feature points. Experiments of saturated sandy soil conducted by this method show that the triaxial frost heaving stress-strain relation could be expressed by logarithmic curves, and the frost heaving stress changes linearly with the logarithm of the frost heaving strain. The stronger the constraint, the smaller the frost heaving strain and the larger the frost heaving stresses. The frost heaving stresses would tend to a limit value with increasing the constraint intensity. The larger the confining pressure, the larger the frost heaving strain and stress.

Influence of thermal insulation layer schemes on the frost heaving force in tunnels

In extreme cold regions,a thermal insulation layer(TIL)is commonly employed to mitigate the detrimental effects of frost heaving forces in tunnels.Optimizing the laying scheme of TIL,specifically minimizing frost heaving forces,holds considerable importance in the prevention of frost damage.This research developed a two-dimensional unsteady temperature field of circular tunnels by using the difference method(taking the off-wall laying method as an example)based on the law of conservation of energy.Then,the frozen circle and water migration coefficient were introduced to establish the relationship between the temperature field and frost heaving forces,and a reliable methodology for calculating these forces under the specific conditions of TIL installation was developed.Then(i)the influence of the air layer thickness of the off-wall laying method,(ii)different laying methods of TIL,(iii)the TIL thickness,(iv)the thermal conductivity of the TIL,and(v)the freeze-thaw cycles on the frost heaving force were investigated.The results showed that the frost heaving force served as a reliable and effective metric for evaluating the insulation effect in tunnels.In order to avoid frost damage in compliance with the design requirements,the insulation effects from various laying methods were established,in descending efficacy order as follows:off-wall laying,double layer laying,surface laying,and sandwich laying.Our findings revealed that the optimal thickness for the air layer in the offwall laying method was 0.10 m.The insulation effect of materials with a thermal conductivity below 0.047 W/(m·℃)was furthermore found to be good.Under freeze-thaw cycle conditions,it is concluded that to prevent frost damage,the TIL thickness should be the sum of the thickness r1 of the first freeze-thaw cycle without frost heaving forces and an additional reserve value 0.06r1 of the TIL thickness.

A Frost Heaving Prediction Approach for Ground Uplift Simulation Due to Freeze-Sealing Pipe Roof Method

Freeze-sealing pipe roof method is applied in the Gongbei tunnel,which causes the ground surface uplift induced by frost heave.A frost heaving prediction approach based on the coefficient of cold expansion is proposed to simulate the ground deformation of the Gongbei tunnel.The coefficient of cold expansion in the model and the frost heaving rate from the frost heave test under the hydration condition can achieve a good correspondence making the calculation result closer to the actual engineering.The ground surface uplift along the lateral and longitudinal direction are respectively analyzed and compared with the field measured data to validate the model.The results show that a good agreement between the frost heaving prediction model and the field measured data verifies the rationality and applicability of the proposed model.The maximum uplift of the Gongbei tunnel appears at the center of the model,gradually decreasing along with the lateral and longitudinal directions.The curve in the lateral direction presents a normal distribution due to the influence of the constraint of two sides,while the one along the lateral direction shapes like a parabola with the opening downward due to the temperature field distribution.The model provides a reference for frost heaving engineering calculation.

Frost heaving in ballast railway tracks

Frost heaving is a well-known phenomenon in cold regions, which may occur in wet clayey grounds during winter. Railway track upheaval occurring in cold regions during the winter is generally understood as frost heaving in the subgrade layer. However, it has been confirmed that upheaval due to frost heaving sometimes occurs in the ballast layer. This un- derstanding has been observed in active railways in northern Japan. The samples collected from ballast and subgrade layers have been examined for frost heave susceptibilities and confirmed that ballast layers which contain fines may heave.

Incident analyses of frost heaving failure of municipal underground gas pipelines in cold regions of northern China

In the cold regions of northern China, incidents of municipal underground gas pipeline rupture and leakage occur quite fi-equently, aaost often in winter. To prevent harm to citizen safety and property, analysis of the causes of such cracking and leakage is therefore valuable. Two incident analyses are discussed here and the reasons why most of these types of cases occur dttring winter are clarified. Fhe effects of vehicle loadings above buried pipelines are calculated and compared with the effects and calculations of frost heaving forces. We demonstrate thtit when the soil layer above a pipeline freezes rapidly, the soil generates repeated frost heaving, which exerts heaving forces on the pipeline that can result in fatigue crack propagation and ultimate pipeline failure. Therefore, the incident induced 9y frost heaving is one of the primary reasons of gas pipeline failure. Based on these analyses, we present some recommendations pertaining to the proper design, construction, and management of gas pipelines.

Frost heave control of fine round gravel fillings in deep seasonal frozen regions

Fine round gravel soil is widely employed in the subgrade of high and thawing. The lower the fines content in fine round gravel soil, but compaction difficulty increases. This study is to obtain the speed railways in cold regions to prevent frost heaving the smaller the quantities of frost heaving and thawing, optimum fines content and limited frost heaving and thawing. The fine round gravel soil filling （FRGSF） used in the Harbin-Qiqihaer Passenger Dedicated Line is taken as the study object. Influence of fines content on optimum water content, maximum dry density and frost heaving properties of FRGSF were studied by means of compaction and frost heaving tests. Results show that the maximum dry density of the FRGSF increases first and then decreases with an increase of fines content, namely there is an optimum fines content for easy compaction. The method of surface-vibratory instrument is fit for coarse-grained soils, and wet state of coarse-grained soil is in favor of compaction. Considering the relationship of fines content with maximum dry density and the frost heaving ratio of FRGSF, the fines content should be limited to within the range of 9%-10%, so that the frost heaving ratio is less than 1%, and the FRGSF is easily compacted. Water supply is proved to be an important factor influencing the amount of frost heaving of FRGSF. We also conclude that in the field, it is imperative to control waterproofing and drainage measures.

Numerical analysis of applying special pavements to solve the frost heave diseases of high-speed railway roadbeds in seasonally frozen ground regions

The Haerbin-Dalian Passenger Dedicated Line is the first high-speed railway constructed in the seasonally frozen ground regions of northeastern China. Frost heave diseases occurred in the first winter of its operation （between October 2012 and January 2013）, and frost heave was observed mainly in the roadbed fills that were considered not susceptible to frost heave. This paper proposes applying two special pavements -- black pavement and insulation-black pavement -- to improve the thermal regime of the roadbed. Three numerical models of the roadbed temperature field were built based on the field con- ditions of the Changchun section （D3K692＋840 to D3K692＋860）. The results show that： （1） Compared with cement pave- ment, black pavement and insulation-black pavement could reduce the freezing index at the roadbed surface by 37% and 64%, respectively, which could influence the maximum frozen depth; （2） the maximum frozen depths under the black pavement and insulation-black pavement were respectively 1.3-1.4 m and 1 m. Compared with cement pavement, they could reduce the maximum frozen depth by 0.4 m and 0.7-0.8 m, respectively, which would reduce the permitted amount of frost heave by 4 mm and 7-8 ram, which would meet the deformation limit established by the Code for Design on Special Subgrade of Railway; （3） the freezing periods of the black pavement and the insulation-black pavement were, respectively, approximately four months and two months. Compared with cement pavement, they could reduce the freezing period by approximately 19 days and 40 days, respectively, and delay the initial freezing time by 9 days and 18 days; and （4） compared with cement pavement, black pavement and black-insulation pavement could reduce the frozen areas of roadbeds in the cold season, which suggests that these two special pavements could provide better thermal stability for roadbeds.

Analysis of railway subgrade frost heave deformation based on GPS

In order to analyze the connection between the railway subgrade frost heave deformation and temperature variation, five GPS stations＇ data were used to monitor the deformation on a certain section of railway subgrade in northeast China. GAMIT software is used to process the data, providing daily solution, daytime solution and nighttime solution. Vertical trends of these five stations were analyzed to investigate frost heave effect on railway subgrade deformation. The results show that the temperature difference between daytime and night induces stations, significant vertical displacement, and the temperature difference between seasons causes settlement of station which appears linear trend.

Summary of research on frost heave for subgrade in seasonal frozen ground

The building of railways on seasonally frozen ground is inevitable as China pursues economic development and the improvement of its citizens'living standards.However,railway construction in seasonally frozen soil areas is often faced with frost heave,leading to uneven subgrades which seriously threaten traffic safety.This article summarizes extant research results on frost heave mechanism,frost heave factors,and anti-frost measures of railway subgrades in seasonally frozen soil areas.

Centrifuge model test on performance of thermosyphon cooled sandbags stabilizing warm oil pipeline buried in permafrost

The thaw settlement of pipeline foundation soils in response to the operation of the first China-Russia Crude Oil Pipeline along the eastern flank of the northern Da Xing'anling Mountains in Northeast China was simulated in a physical model test(with a similitude ratio of 1/73) in a geotechnical centrifuge. Two pipes of a supported and an unsupported section were evaluated over a testing period for simulating 20 years of actual pipeline operation with seasonal cyclically changing oil and ambient temperatures. The results show that pipe settlement of the supported pipe was 45% of settlement of the unsupported pipe. Settlement for the unsupported section was approximately 35% of the thaw bulb depth below the initial pipe elevation, only 30% of that for the supported pipe due to the influence of the supports. The final thaw bulbs extended approximately 3.6 and 1.6 times of the pipe diameter below the unsupported and supported pipe bottom elevations, respectively. The sandbag supports kept frozen during the test period because of cooling effect of the thermosyphons. The maximum bending stress induced over the 20 m span length from bearing of the full cover over the pipe would be equivalent to40% specified minimum yield strength(SMYS). Potential buckling of the pipe should be considered as the ground thaws.This study also offers important data for calibration and validation of numerical simulation models.

Influence of fines content on the anti-frost properties of coarse-grained soil

This paper aims to determine the optimal fines content of coarse-grained soil required to simultaneously achieve weaker frost susceptibility and better bearing capacity. We studied the frost susceptibility and strength properties of coarse-grained soil by means of frost heaving tests and static triaxial tests, and the results are as follows： （1） the freezing temperature of coarse-grained soil decreased gradually and then leveled off with incremental increases in the percent content of fines; （2） the fines content proved to be an important factor influencing the frost heave susceptibility and strength properties of coarse-grained soil. With incremental increases in the percent content of fines, the frost heave ratio increased gradually and the cohesion function of fines effectively enhanced the shear strength of coarse-grained soil before freeze-thaw, but the frost susceptibility of fines weakened the shear strength of coarse-grained soil after freeze-thaw; （3） with increasing numbers of freeze-thaw cycles, the shear strength of coarse-grained soil decreased and then stabilized after the ninth freeze-thaw cycle, and therefore the mechanical indexes of the ninth freeze-thaw cycle are recommended for the engi- neering design values; and （4） considering frost susceptibility and strength properties as a whole, the optimal fines content of 5% is recommended for railway sub,fade coarse-~rained soil fillings in frozen re^ions.

Field monitoring of differential frost heave in widened highway subgrade

In cold regions,the widened subgrade could produce uneven frost heave that is detrimental to the pavement.This study investigates the differential frost heave characteristics in a widened subgrade.The field monitoring system mainly consists of temperature,moisture,and displacement sensors and distributed optical fiber cables for strain measurement.The monitoring results show that the cooling period in the subgrade is longer than the warming period.Water content in the subgrade changes significantly within 0−2 m below the subgrade surface but stabilizes within 2−5 m.The maximum frost heave occurs from February to March.In comparison,the existing subgrade has a longer freezing period and larger heave value,caused by the higher density and water content inside.Water in the existing subgrade migrates into the new one after widening,leading to frost heave reduction in the existing subgrade.Simultaneously,the traffic loads result in the consolidation of the new subgrade,thus reducing the heave value in the second year.In the third year,the water supply from the existing subgrade facilitates the frost heave in the new subgrade.The tensile strain distributions obtained by the distributed optical fiber cables show that the maximum differential frost heave occurs at the joint between the existing and new subgrades.The differential frost heave gradually stabilizes after three years.Finally,an improved frost heave prediction model is developed based on the segregation potential concept and monitoring results.

Experimental study on mechanical and frost heave behaviors of silty clay improved by polyvinyl alcohol and polypropylene fiber

Silty clay is widely used as subgrade filler in cold regions,which suffer from frost heave in winter and mud pumping in spring.In this study,polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)and polypropylene(PP)fiber were used to improve the mechanical and frost heave behavior of silty clay in cold regions,and the direct shear test and one-dimensional frost heave test were employed in studying improvement effects.Moreover,improvement mechanisms of PVA and PP fiber were analyzed based on test results.The main findings are as follows.(1)Both PP and PVA can heighten the strength of silty clay and suppress frost heave,but the PVA solution has a more decisive influence on improving mechanical properties than PP fiber.(2)The improvement mechanism of the PVA solution is cementing.The improvement effect of 2%PVA solution is the best,which can increase the shear strength by approximately 40%–60%at different stress levels and decrease the frost heave ratio from 0.89%to 0.16%at optimal water content.(3)For 2%PVA improved samples,0.25%PP fiber can further increase soil cohesion by approximately 20–30 kPa at different stress levels and further decrease the frost heave ratio from 0.16%to 0.07%at optimal water content.The improvement effect is neglectable when the PP fiber content exceeds 0.25%.Overall,2%PVA with 0.25%PP fiber is the optimum combination to improve silty clay in cold regions.

Frost susceptibility of soils——A confusing concept that can misguide geotechnical design in cold regions

Frost susceptibility is a concept widely used in cold region geotechnical design, to quantify the capacity of a soil in generating frost heave and frost damage. The laboratory test used to verify frost susceptibility of a soil is based on the measurement of frost heave generated in the soil under specific conditions. In reality this concept is, however, more related to the soil's potential to thaw weakening than to frost heave. Recent experimental studies show that frost non-susceptible soils like clean sand and clean gavel can also generate much ice segregation and frost heave if the conditions are favourable, hence challenging the usefulness and suitability of soil classification based on frost susceptibility. It is further shown that the concept is not suitable for design scenarios where frost heave itself is a serious hazard, such as in high-speed rail embankments.

The effect of confining boundary on soil deformation in one dimensional frost heave tests and the theoretical volume correction

Frost heave is one of the major complications in highway construction in cold regions. Laboratory experiments are im- portant in the study frost heave behavior of soils, and one-dimensional frost heave experiments are the easiest way to evaluate the soil frost heave potential. In a one dimensional frost heave test, the deformation in axial direction is non-uniform because of the confining effect of the cutting ring＇s sidewall. If the effect of confining boundary on soil de- formation is ignored, the deformation will be over-estimated. In this paper, the effect of confining boundary on soil de- formation is theoretically studied and a volume correction method is developed and applied to the frost heave test of a sulfite saline soil. Test results demonstrate that the sulfite saline soil will expand to a loose, low-density state after several freezing-thawing cycles under the condition of zero axial stress.

New semi-analytical approach for ice lens heaving during artificial freezing of fine-grained material

The calculation of frost heaving with ice lens formation is still not standard for construction projects using artificial ground freezing(AGF).In fine-grained material,ice lenses may initiate and lead to significant heaving at the ground surface,which should be considered in advance.However,the complex processes during ice lens formation are still not fully understood and difficult to capture in a simple approach.In the past,the semi-analytical approach of Konrad and Morgenstern used one soil constant,the“segregation potential(SP)”.It has been mainly and most successfully applied to the heave calculation of natural-induced soil freezing in cold regions.Its application to AGF has been so far unsuccessful.To solve this,a new semi-analytical approach is presented in this paper.It includes AGF conditions such as bottom-up freezing,temperature gradients to reach great freezing velocities,and a distinction between two freezing states.One is the freezing-up state until a certain frost body thickness is reached(thermal transient state),and the other is a holding phase where the frost body thickness is kept constant(thermal quasi-steady state).To test its ability,the results are applied to another freezing direction,the top-down freezing.The new approach is validated using two different frost-susceptible soils and,in total,50 frost heave tests.In the thermal transient region,where the SP is applicable,the two semi-analytical approaches are compared,showing improved performance of the current method by about 15%.

Macroscopic Frost Heave Model Based on Segregation Potential Theory

A macroscopic frost heave model with more clear parameters was established. Based on a porosity rate frost heave model and segregation potential theory, a porosity rate function was deduced and introduced into the stress-strain relationship. Numerical simulation was conducted and verified by frost heave tests. Results show that the porosity rate within the frozen fringe is proportional to the square of temperature gradient and current porosity, and is also proportional to the exponential function of applied pressure. The relative errors between the calculated and measured results of frost depth and frost heave are within 3% and 15% respectively, demonstrating that the temperature gradient, applied pressure and current porosity are the main influencing factors, while temperature is just the constraint of frozen fringe. The improved model have meaningful and accessible parameters, which can be used in engineering with good accuracy.