Thaw Mechanism in Subgrades

Abstract: Freezing-thawing, changes the properties of soil due to the phase change of the water in the soil body. Freezing-thawing cycles in the soil have been studied for several decades including extensive laboratory research. In this study, the main focus is thawing based on laboratory investigation. The soil used in the laboratory study is taken from a minor road where an additional field study has been carried out.A freezing-thawing laboratory apparatus is manufactured and used in order to get better understanding of the freezing-thawing process. The apparatus is designed for cylindrical sample, one dimensional heat flow, freezing/thawing from top to bottom, water supply from bottom (access to external water) and possible to apply overburden load.he laboratory tests were conducted at similar soil samples at different boundary conditions. Water is liberated in the thawing zone of the sample. During thawing the only drainage path is to the surface, however, water migrates upwards even when entire soil is thawed. Upwards water migration after thawing period can be due to the changes in thawed soil properties such as permeability and fine particles redistribution. The rate of thawing is a very important factor for thawing conditions. At low thawing rate the drainage capacity of sample is sufficient to drain the liberated water from ice. Moreover, freezing condition i.e. access to water, has high impact on thawing process. If the volume of ice lenses is high,the thawed soil fluidizes as the water migrates upwards. Pore pressure transducers will be added to the apparatus for further investigation regarding both freezing and thawing.The field study has been conducted in order to study thaw behavior in low volume road embankment. The scope of the study is to investigate the thaw weakening progress by Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) and Dynamic Cone Penetration (DCP) tests on low volume embankment road near Luleå,northern Sweden. The results from methods is compared and the differences in how they are capturing the thawing is discussed. DCP which is known as an easy and cheap method to estimate stiffness of soil layers is applied to estimate thawing period and the layer which thaw weakening takes place at. Stiffness gained by back calculation of FWD results which is performed on the same road embankment and same period of time DCP test is done.