Heat and Mass Transfer in the Freezing Soils

Abstract

AbstractThe moisture mass transfer in a gaseous state was previously widely neglected in the exploration of frost heave. The widespread model of coupled heat and water transfer allowed for detailed calculation and estimation of moisture migration by using the numerical methods. However, it could not explain the driving forces and physical nature. In this research, the significantly modified testing method, including the slow freezing techniques and longer samples lengths, was presented, as is an effective way to evaluate the impact of freeze-thaw cycles on soils. The moisture mass transfer in a state of vapour flow was considered during unidirectional freezing on the example of the conducted laboratory testing. The obtained results have improved understanding of the heat and mass transfer phenomenon during the unidirectional freezing of soils. The conceptual model for frost heave in soils was developed based on the vapour mass transfer. The algorithm of vapour flow calculation in unsaturated soils was presented using fundamental thermodynamic equations.KeywordsFreeze-thaw testLaboratory testingVapour mass transfer