|Table of Contents|

Frost heave model and parameter analysis of unsaturated coarse-grained soils induced by vapor transfer(PDF)

长安大学学报（自然科学版）[ISSN:1006-6977/CN:61-1281/TN]

Issue:
2025年5期
Page:
129-139
Research Field:
桥梁与隧道工程
Publishing date:

Info

Title:
Frost heave model and parameter analysis of unsaturated coarse-grained soils induced by vapor transfer
Author(s):
LIU Jian-long1;  TENG Ji-dong2;  LUO Yan-bin1;  ZHANG Sheng2;  SHENG Dai-chao2; 3
(1. School of Highway, Chang'an University, Xi'an 710064, Shaanxi, China; 2. School of Civil Engineering,Central South University, Changsha 410075, Hunan, China; 3. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney 2007, New South Wales, Australia)
Keywords:
Key words:subgrade engineering;  unsaturated soil;  coarse-grained soil;  vapor transfer;  frost heave model;  numerical analysis
PACS:
U416.1
DOI:
10.19721/j.cnki.1671-8879.2025.05.011
Abstract:
To predict the frost heave of unsaturated coarse-grained soils induced by vapor transfer and to analyze the influence of boundary condition on the frost heave, a rigid ice frost heave model framework was adopted. Through the theoretical analysis of formation and growth mechanisms of ice lenses induced by vapor transfer, a criterion for ice lens initiation was proposed, and the governing equations for mass and energy balance considering vapor transfer were derived. A frost heave model of unsaturated coarse-grained soils was established considering vapor transfer. The in-house computational software PCHeave was updated to implement the model numerically. Using this software, the effects of overburden pressure and boundary temperature on the frost heave and distribution characteristics of ice lens were investigated. The research results indicate that the values calculated by the model agree well with one-dimensional frost heave test results of unsaturated coarse-grained soils with vapor supply. The average error is about 3.7% in the maximum frost heave after 7 d of freezing. The proposed model can reasonably reflect the frost heave process of unsaturated coarse-grained soils. With the increase in the overburden pressure, the frost heave and the segregation temperature decrease, while the pore water pressure at the freezing front increases. When the overburden pressure is 300 kPa, the segregation temperature in the freezing gravel is about -2 ℃, and the maximum pore water pressure is about 0.3 kPa. With the increase in the freezing index and temperature gradient, the frost heave increases. The pore water pressure at the freezing front increases as the freezing temperature decreases. The ice lens mainly occurs near the freezing front and is approximately distributed in uniform layers when the freezing temperature stepwise decreases. These findings provide a theoretical reference for frost heave prevention and control of unsaturated coarse-grained soil subgrades in cold regions.2 tabs, 11 figs, 34 refs.

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Last Update: 2025-09-30