Reinforcement of Ice Crossings with Geosynthetic Materials

Abstract

An ice crossing is a road constructed on an ice-covered river, organized in the absence of a bridge, as well as in view of the impossibility of a ferry crossing in winter due to the formation of ice cover on water bodies. For most of the regions of Russia, in the cold season, the establishment of negative temperatures is typical, as a result of which ice crossing is a common transport facility. So, in the country annually opens more than 500 crossings, about 20 of which are located in the Perm Krai. Their opening takes place in December - early January, and closing - in late March - early April. The easiest way to arrange crossings is on natural ice, as a result of which their carrying capacity increases as the natural thickness of the ice increases. Because of this, the passing of heavy vehicles is possible only in January – February, which is a significant drawback. Today, there are several ways to artificially increase the carrying capacity, which include reinforcing the ice sheet with geosynthetic material. This method is a new and rather promising direction in road construction due to the reusable use of geomeshs. The article discusses the dependence of changes in the characteristics of the ice cover on the applied geosynthetic material, as well as technological and economic comparison of reinforcement variants. To this end, materials were collected on organized crossings of the Perm Krai, possible types of geomeshs were examined, and calculations were carried out to determine the carrying capacity of the crossing. This reinforcement method contributes to the earlier passage of heavy vehicles at the crossing, and also improves the safety of traffic on it and prolongs its service life.