Improvements in Frost Heave Laboratory Testing of Fine-Grained Soils
Publication: Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 22, Issue 3
Abstract
We present a laboratory system designed for studying frost heave in fine-grained soil. The system consists of: a modified refrigerator, a frost heave test cell, a laser for measuring heave, a differential pressure transducer for measuring water intake, and platinum resistance temperature detectors for measuring pedestal temperatures. The frost heave cell allows for visual observation of the sample, and accommodates pretest sample consolidation, freezing tests using a variety of freezing methods, triaxial tests on frozen soil, and thaw consolidation tests. The modified refrigerator maintains the specified temperature during the full length of the test. Test results indicate repeatability of frost heave ratios to within , and average heave rates to within . Results from frost heave tests conducted on five fine-grained soils indicate that: (1) a soil removed of its colloidal organic content becomes less frost susceptible; (2) the geomorphologic history of a “regional” soil is a critical factor influencing its frost susceptibility; and (3) is dependent on overall clay content and is most sensitive to chlorite content.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank the National Science Foundation,NSF the Alaska EPSCoR program, and UAF’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for funding and laboratory space.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Cold Regions Engineering
Volume 22 • Issue 3 • September 2008
Pages: 65 - 78
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Apr 25, 2007
Accepted: Dec 28, 2007
Published online: Sep 1, 2008
Published in print: Sep 2008
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