Shallow Foundations in Cold Regions: Design

The techniques now avilable in the North American literature for the design of shallow foundations in permafrost are reviewed. Subjects considered are geothermal aspects, thaw settlement and consolidation effects, frost heaving, and frozen ground aspects. The major thrust is to provide an overview of the major factors that must be considered and to provide a bibliography from which more specific information can be obtained. Data pertaining to the long-term strength and creep rates of ice rich frozen ground at temperatures below but near the freezing point (0°C) is given. It is noted that the major deficiency in shallow foundation design is lack of reliable data on adfreeze frost-jacking loads and frost-heave predictions.