Effects of temperature and pressure on frost heaving

Abstract

Concerning the influence of overburden pressure on the relation between rate of heave and cold-side temperature, studies show that the heave rate for various overburden pressures tends to converge as the cold-side temperature is lowered, and the maximum rates of ice accumulation at low pressures occur at temperatures closer to 0°C than do those at high pressures. Evidence is also presented that a heaving zone is involved in frost action rather than a freezing plane. This zone extends over an increasingly greater temperature range and distance as the overburden pressure is increased. Using the concept of a heaving zone leads to a method for calculating the heave-decrease curve. The period of heave decrease is marked by a rapidly increasing ice segregation ratio and a reduced frostpenetration rate.