Numerical Evaluation of Insulation Application to Embankment of Qinghai–Tibetan Highway
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 2
Abstract
In many cases, protecting permafrost from further thaw due to human activities might be the first choice for embankment design in permafrost regions. Two-dimensional finite-element analysis was conducted, in which phase change was taken into consideration to simulate the thermal regime of the Qinghai–Tibetan Highway with extruded polystyrenes. Based on the predicted maximum thaw depth in the following 50 years, a better position for insulation and the optimum thickness of insulation were presented and a reasonable width of insulation and the right construction season were suggested. The applicable range of insulation in embankment engineering of the Qinghai-Tibetan Highway in terms of mean annual air temperature was also suggested and the influence of geothermal field of permafrost on the applicable range of the insulation was discussed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the Hundred Talent Young Scientists Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences granted to Dr. Jilin Qi, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. UNSPECIFIED50534040 and 40401013), the National Key Basic Research and Development Foundation of the Ministry of Sciences and Technology of China (Grant No. UNSPECIFIED2002CB412704), and the International Cooperation Key Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. CASGJHZ0529).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 2 • June 2007
Pages: 47 - 59
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 29, 2004
Accepted: Jun 9, 2006
Published online: Jun 1, 2007
Published in print: Jun 2007
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