The mechanics of frost heave with stratigraphic microstructure evolution

Abstract

Frost heave is a major cause of engineering geology hazards in cold regions, which is mainly the result of frost-heaving pressure due to the non-linear transport-freezing of water in the pore network. However, few studies have fully quantified the contribution of the strata pore-network structure to that pressure and the hazard to cold-region projects under multifactorial effects. Therefore, to address this long-term challenge in cold regions, we pioneered a generic, interdisciplinary, thermal-hydrological-mechanical fractal model for the quantitative study of the effect of strata microstructure on frost heave and hence the assessment of construction risk for engineering geology projects. First, a strata frost heave model based on fractal theory is proposed, with pore fractal dimension, maximum pore diameter, and pore tortuosity fractal dimension used to characterize strata pore density, pore size, and throat complexity, respectively. Secondly, the numerical model is compared with field observations in cold-region projects, and reasonable agreements can be obtained. The results indicate that various fractal parameters have different effects on engineering geology projects in cold regions. The strata displacement changes by 9.7–20.3% as microscopic parameters change. This study contributes to a better understanding of the micro- and macro-interactions of soil in cold regions, as well as a reference for geoengineering stability in cold regions under frost heave conditions.