Stability of pile foundations base on warming effects on the permafrost under earthquake motions

Abstract

The Qinghai–Tibet Railway (QTR) is approximately 1142km long, of which 275km are underlain in warm permafrost regions (mean annual round temperatures range from 0°С to 1.5°С), where the stability of the embankment would be greatly affected by minor temperature variations. Furthermore, since the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is in an active seismic zone, special attention needs to be paid to the relationship between earthquakes and soil temperature. Using a refrigeration system, a series of shaking table tests for the 1/100 scaled model of the pile foundation in the Qingshui-river Bridge along the Qinghai–Tibet Railroad were conducted for soil temperatures of below 0°С around the pile. The results indicated that the seismic mechanical properties are extremely sensitive to soil temperature. The change of temperature around the pile foundation during the earthquake motions was monitored, and the warming effects on the permafrost were assessed. In addition, the seismic stability coupled with the effect of soil temperature of the pile foundation in the Qingshui-river Bridge was evaluated.