Experimental investigation on frost heave characteristics of saturated clay soil under different stress levels and temperature gradients

Abstract

The frost heave of soil has a significant influence on the stability and durability of various infrastructures. It is necessary to investigate the occurrence mechanism and development law of soil frost heaving. In this research, a triaxial frost heave experimental setup was developed, and a series of frost heave experiments were carried out by considering different confining pressures, deviator stresses, temperature gradients, and water supply conditions. The research found that the temperature gradient was the core driving force of soil frost heave. The increase of deviator stress and confining pressure would limit the development of frost heave by inhibiting water absorption. The growth of warm end temperature would increase the temperature of both water supply and soil near the warm end, which restrained the development of soil frost heaving. Finally, an improved prediction model for saturated clay soil's frost heave ratio was developed based on Takashi's one-dimensional frost heave ratio model, considering the effects of stress level and temperature gradient.