Numerical Investigation of the Temperature Field of a New Convection-Intensifying Composite Embankment in Permafrost Regions
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 33, Issue 1
Abstract
One of the main problems of wide expressway construction in permafrost regions involves protection of the thermal stability of roadbed. Although ventilating ducts and crushed-rock layers have been successfully used in railway embankment construction, their effects may fail to reach the requirements of large-width expressways. This paper proposes Convection-intensifying composite embankments composed of perforated ventilation ducts and crushed-rock layers and numerically studied their cooling effects. A numerical model for composite embankments in permafrost regions is established considering air flow and heat transfer characteristics in porous media. Temperature fields and cooling effects are simulated, and the results show that when the underlying permafrost temperature decreases, the position of the 0°C isotherm increases significantly. The installed position of the ventilation duct and the thickness of crushed-rock layer have a significant influence on thermal status of the underlying permafrost. The new convection-intensifying composite embankment is a potential cooling measure for high-grade, large-width highway construction in permafrost regions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors greatly appreciate the financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41572255).
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Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 33 • Issue 1 • March 2019
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jul 10, 2015
Accepted: Aug 7, 2018
Published online: Nov 26, 2018
Published in print: Mar 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Apr 26, 2019
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