Journal of Cold Regions Engineering

Accidents, infrastructure closures and reductions in capacity, and delays have occurred and are documented in the literature due to bridge formation, sinkholes, or rapid collapses within embankment infrastructure on permafrost. However, the failure mechanics are not well understood or studied. This paper investigates soil particle position, negative pore-pressure generation, and frozen soil flexure as possible mechanisms for bridging. Published literature and laboratory testing confirmed that soil particle position is a possible mechanism for bridging voids within embankments. Factor of safety equations were developed for (1) tensile stress conditions within a loaded frozen soil beam and (2) tensile stress from matric suction conditions within unfrozen soils over a void. Using published data for common embankment materials, example calculations for bridging via matric suction and frozen soil flexure are presented. All of the presented mechanisms for creating and maintaining bridges are possible, depending on site conditions; however, the probability and consequences of bridge collapse after formation vary widely depending on the mechanism.

Low-temperature pavement performance is important in freezing areas in northern climates. While agencies and contractors pursue efforts to add recycled asphalt materials (RAMs) into the mix design to reduce costs, the aged, stiffer material being blended in can dramatically alter the performance. A correlation between the Glover–Rowe parameter (G–R) and delta T_c (ΔT_c) was developed in 2011 by Anderson et al. to relate the onset of nonload-related and significant cracking values. The relationship provides a correlation between nonload-related and low-temperature cracking properties of the binder. To further evaluate this relationship, four cold-region virgin binders from Wisconsin and Michigan were blended with varying percentages of RAM mixtures. Blends were then laboratory aged tested to obtain stiffness, m-value, complex shear modulus, and phase angle from BBR and DSR testing, allowing for the calculation of ΔT_c and the G–R parameters. Investigation of their correlation for each binder source and the change in ΔT_c was evaluated for each blend. Updated correlations and trends show that correlations are source dependent, suggesting that the ΔT_c specification maxima should be re-evaluated for their inclusion of RAP sources.

The pervious concrete layer in a permeable pavement system may be susceptible to chemical degradation by various deicers applied during winter weather events. In this research, the chemical impacts of calcium chloride on pervious concrete specimens made in the laboratory were studied and compared with specimens with a water-only control. The 20 specimens were made with limestone aggregate and ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and were similar in porosity. Either 200 mL of deicer at a 3% mass concentration or 200 mL of water were poured onto the top of the 100 mm diameter specimens once weekly for 17 weeks and allowed to partially air dry in the laboratory in between applications. Debris started to fall from the bottoms of the specimens with the calcium chloride applications about halfway into the testing period. Unconfined compressive strength tests performed after the deicer applications were completed show a substantial decrease in strength for the specimens that received the calcium chloride applications. It is recommended that calcium chloride deicers not be used on pervious concrete made with limestone aggregate and OPC.

This study aims to identify the characteristics of a large-scale embankment constructed from volcanic soil in snowy-cold regions during all seasons and to confirm the validity of the prediction method for rainfall-induced failure that has been proposed in previous studies. To realize the aims, a series of laboratory-based model tests will be conducted initially on small-scale embankments constructed with a representative volcanic soil. Thereafter, a large-scale embankment was constructed in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan. The same volcanic soil as that used in the model testing was utilized as the construction material. Taking into consideration the results of the field monitoring, model test, and stability analysis, the aspects of slope failure were clarified. It was shown that the rainfall-induced failure of an embankment could be uniquely evaluated by estimating the changes in water content in zones exposed to freezing and thawing. Finally, a stability monitoring protocol based on infiltration theory is discussed in detail.

Although current estimates suggest that the United States corrosion costs reach more than $500 billion dollars each year, the adoption of corrosion-control practices will reduce these costs by 15%–35%. In fact, the annual cost of corrosion in the automotive industry in the United States alone is estimated to be $30 billion. Implementation of effective corrosion prevention strategies by departments of transportation during the winter season will increase public safety by preventing unexpected snow and ice equipment failures, decrease downtime, and provide cost savings through reduction in rust-related maintenance. Protective coatings could increase equipment lifetime and decrease maintenance costs; however, there is limited performance data to show the effectiveness of these corrosion-mitigation strategies. In this work, laboratory and in-field testing were used in combination with cost–benefit analysis to identify cost-effective, field-tested coating systems. Based on these results, a standard operating procedure for coating equipment was developed proposing the addition of any of the studied top-performing protective coatings, polyurethane coating (PC1) and UV-cured coating (UVC), to any newly assembled dump truck.

This paper presents findings from a side-by-side operational comparison of granular road salt (RS) and MeltDown 20 (MD) deicing chemicals for snow and ice control from the perspective of “the maintenance worker in the truck.” The field test site, near Canyon, Texas, was divided into sixteen 305 m (1,000 ft) sections that were either untreated controls or received treatment with RS or MD at nominal Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) application rates of 85 kg/lane km (300 lb/lane mile) and 42 kg/lane km (150 lb/lane mile), respectively. Three storms met pre-established criteria for snow accumulation, and field test sections were subject to cycles of plowing, deicing treatment, and slushing. Video and still-image data facilitated estimation of visible pavement, and vehicle-based decelerometer tests measured pavement friction. Overall results showed that granular RS outperformed MD in 5/20 data events (25%) and RS outperformed untreated control in 9/20 data events (45%). In contrast, MD never outperformed RS and outperformed control in only 5/20 data events (25%). Further, TxDOT maintenance management data indicate the operational cost to apply MD (corrosion-inhibited) is 3.5× higher than RS (noninhibited), raising questions about cost-effectiveness given the road, climate, and temperature conditions characteristic of the north Texas latitude.